Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MAY 2025 35 BY KYLE KELLY An eye-opening April 4 visit to South Bend sparked an April 13 Notre Dame ve rba l co m m i t m e n t f ro m Po r ta ge (Mich.) Northern four-star offensive lineman Gregory Patrick. Patrick, On3's No. 7 interior offensive lineman and No. 95 overall player in the 2026 class, chose the Fighting Irish after visiting Michigan and Michigan State earlier this spring. The 6-foot-4½, 280-pounder held scholarship offers from 16 other Power Four programs — including Penn State, which also fin- ished as a finalist in his recruitment. However, Patrick's first trip to South Bend this year sealed the deal. Patrick, also On3's No. 1 recruit in Michigan, informed the Notre Dame coaching staff of his choice during a private trip to campus April 11. "The people there are what it really came down to," Patrick told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "The people are the culture, and culture was the most important thing in my decision." Patrick had reported six other unof- ficial visits to Notre Dame since emerg- ing on Joe Rudolph's radar two years ago. The third-year Irish offensive line coach's pedigree and persistence since then even- tually paid off with Patrick's pledge. He will start his career as an offensive tackle when he arrives on campus next year. "Coach Rudolph talks about how he has never taken a guy out of the transfer portal in his whole career, " Patrick said. "That's not something you really think about at first. But then you think about it more and realize that is the ultimate trust level. Programs say they only like to supplement from the portal by using it when they need it. "That goes to show how much Coach Rudolph trusts his guys. He's never going to take one and never has. That shows how much he trusts in himself to develop his own players. He takes that upon himself." Patrick is the 10th player — and fourth offensive lineman — to pick the Irish in the 2026 cycle. He joined a pair of four- star Michigan products on the commit list, Davison High's Ben Nichols and Al- legan High's Sullivan Garvin. They are On3's Nos. 15 and 28 interior offensive linemen in the country and Nos. 3 and 6 recruits in Michigan, respectively. All three future Irish linemen were Michi- gan High School Football Coaches As- sociation first-team all-state selections in their respective divisions last fall. Nichols' and Garvin's presence in Patrick's recruitment played a big part in his decision to declare to Notre Dame. So did Tyler Merrill, another Irish four- star offensive line commit out of Me- chanicsburg (Pa.) Cumberland Valley. He's On3's No. 3 recruit in Pennsylva- nia, and No. 8 offensive lineman and No. 117 overall player nationally. "Notre Dame is just not going to take anybody because they're really good," Patrick said. "They don't recruit some really good players because of personal- ity or academics. Seeing the type of guys they bring in — they say it, and then they really do it. "Guys like Sully, Ben and Tyler are successful outside of football. Those guys being there really convinces you that this is real. It's not something they just say. It's legit." Patrick also felt that after spend- ing time with Notre Dame senior right tackle Aamil Wagner, sophomore left tackle Anthonie Knapp and freshman offensive tackle Owen Strebig during his April 4 visit. "When you really get down to it, talk- ing to the guys and the coaches, you realize how much culture drives their program," Patrick said. "Coach [Mar- cus] Freeman gives the model, but the players are the people that elevate it." Patrick had his mind made up after visiting Notre Dame and Michigan on back-to-back days. Now, the Portage Northern product will play his college football in South Bend. "Obviously, Coach Freeman is a great guy — like the best head coach right now in college football — and I got to talk to those guys and build relation- ships, I knew after [April 4] this was the place I wanted to be." ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE GREGORY PATRICK Culture-Driven Decision Leads Michigan Offensive Lineman To Notre Dame Patrick picked Notre Dame over Michigan State and Michigan following two trips to South Bend in April. PHOTO BY KYLE KELLY FILM ANALYSIS "Gregory Patrick is physically talented and gifted and has good genetics. The kid goes non-stop — he's a three-sport athlete. He's doing everything the right way. He's an honor student. Seeing that accelerated growth and how he's handled all the attention at an early age, I can't even imagine at age 14-15 picking up a bunch of Power Four offers from some blue blood programs. But he's always really bought into being a great high school player and teammate first. "His feet are anchored in the ground as far as how he bends through his heels and ankles. In pass sets, we do many things offensively here, and his dad does a great job coaching it. I think it'll translate very well to the modern college game. He will be asked to do things at the next level that he already shows on film — the bend, the power, and the overall ath- leticism, whether he's blocking out in space, as a puller even. He's got it all on film regarding what he's learning to do and excelling at." — Portage Northern coach Kurt Twichell