Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM AUGUST 2023 39 FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY MIKE SINGER Notre Dame had a hot streak of com- mitments in June, and the Irish added a literal big addition to its 2024 class when Clearwater (Fla.) Academy International interior defensive lineman Sean Sevillano pledged to Marcus Freeman's program. Sevillano picked up an offer from Notre Dame March 13 and visited cam- pus less than two weeks later. It was a short visit because he was traveling with a seven-on-seven organization that had a tournament in the Midwest, but Sevil- lano's recruitment was impacted in a big way while he was in South Bend. "I got to see the vibe of the coaches and the intensity of the practice was high," Sevillano told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "There was intention behind what was going on. I enjoy the faith part of the school. I felt at home when I was there. "Talking to Coach [Al] Golden, Coach [ A l ] Wa s h i n g t o n , Coach [Marcus] Free- man and Coach [Nick] Sebastian — those are guys I can see myself around. I'm very happy we could make the commitment happen." The Fighting Irish instantly became a top contender for the Canadian native when they offered him in March, and it helped Notre Dame that he already had a baseline knowledge of the program be- fore receiving the scholarship. Former Notre Dame running back Dean Lytle is a part of the training group that Sevillano works out with in Winnipeg, Manitoba. "Each offer I got — whether it was a small or big school — I did research on it," Sevillano explained. "Notre Dame was a school that intrigued me a lot, even since I was young. I had a coach who played running back there behind Jerome Bettis. I had heard a lot of great things about Notre Dame, and I was re- ally excited when I got the offer. "It's one of those big offers. When I got it, I was really excited and super intrigued with what it could become." The Notre Dame staff recruited Se- villano hard. He had daily contact with defensive coordinator Al Golden, de- fensive line coach Al Washington and assistant defensive line coach Nick Se- bastian. He said he speaks often with head coach Marcus Freeman as well. "I'm keeping up with them all the time, which is awesome," Sevillano said. "It makes me feel really comfort- able with my decision." Sevillano originally planned to take official visits to Auburn, Notre Dame and Ohio State in June, but once he got the green light to commit to the Irish, he jumped on it. Princeton (N.J.) The Hun School interior defensive lineman Owen Wafle decommitted from the Irish May 24, and that's the same day that Sevillano committed to the staff. "I had talked previously with Coach Washington about potentially commit- ting," Sevillano explained. "I had felt Notre Dame was the place and was my favorite spot. When he gave me the op- portunity [to commit], I felt the same way, and I talked it over with my family. "We didn't hesitate to make the com- mitment. I couldn't say no." Sevillano reports that he stands at 6-2, 305 pounds. He's a nose tackle all the way at the next level. "I'm a high-motor guy who won't stop until the job is done," he said. "I bring strength, intensity and leadership to the game." Notre Dame has been active in land- ing Canadian players, especially in re- cent years. The most notable star has been Chase Claypool from the Vancou- ver area. In last year's class, the Irish signed two Canadian natives on the de- fensive line in Devan Houstan (Ontario) and Armel Mukam (Quebec). "That intrigued me a lot," Sevillano said. "I got to talk to those guys about Notre Dame. It will be cool to be with other guys from Canada on the defensive line." Sevillano helped lead Clearwater Acad- emy International to back-to-back Sun- shine State Independent Association state titles in 2021 and 2022. During his junior year, he totaled 75 stops, 21 tackles for loss, 19 sacks and 3 forced fumbles in 11 games. Clearwater Academy International regularly has players from Canada, and Se- villano enrolled at the school for his sopho- more year. He grew up playing baseball before focusing on football. On3 ranks Sevillano as the No. 82 prospect in Florida and the No. 64 de- fensive lineman in the country. He is ranked slightly higher in the On3 Indus- try Ranking, a weighted average of four recruiting media services, as the No. 69 prospect in Florida and No. 51 defensive lineman nationally. ✦ Irish Land Yet Another Canadian Defensive Lineman FILM ANALYSIS "Sean Sevillano is a compactly built nose tackle prospect. He's very productive at the high school level and plays with high effort. I saw him at the Under Armour camp in Or- lando, and he had a strong showing there. He won most of his reps in one-on-ones. "He's physical and plays with pretty good quickness off the ball for a prospect of his size. His upside might not be as high as other interior defensive lineman due to physical and athletic limitations, but he can play fast as a nose tackle in a three-man front." — Blue & Gold Illustrated football analyst Mike Goolsby COMMITMENT PROFILE SEAN SEVILLANO "That intrigued me a lot. I got to talk to those guys about Notre Dame. It will be cool to be with other guys from Canada on the defensive line." SEVILLANO ON JOINING FELLOW CANADIANS DEVAN HOUSTAN AND ARMEL MUKAM IN SOUTH BEND Sevillano — a native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, who attends high school at Clearwater Academy International in Florida — picked Notre Dame over Auburn, Miami and Ohio State. PHOTO COURTESY ON3.COM