Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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48 NOV. 9, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY KYLE KELLY N estled in the hills of Northern Cin- cinnati, there is a perennial high school football powerhouse that pro- duces some of the area's top college football prospects annually. In Year 3 of the Marcus Freeman era, Notre Dame football's coach is beginning to tap into that talent. Under coach Steve Specht, St. Xavier High School has claimed four state championships in the top division in Ohio. Since his tenure began in 2003, 31 players have signed with college football programs playing in a power confer- ence. Only one ended up in South Bend. That was three-star quarterback Luke Massa, a first-team Division I Football All-Star per the Cincinnati Enquirer who transitioned to wide receiver at Notre Dame. There was supposed to be another in the 2010 class. However, four-star offensive lineman Matt James tragically lost his life during a spring break trip that year. For the remainder of Brian Kelly's time with the Fighting Irish, four-star linebacker Justin Hilliard, who signed with Ohio State in 2015, was the only St. Xavier recruit to report a scholarship offer from Notre Dame, according to the Rivals database. Last spring, that changed under Freeman and general manager Chad Bowden. NOTRE DAME MAKES INROADS AT ST. XAVIER Entering the spring evaluation pe- riod, the Fighting Irish's 2025 recruiting class featured four defensive line com- mits. Still, Freeman, Bowden and defen- sive line coach Al Washington wanted to add another recruit to the future room. Specht had the perfect prospect on standby. Gordy Sulfsted is a 6-foot-5, 235- pounder with 19 offers from power conference programs, including Duke, Miami, Stanford and Wisconsin. Yet, the three-star prospect — who is now On3's No. 43 player in Ohio and No. 107 defensive lineman nationally in 2025 — coveted a Notre Dame offer. He val- ues the school's culture and education, camping with the football program in June 2023 and unofficially visiting April 16. About one month later, the Irish of- fered him a scholarship. He verbally committed to the program on the spot. That began Freeman and Bowden's per- sistence in gaining a presence at the premier Jesuit Catholic college prep school in Southwest Ohio. "When they offered Gordy, I said, 'This is the start,'" Specht told Blue & Gold Illustrated during an interview in September. PRIORITIZING SOUTHWEST OHIO PROSPECTS When Sulfsted signs with Notre Dame in December, he will be the fourth recruit from Southwest Ohio to join the program since Freeman and Bowden spearheaded its recruiting efforts in the area, beginning with the 2023 re- cruiting class. He will join West Chester Lakota West safeties Ben Minich and Taebron Bennie-Powell, and Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller cornerback Karson Hobbs. Bennie-Powell, a true freshman red- shirting due to injury, finished his high school career as a four-star prospect. Minich, a sophomore, and Hobbs, a freshman, were three-star players. Before Freeman became head coach and elevated Bowden to director of recruiting, the Irish only signed two Southwest Ohio players within the previous six years: former offensive lineman Zeke Correll and junior Aamil Wagner. The latter came from Free- man's alma mater, Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne, in the 2022 cycle — his one class as defensive coordinator. Freeman helped keep Wagner and 21 others in the fold after Kelly's sudden departure a few weeks before signing day in December 2021. In the spring of 2022, Notre Dame added Cincinnati La Salle running back Gi'Bran Payne under unique circum- stances. Payne originally signed with Indiana, but the NCAA granted him the release from his national letter of intent after his position coach, Deland Mc- Cullough, left the Hoosiers for the Irish. Notre Dame Has Capitalized On Recruiting Southwest Ohio Fighting Irish recruits from Cincinnati St. Xavier include 2026 linebacker target Kobe Clapper (left), 2025 offensive line commit Gordy Sulfsted (center) and 2025 preferred walk-on quarterback target Chase Herbstreit, all of whom visited Notre Dame for the Louisville game Sept. 28. PHOTO BY KYLE KELLY F O O T B A L L RECRUITING