Recruiting Week In Review

If Notre Dame is ever going to win another National Championship, they must coach and recruit at levels comparable to the elite of college football. As obvious as that statement seems, there are those that argue that great coaching can overcome mediocre recruiting and vice versa but the truth is that it absolutely takes both. That means that the Irish can’t load their coaching staff with ace recruiters at the expense of good coaching. It also means that they can’t hire great coaches who are lackluster recruiters. They must have both. With the coaching shake-ups in South Bend the last two years, the jury is still out on this Notre Dame coaching staff. The early returns seem to indicate that the new coaches can recruit but evidence of their coaching prowess is much less clear. There are indications that the Irish staff can come together as outstanding coaches and if that come to fruition then Notre Dame could well be on its way to returning to the top tier of college football.

While the proof of coaching excellence will have to wait, the recruiting can’t. And the Irish coaches seem to be rising to the challenge. What have you been missing by not being a member of Irish Sports Daily?

Brayden Liebrock‍, TE, 6-5, 220, Chandler High School, Chandler, AZ is spending his spring visiting schools and gathering information. He’s planning a Midwest trip in order to see, among other schools, Notre Dame.

“He’s going to take a Midwest swing right now because we’re on spring break,” said his Chandler High School Head Coach Shaun Aguano. “I think he’s going to Ohio State, Texas and Notre Dame and a couple other schools. He’s already visited ASU and U of A. I think he’ll take a trip to Oregon and USC just to see what that is.”

The four-star tight end has received numerous scholarship offers and is in the process of sorting through them. Aguano, who sees his star every day understands the skills and attributes that have so many top programs calling.

“On the athletic side, he’s all of 6-5 or taller,” Aguano said. “Right now he’s at 219, 220. He plays receiver, H-Back and he’s tough enough to put his hand in the ground so it’s like a three in one deal.”

As much as Liebrock is a star on the field, it’s off the field that he’s made his biggest impression.

“First of all, as a young man, he’s incredible,” Aguano shared. “He’s a 4.32 GPA kid. He works in community events outside of the school. He has his own foundation for water safety. He’s an incredible kid.”

Liebrock lost a family member in a tragic boating accident and his response was the Ryan Thomas Foundation. He and his mother use the foundation to fundraise to purchase life vests for kids.

Liebrock takes his community leadership and transfers it to the locker room as well.

“He’s a very mature kid,” Aguano shared. “He’s not a real rah-rah kid. He’s a leader by example.”

The Irish have somewhat of an advantage in Liebrock’s recruitment through Offensive Coordinator Chip Long and Alexander. Aguano became friends with the two while they were assistants at Arizona State.

“We’re all good friends,” Aguano said. “They like his versatility.”

Aguano believes that academics will ultimately be the deciding factor in Liebrock’s final college destination. He also thinks that his tight end will be deciding by the end of the summer.

“He wants to do that,” Aguna explained. “Again, he’s a bright kid, so the academic part as well as the football part, but I think the academic part is the biggest thing for him and what’s going to be a good fit for him.”

This summary represents just a sample of the Notre Dame football recruiting information available each week on Irish Sports Daily.