Hunter Spears Motivated By Challenges On Field, In Classroom
After Hunter Spears' first trip to Notre Dame in October of 2017, his mother was sold.
“His mom was like, ‘I love it. I think that’s the place you need to be,’” Spears’ father, Conan recalls.
It started to become real after the 2019 Texas defensive tackle’s second visit to South Bend, which he made with just his father two and a half months later.
For a bit, it was a little too real.
“We came home and he said, ‘Mom, I think I’m ready, I want to do this,’” Mr. Spears remembers.
“At that point, she was obviously like, ‘Wait, wait, wait. Have you thought about this? You’re going a long way from home.’ That’s when the panic sets in like, ‘Oh crap, this is real.’ It’s not just that dream of him going off.”
But those were just the typical jitters that come with the idea of having your first-born literally a thousand miles away from home and were quickly assuaged by the recognition that Spears was preparing to full the path his parents always dreamed he would.
“An environment like Notre Dame is probably beyond what we ever imagined a few years ago,” Mr. Spears acknowledges. “Certainly, we had aspirations for him being able to pursue a game he loves at a top academic place like Notre Dame, but for it to actually come to fruition is pretty exciting to see.”
Not quite a month later, Spears publicly announced his pledge to the Irish.
“Never once did we have a doubt in our mind about his decision and his commitment to go there,” his father explains. “His comfort level with what he’s doing. We just really trust in that aspect as far as what we think he can do and handle and maintain.
“It’s a long way from Texas, so it’s saddening at the same point. He’s going to be a long way from home, but I couldn’t be prouder of what he’s accomplished to get where he’s going.”
Conan and his wife, Jennifer, will be plenty busy for the next couple of years with two children in Texas and another in Indiana.
“Me and my wife are already making plans and coming up with ideas for how we’re going to achieve that with him so far away and to see all of those firsts and the next things ahead of him and still maintain our responsibility to the other two kids at home and taking them in the same direction and showing them joy and pride and commitment to motivating and pushing them as we did with Hunter,” Conan says.
It helps that the Spearses have been allowing Hunter and his younger brother and sister – twins – a great deal of independence for years.
“We encourage them what we think would be the responsible way to go, but let them ultimately make the decision,” Mr. Spears says.
When Hunter was younger, that meant an interesting variety of potential athletic routes.
In fact, there was a time when Conan Spears thought his oldest son, who is currently 6-3, 295 pounds, could be on his way to becoming a standout gymnast.
“He didn’t have a chance in hell of being a gymnast,” Mr. Spears laughs now.
Spears started playing football as a youngster, but gave up the sport for a while, bored by rules that limited the positions he could play because of his size. Instead, he focused on baseball.
“For quite a few years, we thought that would be the path that he’d pursue,” Mr. Spears says of the baseball diamond. “Then, he got into middle school and in a position where he could carry the ball and do things he hadn’t done before and he fell back in love with it. He put 100 percent commitment toward it. At that point, we took the pressure off what we thought he should do versus what he thought he should do. He took that path on his own.
“Bottom line is let them mature and figure it out. Sometimes it’s hard to bite your tongue, but when it gets to this point, it’s definitely worth it.”
The Spearses always hoped their children would lean on the values they instilled at a young age. Hunter’s college decision was just the latest evidence of that.
“As a student, he’s always been really committed,” his father says. “I think he takes the point of view in his academics as he does in athletics. It’s a competition for him. He wants to show out. He wants to ahead of the others. He wants to be in the lead. I think that’s really shown in what he’s achieved, his GPA, class rank in school and being able to be a candidate as someone who can play somewhere like Notre Dame.
“He’s just a competitor. He’s always been competitive and always hated to lose, even in board games since he was a little kid.”
And as much as they’ll miss him when he’s gone, Spears’ parents are happy he’s heading off to Notre Dame as an early enrollee next month.
“He’s our oldest, so getting to this point, sending him off to college is certainly a milestone for us,” Conan says. “It’s just an overwhelming joy that he’s been able to make it to the level that he’s made it in football and academically.”
After their visits, Notre Dame was a “no-brainer” for Hunter, according to his father.
“I just think the overall tradition, environment. I think it’s a place that’ll challenge him. He’ll be surrounded by people who will challenge him. He won’t just be a face in the crowd. I feel like it’s an elite opportunity from an academic standpoint and athletic standpoint. He’s going to be challenged every day by the student-athletes around him and the students around him. I think the way the school integrates the students with the student-athletes is an opportunity for growth and understanding of things around you.
“You take the student part just as importantly as the athlete part. I think that’s really cool.”