Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 23, 2021 43 PREP PROFILES Monroe Freeling flew to Chicago with family, drove over to South Bend, saw Notre Dame's facilities, did the player walk and talked with the Irish coaching staff during his game-day visit Oct. 2. The four-star class of 2023 prospect from Mt. Pleasant (S.C.) Oceanside Col- legiate Academy enjoyed it all. Notre Dame fell 24-13 in its matchup against Cincinnati, but that didn't deter him from having a good time at a school he's highly considering. "It was a tough loss. The fans were into it the whole time, which was good," Monroe said. "Some schools might not keep their fans the whole time, but the stadium was loud all of the way through the game. It was a great environment; I was impressed by the fans." Freeling caught up with head coach Brian Kelly, offensive line coach Jeff Q u i n n a n d o f fe n s ive co o rd i n a to r Tommy Rees while on campus. "We were talking about how big of an opportunity it is to come to Notre Dame," Freeling added. "They did a re- ally good job. They were welcoming to me and my family the whole time." The recruit has a well thought-out plan to his recruiting process. He es- sentially wants to take three visits to schools he is considering. "I think I have to get up there one more time," said Freeling, who also visited Notre Dame during the sum- mer. "I have my three steps. The first impression, game day and then life as a regular student is what I need to do next [at Notre Dame]." The Fighting Irish are a serious con- tender for Freeling. He saw Clemson, Georgia, North Carolina and Clemson in the summer. As a young man originally from Bend, Ore., he'd also like to make it out to the West Coast at some point to also see schools such as Oregon, Stan- ford, UCLA and USC. "The five schools I visited over the summer I'll probably get back out for game days," he explained. "I've already gone to Notre Dame and North Carolina. I think I have to make a trip out to the West Coast to see some of those schools. I have family out there that I can stay with." Freeling doesn't plan on making a de- cision any time soon, but whenever a commitment does come for Freeling, look for Notre Dame to be under serious consideration. "They're definitely a contender," he noted. — Mike Singer Arthur (Ill.) Lovington class of 2023 athlete Kaden Feagin, a four-star recruit per Rivals, is considered a regular on Notre Dame's campus at this point. He visited for the Irish Invasion camp June 6, but couldn't participate due to an injury. Feagin came back to South Bend a couple weeks later to work out for the Irish staff and visited again in late July for the cookout recruiting event. It was then when Notre Dame running backs coach Lance Taylor offered him. The 6-3, 220-pounder also made a trip to Notre Dame when the Irish hosted Cincinnati. "The visit was g r e a t ," Fe a g i n said. "My experi- ence was amaz- ing. It was great seeing the game- day atmosphere and how passionate the fans are for the program." Feagin has built a good connection with Taylor, who would be his position coach at Notre Dame, and they were able to catch up for a few minutes before kick- off. There was also a group meeting with Irish head coach Brian Kelly and several other recruits that Feagin participated in. One topic of conversation between Feagin and Taylor was the fact that Notre Dame recently landed a running back pledge in the 2023 cycle when Miami Gulliver Prep's Sedrick Irvin Jr. picked the Irish Sept. 22. "We talked about it a little bit, and they just said they are still going to keep recruiting me the same way they have been," Feagin said. That is music to Feagin's ears, considering how interested he is in the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame is cer- tainly one of his top options at this point. "The campus is beautiful," he said. "How everything is really close together is cool to me." Feagin liked what he saw from Notre Dame running backs Chris Tyree and Kyren Williams against the Bearcats. "The running backs looked good," he said. "They were patient finding their holes, and when they found it, they got all the yards that they could." Feagin plans to return to Notre Dame's campus for the USC game Oct. 23. Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Notre Dame, Purdue, Rutgers and Wis- consin all have offered Feagin. In his first six games this season, Feagin ran for 727 yards and 12 touchdowns. — Mike Singer Notre Dame Is A Contender For South Carolina Tackle Latest Campus Visit Was A Success For Illinois Ball Carrier MONROE FREELING ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Oceanside Collegiate Academy Mt. Pleasant, S.C. Status: Offered Class: 2023 Position: Offensive tackle Ht.: 6-7 • Wt.: 274 Rivals Rankings: No. 1 player in South Carolina, and No. 10 offensive tackle and No. 115 overall player nationally KADEN FEAGIN ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Arthur-Lovington H.S. Arthur, Ill. Status: Offered Class: 2023 Position: Running back Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 220 Rivals Rankings: Currently unranked "Some schools might not keep their fans the whole time, but the stadium was loud all of the way through the game. It was a great environment; I was impressed by the fans." Freeling on his Notre Dame visit Oct. 2 "The visit was great. My experience was amazing. It was great seeing the game-day atmosphere and how pas- sionate the fans are for the program." Feagin on his Oct. 2 visit