Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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"I came back from South Bend saying Note Dame was the place for me," the four- star recruit continued. "Coach Kelly had me waiting it out to make sure it was my final choice, but I still knew it was the right fit. "It really came down to a point where I had four schools that were unbelievable in every as- pect, and I had to find the right one. That got easier for me as I started to look at the big picture. After analyzing things, Notre Dame was a no-brainer. Once I started opening my eyes in a differ- ent way, I fell in love with Notre Dame." When his recruiter, run- ning backs/slot receivers coach Tony Alford and fu- ture position coach Scott Booker visited his school on the day he made his decision known, he didn't waste any time placing a call to Kelly to make it of- ficial. rest of my life," Heuerman said of the call. "Coach Kelly couldn't even explain how he was feeling. When he described how excited he was, it let me know even more that the decision I made was the right one." JC Shurburtt, 247Sports' national recruit- ing director, feels that Heuerman will be an ideal fit for how Notre Dame uses tight ends. "That's something I'll remember for the him is his athleticism," Shurburtt said. "When he gets the ball in his hands, he's "The thing that jumps out to me about extremely elusive, which is a testament to what type of athlete he is. "Coaches are always looking to exploit matchup issues with tight ends in today's game, and he definitely presents those types of problems for opposing defend- ers." Strengths Has an edge to him on the field and plays with confidence … Pos- sesses a good combination of run- ning and catching ability, which al- lows him to be a receiving option on the line or line up wide … Keeps working to get open, is a deep threat and gains yards after the catch. FILM ANALYSIS making a block, but capable of latch- ing on and regaining momentum in the matchup to drive the defender off of the ball and create a seam for the ball carrier. Areas To Improve Absorbs the contact at times when ranked by 247Sports as the No. 9 tight end nation- ally, the No. 26 prospect in Florida and the country's No. 214 overall recruit, has received an invitation to the 2013 U.S. Army All-Ameri- can Bowl in San Antonio on Jan. 5. He's set to graduate in December and credits the #IrishMob13 (nickname se- lected by members of Notre Dame's 2013 recruiting class) as having an impact on his choice. Heuerman, who is — Jason Sapp footsteps, and he feels taking his talents to South Bend will allow him to do just that. "There was a point in Jeff's life where he had to leave home and go to Ohio after graduating early," Heuerman said. "I be- lieve that has changed him to the man he's supposed to be, and I felt like it was my time to blaze my own trail, too. I believe these are the steps I'm supposed to take to get done what I need to get done, and Notre Dame was the best choice for both my family and my future. "Notre Dame is going to open a lot of doors for me." ✦ He noted early in the pro- cess that he had to "write his own story" instead of following in his brother's JUNE/JULY 2012 79