Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Kentucky Offensive Lineman Makes The Call BY JASON SAPP moment for any prospective colle- giate player, Hunter Bivin's pledge to Notre Dame happened to be just a bit more special for a couple of reasons. W COMMITMENT PROFILE HUNTER BIVIN coaching staff his commitment in person during a campus visit for ju- nior day on March 24, and second — and more importantly — he had someone smiling down from heaven the moment he made his decision — his father, Randy, who passed away in June 2010 after suffering a heart attack. Bivin — the No. 2 prospect in Ken- First, he was able to give the Irish hile making a commitment to a college program is an exciting sive line] Coach [Ed] Warinner went to Ohio State I was really interested on coming up to meet [newly ap- pointed offensive line] Coach [Harry] Hiestand. "After I met him and watched him in action, I knew there shouldn't be any more hesitation on deciding after that." Bivin arrived in South Bend with no intentions of ending his recruit- ment — there were still some trips that he wanted to take. However, one question from Irish offensive coordi- nator Chuck Martin and a couple of phone calls made him realize it was time to take the next step. "Coach Martin, Coach Cooper, my tucky, the nation's No. 11 offensive tackle and the No. 80 overall recruit in the land according to 247Sports — has felt his father's presence through- out the entire recruiting process, in- cluding each new offer he landed. "Every time Hunter gets one, I look up and say did you see that," Sherry Bivin, Hunter's mother, told 247Sports the week of her son's choice. "He worked so hard for my oldest son, Harris, and I feel like he knows." Randy attended the same school as his sons, Apollo in Owensboro, Ky., and went on to play football at Evansville. Harris committed to Lou- isville before ultimately signing with Murray State. Both parents worked hard to in- still the proper values and work ethic in their children so they'd be pre- sented with opportunities on and off the field. Apollo assistant coach Billy Cooper could sense early on that Bivin was indeed on the right path. "I've known the kid his whole 247Sports lists Bivin as the No. 2 player in Kentucky, the No. 11 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 80 overall prospect in the class of 2013. PHOTO COURTESY 247SPORTS son, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Tennessee, Wisconsin and others all took notice of the 6-7, 290-pound four-star recruit and ex- tended offers in his direction. "Hunter proved he was a national He's the best of the best." Programs like Auburn, Clem- mom and I were all sitting in his of- fice talking about how we're huge Notre Dame fans, and he asked me what was the reason for the hesita- tion and I couldn't give him an an- swer," he shared. Bivin called his brother and girl- friend, Taylor Fenwick, who he felt were the two most unbiased and level-headed opinions he could re- ceive at that moment. "They said to go with my heart," he continued. "I just felt like it was right, I felt like it was the perfect time, and I couldn't be any happier. "The process can get kind of hectic recruit at the U.S. National Com- bine," 247Sports national reporter Steve Wiltfong said of Bivin, who plays both football and basketball for his high school. "He has long arms, and he's a really athletic kid. He chose Notre Dame over a national list of offers. "I don't know if he'll be ready life," Cooper said. "He and I put in 5,000 miles on the recruiting trail this past fall … we were up and down the road every weekend getting him exposure and just getting his name out. I thought it would be a disser- vice to his father if I didn't do this for Hunter. "He's very much made my job of helping him out easy because he's such a great player. It's not like I'm trying to sell a used car to somebody. www.BLUEANDGOLD.com to play right away, but he'll have a great opportunity down the road as he continues to grow and mature." The offer from Notre Dame in late and I was grateful for it. But now I can get back to making myself better so I can wear that gold helmet with pride. I feel like we're going to be a tough group to handle up front." ✦ and his hands and feet both remain active … A scrappy lineman that gains control of the defender quickly and causes the second-level players to keep their heads on a swivel be- cause he's coming for the crushing blow … Af- ter defeating the initial block he searches out more, and has experience playing both inside and outside, including snapping. January attracted his attention im- mediately, and it all came together during his trip to South Bend two months later. "Notre Dame has been my dream Strengths Has a nice kick, keeps his shoulders square FILM ANALYSIS school since I was a little kid and I watched the movie 'Rudy' for the first time," Bivin noted. "I've always been a huge Notre Dame fan. After [former Irish offen- his punch, and he also needs work on better extension … Has to be mindful of being almost overly aggressive at times. A couple of clips and late hits went uncalled on film, but it's better to start as too aggressive and scale back with discipline than trying to teach a player to play that way. Areas To Improve Additional upper body strength will add to — Jason Sapp MAY 2012 37