Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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60 MARCH 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2023 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY PATRICK ENGEL Ben Minich was waiting on one of- fer, even as his profile rose to nationally recruited prospect with SEC overtures. It wasn't Oklahoma, which came through with one in late June. Nor was it Kentucky, which offered two weeks be- fore the Sooners. Nor did June visits to Duke, Cincinnati and Wake Forest push him to commit to any of those options. Stanford's offer never led to a visit. No, Minich — a four-star safety from Cincinnati Lakota West — hoped to add Notre Dame to his list. An offer from the Irish became a goal when Notre Dame's staff reached out to Minich's head coach at Lakota West, Tom Bolden. It became a possibility when he attended a prospect camp at Notre Dame June 21. It became real July 20. M i n i c h ( 5 - fo o t -1 1 , 1 8 5 p o u n d s) wasted little time acting on it. Seven days later, he came to campus for a visit. Less than a week after that trip, he teased a commitment announcement for two days later. He revealed his inten- tions to play for Notre Dame Aug. 5. Fifteen days from offer to commit- ment, all told. He had a feeling since that camp that he would take the plunge with Notre Dame if the Irish offered him. "I wanted to get a bit more in depth, and going back there [to visit], my in- tentions were that if it was what I ex- pected, then I'd be committing in the next day or two," Minich told Blue & Gold Illustrated last summer. "I wanted to check all the boxes." He filled in every one of them like he thought. "It was a no-brainer," Minich said. Notre Dame's decision to offer him also looks like one in hindsight, consid- ering his rise from a prospect with Mid- American Conference offers in January 2022 to four-star status by three of four sites on signing day 11 months later. Even after his spring and summer emergence as a Power Five recruit, was a three-star prospect and the No. 530 player in the 2023 On3 Consensus when he stepped on Notre Dame's campus for that late July visit. He settled at No. 302 in that final ranking after a strong senior season and was ranked 233rd by 247. The Irish staff identified a potential riser at the camp. Defensive coordinator Al Golden's trip to watch Minich play early in the season gave them a hint they were right. "I had the good fortune of seeing him play live early in the year," Golden said during the early signing period. "He had a fake punt, some great tackles in the open field on defense at safety. He scored the game-tying touchdown with seconds remaining on offense. "He's just a really, really smart player that's physically tough and versatile." ✦ Four-Star Safety Ben Minich Finds Payoff In Patience Minich, a four-star recruit and the No. 27 safety in the country per the On3 Consensus, needed barely two weeks to commit to Notre Dame after receiving an offer. PHOTO COURTESY ON3.COM BEN MINICH SAFETY 5-11 · 185 LAKOTA WEST H.S. WEST CHESTER, OHIO RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ — 50 18 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 25 9 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 27 10 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 233 19 6 STATISTICS • Totaled 45 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 3 interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) and 2 passes broken up during his senior year. Also hauled in 15 passes for 304 yards and 3 touchdowns. • Posted 45 tackles and 2 interceptions (return- ing one for a 76-yard touchdown) as a junior. Also caught 16 passes for 250 yards and 5 scores. NOTABLE • 2022 Division I All-Ohio Football first-team defense. • 2021 Greater Miami Conference second-team defense. • Broke a school record running a 10.47 100-me- ter dash in May 2022. • Also played basketball in high school. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on Aug. 5, 2022. • Enrolled at Notre Dame in January. • Picked the Irish over Cincinnati, Duke, Okla- homa and others. • Recruited by safeties coach Chris O'Leary. • Visited Notre Dame four times, including his official visit on Oct. 15, 2022. 2023 PROJECTION • Minich will likely redshirt as a true freshman this fall. THEY SAID IT Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden: "I had the good fortune of seeing him play live early in the year. He had a fake punt, some great tackles in the open field on defense at safety. He scored the game-tying touchdown with seconds remaining in the game on offense. A really, really smart player that's physically tough. Just versatile. "You love those guys who can play multiple posi- tions. That group, can't wait for them to get here." National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming: "I give him a four-star rating, and I did that when he only had MAC offers. He's a physical defensive back. He's not a real big guy, but he's physical. He has good range and is a coach on the field. "He's a very good catch because Notre Dame has lacked speed. He's a great ball player."