Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 26, 2024 43 BY KYLE KELLY Cameron Herron's patience finally paid off. About 10 months after visiting Notre Dame for the first time, the four-star offensive lineman from Indianapolis Warren Central announced his ver- bal commitment to the Fighting Irish Oct. 14. The 6-foot-2½, 275-pound Her- ron, the No. 272 overall recruit in the 2025 class, flipped to Notre Dame after initially pledging to Iowa June 23. He revealed his decision in favor of Notre Dame one day after his official visit to South Bend the weekend of Oct. 11-13. According to On3's rankings, Her- ron is the No. 6 prospect in Indiana and the No. 19 interior offensive lineman nationally. The Irish project him to play center. "Notre Dame is obviously a great institution academically," Herron told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "Going into my visit, I wanted to really get around the players and see the overall fit with them and the environment." Herron spent time with a fellow Irish offensive line commit Owen Strebig of Waukesha (Wis.) Catholic Memorial. Strebig, the No. 2 prospect in Wiscon- sin and No. 31 offensive tackle in the country per On3, played a key role in Herron's decision to join the Irish. "The O-line, in general, is the stron- gest bonded group on a team," Herron said. "At Notre Dame, they're football- based. No partying. They're all trying to make it to the league [NFL]. Everybody puts their best foot forward and pushes each other to be great." The leader of that group, Joe Rudolph, has had Herron on his radar for about a year. The second-year Irish offensive line coach welcomed Herron to cam- pus last December for a bowl practice and then again in January for a junior day. Though Rudolph did not offer him last winter, Herron never came off the board. Rudolph used an evaluation day to stop by Herron's high school in the spring. He then coached the rising se- nior at the Irish Invasion camp June 2. Still, with three offensive tackles ver- bally committed in Strebig, five-star Will Black from Wallingford (Conn.) Choate Rosemary School and Green- wich (Conn.) Brunswick Academy three-star Matty Augustine, the Irish, had no immediate spot for Herron in the class. But Rudolph and the Notre Dame coaching staff kept evaluating him with the possibility of pairing him alongside Strebig, Black and Augustine, the latter two of which are rank as the Nos. 1 and 42 offensive tackles, respectively, in the 2025 class. Eventually, Herron's senior season game tape became too strong to over- look. The Irish offered him a scholarship "a couple of weeks" before his commit- ment. But his official visit sealed the deal, giving the Irish their third in-state commitment in the 2025 cycle. In addi- tion to Herron, Notre Dame has secured verbal pledges from defensive backs Brandon Logan and Mark Zackery. Fort Wayne (Ind.) Snider's Logan is a three-star safety who is the No. 11 pros- pect in the Hoosier State and the No. 29 player at his position in America in 2025. Zackery, a product of Indianapolis Ben Davis, is the No. 3 recruit in Indiana and No. 15 cornerback in the nation in his class. As a junior, the Indiana Football Coaches Association named Herron to the Class 6A Junior All-State Team. As a sophomore, Herron earned recogni- tion on the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference All-Underclassman Team. ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE CAMERON HERRON FILM ANALYSIS "Cameron Herron was a big riser in On3's last rankings update on the heels of a really strong start to his senior season. He's an outstanding mover and plays with a lot of twitch. He can redirect and works great to the second level. What we've continued to see from him is increased power. He plays with great leverage, drives through his hips and gets underneath the pads of opposing defensive linemen. Herron gets a great push and moves guys in the run game, in addition to his reactive quickness in pass protection. "His senior film so far is really strong, and it's no surprise that Notre Dame decided to make a move on him. He's certainly worthy of that. He looks like a blue-chip offensive line prospect based on how he's playing. … "He's a guy you don't want to miss on in your backyard. Notre Dame deserves some praise for mak- ing the call to come in on him. I like the pick-up for Notre Dame, adding to a strong offensive line class. They recruit the offensive line as well as anyone in the country, and this is another blue-chip prospect on the O-line. I wouldn't be surprised to see him make an impact as a guard or center down the line. We're bullish on him; he's an offensive lineman worth being excited about." — On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power Herron — On3's No. 19 interior offensive lineman nationally, whom the Irish project at center — flipped his commitment from Iowa to Notre Dame after taking an official visit to South Bend. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER Irish Flip In-State Four-Star Blocker From Big Ten School