Coach: Calvin A Tough Cover
Huh?
That was basically Kevin Pearson’s reaction when the Los Angeles Cathedral High School head coach heard Jamire Calvin wanted to miss workouts one Saturday last fall to visit Notre Dame.
“He wasn’t even a Notre Dame recruit at the time,” Pearson said of Calvin, who was a junior receiver, when he made the trip to South Bend along with his quarterback for the Irish’s game against Georgia Tech last September.
“I thought it was kind of odd, but I think it’s great for a kid to go out and see a college football game, especially Notre Dame. I’m mad that he’s not there for Saturday workouts and everything, but I’m happy to see colleges and I let them go. I want them to see those college atmospheres, especially Notre Dame.”
The 5-foot-10, 175-pound Calvin is certainly a Notre Dame recruit now, having landed an offer from the Irish in June.
“It kind of worked out that they saw him after their season and liked him,” Pearson said.
The Irish were then included on the top eight he released a few weeks back, which also featured Alabama, Arizona State, Cal, Nebraska, Oregon State, UCLA and Washington State.
“He’s pretty dynamic,” Pearson said of Calvin. “He’s electrifying with the ball. He’s one of those guys who you can’t press off the ball. He can get off press better than anybody just about. He’s hard to cover. He can stick his foot in the ground and change directions without slowing down. He’s very explosive.”
Calvin also offers a lot off the field, according to his coach.
“He’s a good personality,” Pearson said. “He’s very personable. He’s definitely not quiet, I’ll tell you that. He’s not afraid to tell you what’s on his mind in a good way. He’s not a bad kid at all. He’s not disrespectful or anything. He’ll share thoughts with you about our uniforms to routes and stuff like that. He’s a fun kid to coach.”
Calvin is teammates with fellow Notre Dame recruit, 2017 defensive end Hunter Echols. The duo would like to go to school together and Pearson wouldn’t be against that being in South Bend.
“I would love for him to go to Notre Dame,” he said of Calvin. “He knows that with me.”
If Calvin and/or Echols end up in South Bend, they’ll likely get all of their younger teammates out of at least one Saturday workout.
“I’ve never been to a Notre Dame game,” said Pearson. “If one of our kids go to Notre Dame, that’ll be an excuse for myself to miss a Saturday workout and we’ll work all day Sunday.”