Notre Dame Will Host Five-Star Hunter Dickinson This Weekend

Notre Dame football will host several top prospects this weekend, but the biggest man on campus will be 2020 DeMatha (Md.) five-star center Hunter Dickinson, who will return to South Bend for his second official visit. 

Yes, hoops recruits can take two official visits to the same place as long as the visits aren’t in the same calendar year.

“My parents came with me,” Dickinson said following his visit last fall. “It was really for them. I’d already been to the campus, so I already knew pretty much everything they were showing me. It was for my parents to see the buildings and meet the coaches. They liked it a lot. They really like the University, the academics part and the athletics.”

The 7-foot-2, 255-pounder narrowed his recruitment down to Duke, Florida State, Notre Dame and Michigan last week, so getting him back to Notre Dame is a big win for the Irish staff.

Dickinson will be at Duke for an official visit next weekend, so this will be a crucial visit for the Irish as the Blue Devils are coming hard after offering two weeks ago.

Duke might have the firepower its corner, but Notre Dame has lengthy relationships. I would expect that angle to be driven home this weekend as the Irish have recruited Dickinson for years at this point in his recruitment.

The Irish have been relentless in their pursuit of Dickinson, who plays for the same high school program that Mike Brey and Rod Balanis did. Brey has made multiple trips back to his old stomping grounds to meet with Dickinson, including a trip a week ago with his entire staff in tow.

“I really can see a family atmosphere there,” Dickinson said. “I like the players, I like the coaches, the academic side. Also, you’re not pressured to make it there. It’s a great place for your career after basketball, so that’s always a plus for me.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pwnDov--hU

The Irish will be hosting a pair of underclassmen this weekend as well.

Notre Dame already has a commitment in the Class of 2021 in the form of local swingman J.R. Konieczny and the Irish are looking for another one.

Another 2021 commit. Another swingman. And another local standout.

Konieczny, who lives in nearby Granger, will be back on campus this weekend for an unofficial and will be joined by fellow local 2021 standout swingman Blake Wesley.

From the day Notre Dame landed Konieczny, who plays at Saint Joseph High School in South Bend, everybody turned their attention to Wesley, who plays at Riley High School in the city.

The two text on a virtual daily basis while Brey and his staff have been pushing the idea of the two as a “dynamic duo” that can help lead the program back to the NCAA Tournament and ultimately a national title.

In addition to Notre Dame, the 6-foot-4, 170-pound Wesley also has scholarship offers from schools like Indiana, Purdue, Butler and DePaul among others.

“I love the Notre Dame football team,” Wesley told Irish Sports Daily. “I love the campus. It’s real laidback. It’s real big, but it’s real laidback.”

Wesley’s visit this weekend will be an official.