Notre Dame Taking Look At Irish Soccer Signee
Bryan Dowd is going to Notre Dame.
That much was settled when he committed to the Irish men’s soccer team over a year ago and was made official when he signed last month.
“I did have lots of greats of offers from schools like Michigan, Northwestern, Virginia, who were all great soccer powerhouses,” Dowd explains. “But the thing that drove me to choose Notre Dame was just its culture and history. The feeling you get when you walk on campus, I did not experience that anywhere else. It’s really unique.”
What’s not settled is whether he’ll be playing just soccer when he arrives or soccer and football.
Since he enrolling at Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Ill., Dowd has juggled his time between kicking and punting for the Fenwick football squad and making saves for the elite FC United Developmental soccer club.
“I actually started playing football my freshman year of high school,” Dowd says. “That was the first time I ever kicked a ball. My friend convinced me to join the team.”
Dowd was on varsity all four years of high school. This past season, he recorded 39 touchbacks on 45 kickoffs (87%) while converting all 29 of his PAT attempts and four of his five field goal tries. He averaged 40.1 net yards per punt and was successful on both of his onside kick attempts.
Fenwick head coach Gene Nudo would constantly tell Dowd he’d get him to play football in college.
“I always just played it off and I said, ‘OK, Coach, let me know when you talk to Notre Dame,’ just joking,’” recalls Dowd.
Then, one day Nudo called Dowd in his office and told him he’d done just that.
“He said, ‘Bryan, I just got off the phone with Coach (Brian) Polian at Notre Dame,” Dowd says.
Nudo encouraged Dowd to take an unofficial visit to South Bend this past weekend.
“My coach, Coach Nudo is to thank for all of this,” says Dowd.
Dowd was able to tour campus, see the facilities and meet with the football coaches during his most recent trip to campus.
“It’s amazing,” he says. “It just reaffirms why I chose Notre Dame. I truly could not see myself at any other school. Just watching videos and whatnot and seeing the ND everywhere. The whole culture makes me want to fight for Notre Dame.”
He was also impressed with the football coaches.
“They’re great people, great guys,” says Dowd. “They’re real caring. You can tell they’re down to earth and not the stereotypical football coaches. They’re really all about forming relationships.”
Polian and Dowd talked about the possibility of a workout sometime in January, after the recruiting dead period lifts. Kicking outdoors in Chicago in the middle of January wouldn’t be ideal, so there’s a chance they’d look for an indoor facility to hold it.
Dowd acknowledges the Irish soccer staff was caught off guard a bit by the development, which isn’t a surprise considering some sites have him pegged as the nation’s best goalie prospect.
“It’s not very common,” he says. “But they’re definitely for me helping Notre Dame everywhere possible and also doing what I love and following through on a passion.”
There are still plenty of other logistics that would need to be sorted out as well; like whether Dowd could take a second official visit to Notre Dame since he’s already taken one for soccer, how many hours a week the NCAA would allow him to work out and the scholarship impact.
“I know there are a whole bunch of logistics that we would have to work out,” Dowd says. “All stuff I’d have to talk with other people to figure stuff out.”
Dowd would like to take a shot at both kicking and punting for the Irish.
“Honestly, I’ll go wherever I’m needed,” he said. “I just want to help the team in whatever way I can.”
And none of that is to mention how he would actually do both sports during the same calendar seasons at Notre Dame.
“As of now, it’d be on a week-to-week basis of who I’d be with,” Dowd explains. “We’d have to work together to figure out a master plan for the week almost.
“Soccer plays most of their games on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the week, which is a bonus because obviously Saturdays are busy with football. So if this was able to work out, it would be a week-to-week thing.”
That type of schedule has worked so far for Dowd, who spends his weekend traveling for soccer games for his club team along with events for the US Soccer Youth National Team.
One thing is certain, Dowd is fired up at just the possibility.
“I really am. It’s always been a dream being able to play football for Notre Dame ever since I started. Walking into the stadium and being on that field, it brought chills to me.”