"You feel like you're watching players
before them, not just them."
A stout running back who bench
presses 325 pounds and squats 365,
Stepp said a big factor in his decision
to pick Notre Dame was linebackers
coach/recruiting coordinator Mike
Elston, the primary recruiter for the
state of Indiana.
"We are really close. I call him a
lot," Stepp said. "That's the dude I
talk to the most. He's really passionate
about what he does and believes in
developing his players."
Stepp joins Rivals100 quarterback
Phil Jurkovec and twin brothers Jayson
and Justin Ademilola — both defensive
line prospects — as the initial commits
in the class of 2018 for Notre Dame.
Notre Dame's future running back
said football might not even be his
best sport. As a seventh and eighth
grader, Stepp said he played rugby in
the spring, introduced to the sport by
his friend, David Hannon.
And he's just as effective as getting
to the end zone in rugby as he is in
football.
"In football, they're used to people
running straight at them and trying
to run them over, but in rugby you
can make cuts and you can get to the
end zone a lot easier," Stepp said.
"Personally, I feel like I'm better at
rugby than I am football."
One problem: his mother isn't too
fond of the hard-hitting sport. Stepp
said he'll just have to sell her on letting
him play again — he did not play the
past two years — and if he fails, he'll
run track.
"I'm going to have to strongly
convince her," Stepp said with a
laugh. ✦
