Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BY TOM LOY F or quite some time, it looked like Crete (Ill.) Monee linebacker Nyles Morgan was going to play ball in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) at ei- ther Ole Miss or Vanderbilt. Notre Dame had him at the top of its defensive board for the 2014 class, but the staff couldn't get him on cam- pus for a visit and it couldn't get him interested in becoming part of the Irish program. That all changed in October. The 6-2, 223-pound inside linebacker called Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly directly and let him know that he was taking an official visit to South Bend when the Irish took on USC Oct. 19. "We talked, I let him know that I was coming up and he was really ex- cited," Morgan said. "He let me know that he was going to be my primary re- cruiter from now on, and that kind of showed me that he really wanted me." Morgan made the trip to South Bend that weekend, and the Notre Dame coaching staff made him feel like pri- ority No. 1. He made the trip with his parents, both Notre Dame football fans, and the three left feeling very good about the Irish. "I liked what I saw up there," Mor- gan noted. "That was big for me. The coaches showed that I was important to them, and … that was the first time where I really, really felt like Notre Dame wanted me. "The fans showed me a lot at the game, too. They really supported the team and that was cool. I also saw a lot of talent on the team. That's when I knew that I was really liking Notre Dame." Morgan made four trips to South Bend throughout October and Novem- ber. His interest in Notre Dame was clearly gaining momentum. He an- nounced publicly that he would make a commitment during the U.S. Army All- Nyles Morgan Felt Wanted By Notre Dame Morgan appeared destined to play in the Southeastern Conference before Notre Dame stepped up its pursuit and secured his signature on National Signing Day. PHOTO COURTESY TIMES OF NORTHWEST INDIANA