Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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70 MARCH 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2025 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY KYLE KELLY J oe Reiff was an outlier. So, it's only appropriate that the Notre Dame 2025 class defensive line signee's se- nior season at Elmhurst (Ill.) York Community High School was, too. Under the direction of first-year coach Donny Gelsomino, the York Dukes reached the Illinois state championship game for the first time in program history. They achieved it by leaning on the first FBS player Gelsomino has coached in his 17-year career. Except Reiff is not just any old FBS recruit. He was a three-star prospect who ranked as On3's No. 14 player in Illinois and No. 43 defensive lineman nationally. Before verbally commit- ting to the Fighting Irish on Sept. 24, 2023 — and signing with them on Dec. 4, 2024 — he held offers from five other Power Four programs. His prowess propelled York to an 11-3 season, concluding with a 35- 14 loss to Prairie State powerhouse Wilmette (Ill.) Loyola Academy. His production did, too. He registered 57 tackles, 10.5 stops for loss, 12 sacks and 17 quarterback hurries. Above all else, his leadership paved t h e way fo r Yo rk 's u n p re ce d e n te d season. "Having a guy committed to Notre Dame obviously means something," Gelsomino said. "But when you have that, and it's a kid who does things the right away, and I don't have to remind him to stay on the course at all, that's even better." In addition to being the team cap- tain, Gelsomino depended on Reiff to play both defensive tackle and left tackle. That type of sacrifice isn't possible without a player willing to put the team before himself. Reiff was and did. The conference named him line- man of the year for his efforts. "He knew it was best for the team," Gelsomino said. "You need that. That mental attitude that 'I'm go- ing to do whatever it takes to win' is extremely important. That will carry with him." That attitude will accompany Reiff to South Bend, and don't count Gelsomino among those surprised if Reiff has a rare impact during his rookie season, considering he loves everything about Notre Dame — just as he did York. "If he is fully bought in when he gets there, and he loves the place," Gelsom- ino said, "he can be unstoppable." ✦ Joe Reiff Helped His High School Reach New Heights JOE REIFF DEFENSIVE LINEMAN 6-5 ∙ 255 YORK COMMUNITY H.S. ELMHURST, ILL. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE Industry ✪ ✪ ✪ — 55 14 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 43 14 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 70 15 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 76 15 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 15 7 STATISTICS • Recorded 57 tackles (39 solo), 10.5 stops for loss, 2.5 sacks, 31 quarterback hurries, 2 passes broken up and 2 fumble recoveries in 14 games in 2024 to help Elmhurst (Ill.) York Community reach the Illinois Class 8A state title game. • As a junior, registered 76 stops (50 solo), 20 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, 17 quarterback hurries, 1 pass broken up, 3 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery in 13 games. NOTABLE • DuPage County Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2024. • West Suburban Conference Silver Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2023 and 2024. • News-Gazette first-team all-state defensive lineman in 2023 and 2024. • Played in the U.S. Army Bowl. • Member of the National Honor Society and Illinois All-State Academic Team. • His father, Joe Reiff IV, was a member of North- western's 1996 Rose Bowl team. • His great grandfather, Joe Reiff II, was a three- time All-America basketball player at Northwest- ern. RECRUITMENT • Committed to the Fighting Irish on Sept. 24, 2023. • Picked Notre Dame over Iowa, Northwestern and Wisconsin. • Recruited by defensive line coach Al Wash- ington. • Visited Notre Dame 12 times, including his of- ficial visit on June 7, 2024. 2025 PROJECTION • Expected to redshirt. THEY SAID IT On3 national scout Cody Bellaire: "Reiff has learned to play with low pad level and understands how to win the leverage battle after playing as an interior defender at only 240-ish pounds, which is a tall task for any player at that weight let only someone who is 6-5. "His ability to sink his hips and maintain the low-man-wins principle at his size is extremely im- pressive. Factor in the fact that he also possesses impressive raw power that translates to the shot put, and you have someone who can hang in the trenches. But he isn't just a power player — he has movement skills and bursts off the line of scrim- mage to make his presence feel like a pass rusher." Former York and current Chicago Marist coach Mike Fitzgerald: "He's an athletic kid for his size. I think that's really what these schools like about him. There is so much versatility to him, and his body is not done growing. They know he will be a great player and has a lot of flexibility, whether it's a three-technique with his hand in the ground or more of a rush-end type guy. "He's very disciplined in how he goes about doing things. He's a great teammate, a great kid, a hard worker. He's the total package. Kids have measur- ables. But he's got the measurables and character. I think the ceiling for him is off the charts." Reiff helped Elmhurst (Ill.) York Community High reach the state championship for the first time in program history in 2024. PHOTO COURTESY ON3