Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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42 OCT. 2, 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED Notre Dame landed a new commit- ment in the 2023 class on Sept. 22 when Miami Gulliver Prep running back Sed- rick Irvin Jr. announced his pledge to the Fighting Irish. Academics played a key role, evi- denced by Notre Dame and Stanford being his final two choices. His visit to South Bend over the summer and a strong relationship with the Irish staff helped Notre Dame land Irvin's early pledge. "It's always been one of my favorite schools, and then getting a chance to get up there, visit the staff and meet Coach [Brian] Kelly and Coach [Lance] Taylor — I knew those were people I wanted to surround myself with," Irvin told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "They're recruiting guys like me to be part of a brother- hood — one that I can enjoy and grow in. They're big on the type of people they recruit. "The combination of the tradition in both academics and football is un- matched." Irvin visited Florida State when the Seminoles hosted Notre Dame, and it was two days after that contest that he called Kelly, the Irish head coach, and Taylor, the running backs mentor, to inform them of his decision. "The relationship with Coach Tay- lor is great," Irvin said. "Even be- fore I went there in June to meet him, I knew he was a great guy. I can see myself l e a r n i n g f r o m him, and he takes his job very seriously. He's there for his players." Irvin had scholarship offers from the "big three" schools in Florida. He also had Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide on his offer sheet. However, he decided to leave the South in what is a surprising move to most, but don't tell that to Irvin. The 5-10, 185-pounder is actually from Maryland and didn't move to Flor- ida until he was 9 years old. Addition- ally, his father, Sedrick Irvin Sr., made a similar move, leaving the Sunshine State for Michigan State when he was a recruit in the 1996 class. The elder Irvin was a first-team USA Today All-American as a prep and went on to rush for 3,504 yards and ac- counted for 41 touchdowns during his career with the Spartans. He is No. 5 on Michigan State's all-time rushing yardage list and No. 4 in rushing touchdowns. Irvin welcomes the opportunity — just like his fa- ther before him — to play college foot- ball in the Midwest. "After they offered me, they were one of the schools that recruited me the hardest," Irvin said of the Irish staff. "It was them, Michigan State and Stanford after me the hardest. I've always wanted to get out of Florida for college. I grew up in Maryland. Notre Dame has it all for me." Irvin — who Rivals rates as the No. 14 prospect in Florida, and the No. 4 run- ning back and No. 81 overall player na- tionally — has had numerous conver- sations with Taylor and Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees about his fit in their offense. "Coach Rees was showing me how he uses his running backs to the best of their ability," Irvin said. "I feel like I can do it all. I can run in between the tack- les, and I can line up at receiver. I feel that I can fit in that offense. "Anywhere they put me on the field, I can succeed there." The elder Irvin is a cousin of NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin. He was an intern on Nick Saban's Ala- bama staff from 2008-09 with Lance Taylor, and also coached at Memphis (2010-11) and Eastern Carolina (2016). He has been a high school head coach at Gulliver Prep (2006-08, 2019-current), Westminster Christian (2011-16), Mi- ami Senior (2016-17) and Miami South- ridge (2018-19). Through three games as a junior, Irvin has rushed 50 times for 275 yards and two touchdowns. He's added three receptions for 38 yards. In 19 career games, Irvin has 186 carries for 1,256 yards and 18 touchdowns. Irvin, who was named to the Flori- daHSFootball.com 2020 class 4A Flor- ida All-State second-team offense, committed to Notre Dame over Ala- bama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State and Tennessee. He interned at Holland & Knight, a law firm with offices all over the world, during the summer. ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE SEDRICK IRVIN JR. Notre Dame Lands Commitment From Miami Running Back With Strong Bloodlines Rivals rates Irvin — the son of former Michigan State standout Sedrick Irvin Sr. — as the No. 14 prospect in Florida, and the No. 4 running back and No. 81 overall player nationally. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM FILM ANALYSIS "Sedrick Irvin Jr. shows great vision, agility, quickness and runs behind his pads with pa- tience and terrific hand/eye coordination. This young man can do it all. He's a complete back with a great attitude and work ethic, and is a classic slasher with the vision and burst to domi- nate at the next level. "Irvin is a shifty runner. He has, as I mentioned, great vision, surprising strength and an excellent pair of hands. He is a big-time athlete." — Prep Football Report analyst Tom Lemming "It's always been one of my favorite schools, and then getting a chance to get up there, visit the staff and meet Coach [Brian] Kelly and Coach [Lance] Taylor — I knew those were people I wanted to surround myself with." IRVIN ON NOTRE DAME