Werner Ready For Second Visit To ND
“I am real excited to get back to Notre Dame,” Werner told Irish Sports Daily. “The last time I was there was the Junior Day, so it’s been quite a while. I’ve only been there once, so this will be my second time. It’s kind of weird for someone that is committed that I have been up there once. Going there one time, falling in love, I mean there was nothing I could do other than call Coach (Mike) Elston to commit.”
Elston has remained in consistent contact with his future linebacker, but Werner has also stayed in contact with his future teammates.
“I have remained in contact with Coach Elston too,” explained Werner. “We talk about every week or so. I am talking with a lot of the commits and just staying in touch with them. We are building a relationship with each other right now.”
The commit group chat is something that has been relevant since the 2013 recruiting class and is a great way for the commits to simply feel each other out. Werner has used it to get to know the other commits and that bond will carry over when they arrive next June.
“The group chat is pretty cool,” laughed Werner. “It’s just typical guys being guys. We are just talking about other guy’s girls and fun stuff like that. We are just building a great relationship.
“I have got to know the other linebackers well. I wouldn’t say I know them better than the other guys in the class. The group chat is all the guys. David Adams was the one that contacted me before I committed, so I guess we have a pretty good relationship. No one stands out more than another. We all have that same bond.”
With only seeing Notre Dame once, Werner feels he got a good feel for the campus and facilities, but this time around he also wants to get to know the vibe within the current team.
“I have seen the campus and the facilities, but I’d like to see the players on the team and see what they think of everything,” he stated. “I want to talk to them a little bit. I just want to get a better feel of the locker room and what’s going on in there.”
As a commit, Werner knows he has a job to do this weekend. Recruit.
“I am already doing a few recruiting things,” said Werner. “I am DMing guys on Twitter and stuff like that. I hear a lot of people going to Irish Invasion and a lot of them already have offers. It’s going to be a good place and I feel like we will have a lot of guys commit this weekend.”
Recruiting guys to South Bend is something Werner has some experience with. 2018 running back Markese Stepp is Werner’s teammate and also holds a Notre Dame offer, so it’s safe to say Stepp is hearing all about the Irish. Stepp will also be at Irish Invasion this weekend.
“I have talked to Markese a lot and he tells me he is going to commit and everything like that,” Werner said. “I think he is going to visit some bigger schools like Alabama and Michigan and that might get in the way, but I am pushing hard. I think he really likes it and we will see where that goes.”
While Werner won’t work out at Irish Invasion, the coaching staff will see a different guy than the one that visited for Junior Day. The 6-foot-2 Indianapolis native has added some positive weight and hopes to get to 225 in the coming months.
“Right now, it’s a big weight lifting time and I am trying to gain weight,” explained Werner. “I was at 215 and now I am at about 221 or 222. I have gained about seven pounds, which is good and I am trying to get to 225 before the season. I’ll work towards speed later, but I am not losing my speed with the weight gain.”