Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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PREP PROFILES BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 30, 2024 43 Cooper McCutchan was inside Notre Dame Stadium first time as a prospect Nov. 16 and is being evaluated by the Fighting Irish coaching staff. However, it wasn't his first time getting to South Bend and watching a game on the hal- lowed ground in college football lore. McCutchan, a class of 2026 tight end prospect from Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller, remembers going to Notre Dame games as young as 8 years old. He grew up in a family full of Fighting Irish fans going back generations. Kentucky, Texas A&M, Cincinnati, Minnesota, Louisville, Georgia Tech, In- diana, Vanderbilt, Duke and West Virginia are among the schools that have already offered McCutchan a scholarship. Notre Dame joining that list would be a big deal for McCutchan and his family as well. "If Notre Dame was to offer me, it would be awesome. I've grown up going to games with my dad," McCutchan told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "It would be really cool to have the opportunity to play for a team I grew up watching. I've been going to Notre Dame games my whole life." McCutchan had a great time at the game and enjoyed getting to meet some new people. "The highlights of the trip were defi- nitely getting to hang out and talk to Coach [Marcus] Freeman," McCutchan said. "I met [former Irish quarterback] Sam Hartman and got to catch up with Mr. [Chad] Bowden. The vibe in the sta- dium was awesome." There's plenty of Cincinnati flavor on the Irish coaching staff, including at the top with Freeman from Dayton, which is just up the interstate from Cincin- nati. Cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens, general manager Bowden and director of recruiting Caleb Davis are all Cincin- nati/Dayton guys as well. And defensive coordinator Al Golden coached for the Cincinnati Bengals before joining the Fighting Irish staff a couple years ago. McCutchan noted that he chatted with Bowden and Davis about their shared hometown and the highly com- petitive high school football scene in the Queen City. McCutchan visited Ohio State for its showdown against Indiana Nov. 23 and is also hoping to get to LSU before the season ends. — Mike Singer Port Arthur (Texas) Memorial 2026 four-star linebacker Tank King has hit the recruiting trail hard this season, at- tending games at Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Texas and Baylor. Each provided a unique experience for King, but only one ended up being the best one. According to King that was Notre Dame when he attended its clash with Florida State. "Notre Dame is up there for m e ," K i n g to l d Blue & Gold Il- lustrated. "The environment is so friendly and hype. The sta- dium was rocking that game. That was the best game I ever went to." Before his trip to South Bend, King attended the Notre Dame-Texas A&M game Aug. 31, Air Force-Baylor Sept. 14, Georgia-Texas Oct. 19 and LSU-Texas A&M Oct. 26. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound King gave the Irish the edge because of their unmatched hospitality. "Notre Dame is real personal," he said. "It's like family out there." King cited his conversations with head coach Marcus Freeman, defensive coordinator Al Golden and lineback- e rs coa c h M a x Bullough as an influential part of the trip. The fans earned his recog- nition, too. "The culture is real over there," he said. "The fan base is great as well." He left feeling like a priority. "All the coaches told me that I'm one of those top guys for Notre Dame," King said. "They really want me there. I can feel that passion that they really want me." King's consideration of playing col- lege football in South Bend goes back to his connection with the coaching staff. "Family is really great over there," he said. "I can picture myself playing in that uniform. … Notre Dame is fam- ily. That's all I can say. Notre Dame is family." — Kyle Kelly Notre Dame Visit Had Special Meaning For 2026 Tight End Texas Linebacker Raves About Notre Dame Visit Experience COOPER MCCUTCHAN ✪ ✪ ✪ Archbishop Moeller H.S. Cincinnati Status: Not offered Class: 2026 Position: Tight end Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 215 On3 Rankings: No. 39 player in Ohio and No. 30 tight end in America TANK KING ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Memorial H.S. Port Arthur, Texas Status: Offered Class: 2026 Position: Linebacker Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 205 On3 Rankings: No. 18 player in Texas, and No. 13 line- backer and No. 160 overall player nationally "Notre Dame is up there for me. The environment is so friendly and hype. The stadium was rock- ing that game. That was the best game I ever went to." KING "It would be really cool to have the opportunity to play for a team I grew up watching. I've been going to Notre Dame games my whole life." MCCUTCHAN