Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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2015 RECRUITING ISSUE BY ANDREW OWENS When Nicco Fertitta visited South Bend in early April, he hardly expected to leave as a committed member of Notre Dame's recruiting class. After seeing campus, hearing the pitches from head coach Brian Kelly and his staff, and getting to know potential future teammates, he couldn't imagine himself anywhere else. "We went through the whole campus tour and watched the team practice," he said. "I walked into the locker room, and that's when I knew I was ready to be Irish. I just felt all the energy and thought about all the tradition. I put on the jersey and everything just felt right about it. It was a special moment for me. "It was the end of the day on Satur‑ day, and I called Coach Kelly and just let him know that I was ready to commit. He was really excited for me. He was happy to have me as part of his pro‑ gram. He thinks I'm going to be a great player, and he just kept telling me how happy he was for me." The undersized 5‑9, 175‑pound safety out of Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High School packs plenty of punch into each of his hits — he might be the strongest pound‑for‑pound hitter in the 2015 class. "He loves the game," Bishop Gorman head coach Kenny Sanchez said. "One of his best attributes is the passion he has for the game. He loves it so much that he'll put in the time he needs to. Like anything else you love, you get to be really good at it because of how much desire you have to play." Fertitta might be best known for being the son of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) billionaire CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, but he's set on making his own name in South Bend. "There's not a whole lot he needs to Nicco Fertitta BriNgs toughNess aNd a competitive spirit Longtime recruiting analyst Tom Lemming noted that, pound for pound, the 5-9, 175-pound Fertitta is the hardest hitter in Notre Dame's 2015 class. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND