Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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78 MARCH 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY KYLE KELLY Ethan Long made his Notre Dame football pledge public eight days into the New Year. After verbally committing privately to the Fighting Irish staff on Dec. 8, the 2025 class three-star safety revealed his decision on Jan. 8. The Greenwich (Conn.) Brunswick School recruit is the No. 4 prospect in Connecticut and the No. 35 safety na- tionally in On3's 2025 class rankings. The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder chose the Irish over four other finalists: Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin. Six other Power Five programs offered the standout safety from New England. But as Long discovered, Notre Dame fit him best. "Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State are great places, of course," Long told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "They were so good to me. But at the end of the day, it was like, 'What is best for me with play- ing time and school?'" The Irish staff's pitch that four years as a student at the university sets them up for 40 years of success was a critical selling point toward Long finalizing his decision. "Notre Dame's '4 for 40' was a big thing," he said. "It's the biggest thing. I put that in perspective and thought long and hard about it being my decision." While technically a high school junior, Long is already in his fourth year at the college prep level. Following the 2021 football season at Trumbull (Conn.) St. Joseph, he reclassified from a 2024 class recruit to 2025. Long had a second soph- omore season with Brunswick School in 2022. Long reported his first Power Five scholarship offer from Pittsburgh on Jan. 28, 2023. Eventually, Duke and Boston College followed suit by mid-April. Notre Dame hosted him on an unof- ficial visit on April 14. About six weeks later, then-Irish safeties coach Chris O'Leary formally offered Long a scholar- ship on May 30. It came about two weeks after defensive coordinator Al Golden watched him perform at a Connecticut high school show- case. Before his Notre Dame commitment, Long paid three re- cruiting visits each to Ohio State and P e n n S t a te . H e also saw Michigan, Duke, Boston Col- lege and Pittsburgh. Still, he saw himself fitting in best in South Bend. "I saw myself going to Penn State and Michigan," Long said. "I kept my options open and could see myself at any of those schools, but there's just so much history at Notre Dame." In the spring of 2022, Long received offers from FCS programs Massachu- setts and Villanova. That fall, he had a breakout season at Brunswick, with 6 turnovers (3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles) and no receptions allowed. The Northeast Prep Football Confer- ence named him All-League first team at defensive back in 2022. Long also gar- nered an honorable mention from the All-New England Preparatory School Athletic Conference in Class A. A s a j u n i o r i n 2023, Long had 56 total tackles, an- other 3 interceptions and 3 more forced fumbles in 9 games. That output pro- duced second-team All-League honors from the Northeast Prep Football Con- ference. During his first sophomore sea- son with St. Joseph in 2021, Long had 52 tackles (27 solo), 8 interceptions, 11 passes broken up and 2 forced fumbles. He was Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference honorable mention that year. Long reports a 4.60-second 40-yard dash and a 75½-inch wingspan. In ad- dition to football, he is also an outstand- ing basketball player. He is a cousin of former Irish wide receiver and captain Austin Webster. ✦ Notre Dame Lands Underrated Safety Over Big Ten Blue Bloods COMMITMENT PROFILE ETHAN LONG Long, the No. 35 safety in the country per On3, verbally committed to Notre Dame over fellow finalists Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin. PHOTO COURTESY ON3.COM FILM ANALYSIS "Ethan Long is a natural safety. When you look at the safeties Notre Dame has signed, it's been box guys and athletes like Tae Johnson. But with Ethan Long, you have a true safety. He mixes in perfectly with Ivan Taylor, who is a heck of an athlete and could probably play nickel. … "Long looks long on film. He looks to be all of 6-2, if not taller. He's a really good playmaker and runs well to the ball. He is not afraid to tackle and is always coming downhill. He has really good man skills. I like this guy. He's a smooth, smooth safety. He's a natural, good-looking athlete who can play the middle third like Xavier Watts did a ton this season for the Irish." — Blue & Gold Illustrated football analyst Tim Hyde "Notre Dame's '4 for 40' was a big thing. It's the biggest thing. I put that in perspec- tive and thought long and hard about it being my decision." LONG