Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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16 OCT. 26, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY JACK SOBLE T he first time Beaux Collins met Max Hurleman, they talked at transfer orientation. The second time, he wound up on his backside. During fall camp, the Clemson transfer and former top-100 recruit played kickoff return on a standard kickoff drill. Hurleman, a walk-on cornerback transfer from Colgate, attacked him with a head of steam. "Dang," Collins thought at the time. "This dude has some muscle on him." As it turned out, Hurleman had more than just that. "He has that drive inside of him and a passion that a guy like myself would have," Collins said. "You can't do anything but respect it." Collins wasn't the only one who no- ticed Hurleman, even going back to the summer. As a non-scholarship player, he could have been an afterthought. But very quickly, his new teammates started to realize he could compete with them, at least athletically. Several players went to special teams coordinator Marty Biagi and said, "Coach, this kid." Biagi took interest. "It's not only athleticism," Biagi said in August. "It's that he wants to be a role player." Hurleman carved out a massive role for himself as a core special teamer. He ranks second on the Irish in special teams snaps with 77 through Week 7, trail- ing only freshman vyper Loghan Thomas (88). In recent weeks, the 5 - fo o t -1 1 , 2 0 2- p o u n d graduate student from Wyomissing, Pa., has also become Notre Dame's primary punt returner. "It's been pretty cool to prove to my- self that, 'Hey, I can do it,'" Hurleman said. "I can compete." 'WHAT'S THE WORST THAT CAN HAPPEN?' When he entered the transfer portal Nov. 29, Hurleman had interest from other FCS schools. Richmond reached out. So did New Hampshire. The former Colgate star, though, wanted to aim higher. "It's definitely a little bit of a risk, right?" Hurleman said. "I wasn't the most highly recruited player out of the portal." Hurleman started contacting any FBS school he could, trying to get his name out there. He eventually found then- recruiting associate Carter Auman, who was later promoted to assistant to the general manager. Auman connected Hurleman with the general manager, Chad Bowden. The three of them, he explained, worked to make it happen. "The next thing you know, he's buy- ing a plane ticket for the first spring practice [March 7] so he can go down there for a visit," Jason Hurleman, Max's dad, told Blue & Gold Illus- trated. "He really made it happen." Hurleman had opportunities at Duke and Northwestern, but they were similar preferred walk-on offers. If that's the road he was going down, he thought, why not go all the way? "I said, 'What's the worst that can happen?'" Jason Hurleman said. "Go live your dream and get a great edu- cation while you're there. And if you see the field and you get to run down there and catch some punts or make a tackle on a kickoff, even better." Hurleman knew little about Notre Dame when he arrived on campus. He did not grow up an Irish fan, living in Eastern Pennsylvania. He wasn't even really a Penn State fan. It was all about the Philadelphia Eagles for him. He did, however, know how to play special teams. Colgate head coach Stan Dakosty recruited Hurleman, as he described to Blue & Gold Illustrated, as "a good football player." They would decide where he fit later. He played slot back in the Wing-T offense for a Wyomissing High team that did not lose his senior year until the sec- ond round of the state playoffs. With little interest from other schools, Hurleman was someone Dakosty had to have. " He h a d so m e go o d stats and stuff like that, but you just felt Max," Dakosty said. "When the game was over, you looked back and just felt his im- pact on the game." Hurleman eventually settled on running back, and after CO- VID-19 shortened his freshman year in 2020, he entered the starting lineup in 2021. Circumstances prompted Hurleman to move to slot receiver as a senior, and around then, he started thinking about what would come next. Until that point, Hurleman's only role in the third phase was returning punts. But knowing he could be playing his fi- nal year of college football, he decided to change that. "I went up to our special teams coach and I was like, 'Hey, this could be it for MAX EFFORT Walk-on Colgate transfer Max Hurleman has become a vital player for Notre Dame Hurleman ranked second on the team in special teams snaps with 77 through Week 7 and has become the Fighting Irish's primary punt returner. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER