Jeff Quinn Believes the Fighting Irish Faithful Should Be Excited

Notre Dame offensive line coach Jeff Quinn's personality is something recruits rave about and it's one the Irish took advantage of in the 2020 recruiting cycle. 

Quinn has always made time to make sure the recruits and their families know who he is and it paid off with Tosh Baker‍ and Michael Carmody‍ signing on Wednesday. 

"In the beginning, when you're going through the process of evaluating these young men and their families - the kind of football player and student they are, you really dig deep and build the relationship," stated Quinn on Notre Dame Signing Day show. 
"When you do that, you draw a real closeness and a tie to them."

Quinn, who is putting the touches on his second year in the position, really connected with Baker and in some areas one might not expect.  

"The first I like to do when I talk to these young men and their families is to let them know who I am," explained Quinn. "In terms of my faith, family and football. Tosh likes to fish and I'm a fisherman. That really connected. There's a lot of things these young men are looking for not only in the university from the education standpoint, but also from who is the individual who is going to be developing, guiding and being with them every single day. 

"You spend time telling them who you are and what you're about and what we intend to accomplish. That really drew us closer and closer together." 

For Carmody, the relationship was meaningful as the Irish offered 'later' in the process. 

However, between his relationship with Quinn and the familiarity with Notre Dame, it made it impossible to turn down the Irish. 

"He loves Notre Dame and so does the family," said Quinn. "It's double trouble. We got both Carmody boys now. I'm very excited."

Now, it's not always a positive thing having a sibling already at Notre Dame as the staff has lost similar battles in the past. 

The good news for Notre Dame was Carmody was one of the reasons his brother chose to play basketball for the Irish.

"When I first got to know Michael - it was important that we separate that it's not because of his older brother, but because of his own merits," Quinn explained. "These are both outstanding students. They prioritize academics and both 4.0 students and high test scoring young men. 

"With the Carmody's, they knew Notre Dame was the right fit for their son and Michael did too. That's why he signed with the Irish." 

Outside of the offensive linemen, Notre Dame's 2020 recruiting class impressed Quinn because of the fit. 

"They understand the importance of being challenged academically," said Quinn. "They're searching and finding out more about their faith. They also want to win football games. They want to play at the highest level. 

"With Notre Dame's scheduling and being led by our great football coach, Coach (Brian) Kelly and the entire staff, they want to be part of something special. We have to continue to really press upon these young men that they're here to get a degree, but also to help Notre Dame win a National Championship. 

"This entire class with the ones returning, I'll tell you it will make for an exciting time for the Fighting Irish fans and faithful out there."