Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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2015 RECRUITING ISSUE by here last spring," Palm Beach Gar- dens head coach Rob Freeman said. "But Notre Dame … that was the one. "I have been coaching in this area for probably 30 years and I can't recall Notre Dame ever coming down for one of our kids, but then all of the sudden they were at the school. Te'von told me right then and there, that was the one he was interested in." While offers from around the coun- try continued to pour in, it was former Notre Dame running backs coach and South Florida recruiting ace Tony Alford that made the linebacker a priority. He stood on the sidelines of Coney's spring game and then lured him to South Bend for a summer camp in June. All signs were pointing to a Notre Dame commitment, but Coney needed to be sure about his decision. And that's where Irish running back Greg Bryant came into play. Bryant grew up in South Florida and, like Coney, he was drawn to the lure of the program. "I think what also really played a fac- tor what his relationship with Greg," Freeman said. "He's a local guy, and they just hit it off with social media. Greg re- ally told him what it's like to be up there, and I think that's what sold him on mak- ing the move." Coney made a commitment to play for Notre Dame in October over his other two finalists Florida and Miami. Free- man called it the final chapter in Coney's quest to be the prospect that he thought he could be and that included his spring campaign to get the exposure he wanted. "I think some kids don't realize their potential and don't strive for the highest level," Freeman said. "But he did, and that's what was different." ✦