BREAKING | 2021 OL Pat Coogan Commits To Notre Dame
Timing means a lot, but in the end, it isn’t everything.
Notre Dame and Pat Coogan overcame some relatively minor timing issues and in the end, both sides found the right fit and now, the time is right.
The 2021 Chicago offensive lineman has committed to the Irish.
He gives the Irish eight current verbal commitments in the Class of 2021 and joins Blake Fisher to give them a pair of offensive line pledges. Notre Dame remains in pursuit of fellow offensive linemen like Rocco Spindler and Matthew Wykoff among others.
After months of working to earn a scholarship from Notre Dame, the lifelong fan was informed he had done just that on March 26th.
“It was a surreal moment for me,” Coogan told ISD at the time. “I’ve been wanting this one really bad, so for it to come to fruition is awesome.”
The Marist High School standout had already been to South Bend several times as both a recruit and a fan, but really wanted to return for a better look at the school and the coaching staff with an offer in hand before making a decision.
As other major scholarship offers continued to fly in from schools like Ohio State, LSU, Oklahoma and Texas A&M, the need to get one more look at Notre Dame was even more understandable.
But with an extended dead period because of COVID-19 concerns, which may or may not be lifted in June, Coogan decided there was no need to wait any further.
“As good a football player he is, he’s a better kid,” Marist head coach Rod Dawczak told ISD. “He brings so much to our program. He’s a tremendous leader and he’s shown leadership skills even as a youngster on the varsity for us.”
Dawczak credited Coogan with leading by example and with his voice when needed. The coach also noted that it would be unlikely to hear anybody in the school have a bad word to say about Coogan.
The same probably couldn’t be said for his opponents.
“Put him on the football field and that niceness and courteous demeanor goes by the wayside and he plays with a nasty attitude,” Dawczak said. “He is really what we want in terms of a football player at Marist High School. He’s a great kid off the field and a tremendous competitor on the field.”
And it’s what Notre Dame is going to get.
Even before he received the offer from the Irish, it was clear what Coogan wanted.
“It would really be a dream come true,” he told ISD earlier in the year.
“I’ve been a Notre Dame fan since I was born and I’ve been going to games since I was born, so it would be a dream come true.”
That dream has now come true.