Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 29, 2022 43 PREP PROFILES Portsmouth (Va.) Churchland class of 2023 athlete Brandyn Hillman picked up an offer from Notre Dame Sept. 28, and the Irish wasted no time getting the 6-1, 190-pounder on campus. The staff hosted him for an official visit for their next home game, which was when Stanford came to town Oct. 15. Although the Irish lost the contest, Hillman enjoyed the game atmosphere and spending time with the Fighting Irish staff. "The atmosphere was crazy during the game," Hillman said. "The way the fans interacted stood out to me. No words can explain how well-mannered the coaching staff is." Hillman spent time with basically all of the Notre Dame staff during the visit, including head coach Marcus Freeman, offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, de- fensive coordinator Al Golden and di- rector of recruiting Chad Bowden. "They're great coaches and great hu- man beings," Hillman said. "They're passionate about what they do." They made their pitch to Hillman clear. "Academics-wise, Notre Dame is a great school," he said. "You get an edu- cation from Notre Dame that helps set you up for life. They were preaching that to me, and I've kept that in mind." Hillman made the trip with his mother and high school head coach. While it's his decision at the end of the day, his mom's opinion is important. And by all accounts, she loved her time in South Bend. "My mom enjoyed herself," he added. "She's still talking about it today. She asked a lot of questions, and they an- swered them 100 percent truthfully. That went well." Hillman plans to take more recruiting visits and might visit Kentucky in No- vember. But at the same time, he reports that a decision may not be far off. "It should be soon," he said regarding a commitment. Notre Dame is recruiting Hillman as an athlete who could play quarterback, running back, wide receiver or some- where in the secondary. Hillman would prefer to start out at quarterback, which the staff will allow him to do. And if the situation isn't working out at that posi- tion, he could move elsewhere. — Mike Singer St. Louis University High class of 2024 wideout Ryan Wingo was a mar- quee visitor for Notre Dame's rivalry game with Stanford Oct. 15. He's been to a couple Notre Dame games now — as he also saw the Irish fall last year against Cincinnati — and has been to South Bend a total of three times in the past four months. He's no stranger to Notre Dame, but this visit had one unique element in particular. "It was a fun trip," Wingo said. "I had more of a fan interaction this time. Some of the fans were chanting my name while we were waiting for the players during the Irish walk. I had my p i c t u re ta ke n with a couple of kids. That was a fun part. The game was OK." W i n go wa s hanging out with Notre Dame commits CJ Carr (2024 quarterback), Christian Gray (2023 cornerback) and Drayk Bowen (2023 linebacker) before kickoff. "We were laughing a lot," Wingo said. "We were looking at Jeremiyah Love's commitment post and were looking at which of our comments had the most likes on his post. We were having a good time; it was fun." Gray and Love, who committed to the Irish Saturday afternoon, are both fellow St. Louis natives. While Love and St. Louis Christian Brothers 2024 wide receiver Jer- emiah McClellan didn't get to hang out with Wingo and Co. before the game, they were both on campus as well. It was quite the St. Louis invasion in South Bend. Notre Dame landing Love caught Wingo's attention. "It raised my eyebrows," he said. "They're getting a lot of p l a ye r s f r o m S t . L o u i s . I f kids in my area are looking that much at Notre Dame, then something good is going on there. It's special." While Notre Dame struggled offen- sively against Stanford and lost the game 16-14, Wingo is looking on the bright side. "Losing games doesn't have an im- pact on anything for me," he said. "I have an opportunity to come to a school and help it become great. I could make an instant impact." Wingo is considered a Notre Dame lean, but he is still considering other schools. "I'm taking more game visits," he said. "I want to see more schools. You only get the opportunity to go through this recruiting process once." — Mike Singer Notre Dame Makes Its Pitch To 2023 Virginia Athlete Elite 2024 Wide Receiver Recaps Irish Visit BRANDYN HILLMAN ✪ ✪ ✪ Churchland H.S. Portsmouth, Va. Status: Offered Class: 2023 Position: Athlete Ht.: 6-1 • Wt.: 190 Rivals Rankings: No. 13 player in Virginia and No. 16 athlete nationally RYAN WINGO ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ St. Louis University H.S. St. Louis Status: Offered Class: 2024 Position: Wide Receiver Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 198 Rivals Rankings: No. 2 player in Missouri, and No. 7 wide receiver and No. 32 overall player nationally "The atmosphere was crazy during the game. The way the fans interacted stood out to me. No words can explain how well-man- nered the coaching staff is." Hillman on his Notre Dame visit "Losing games doesn't have an impact on anything for me. I have an opportunity to come to a school and help it become great. I could make an instant impact." Wingo on Notre Dame's struggles