Happy Father's Day From The Classes Of 2021 & 2022
Some of the nation’s top prospects in the 2021 and 2022 classes jumped at the opportunity to have a platform explaining what their fathers have meant to their football journeys and, more importantly, their lives in general.
Happy Father’s Day!!!
2021 NOTRE DAME SAFETY COMMIT JUSTIN WALTERS
“My dad means everything to me. I rely on him for so much in my life and with sports. He has spent so much money and pushed me so hard to be the best I can be. If there’s an opportunity for me to get better, he will allow me to take it without a question. Throughout this recruiting process, he was there to help me make the right decision without pushing me in any direction. In my life, my dad has always been pretty hard on us. Even though we don’t always love it, we know it’s for a good reason and that he wants nothing but the best for us.”
-Walters on his father, Horace
2022 WISCONSIN OFFENSIVE LINEMAN CARSON HINZMAN
“My dad means the world to me. I wouldn’t be even close to where I would think I would be now if it weren’t for him. He was the one that bestowed the work-for-everything mentality. I’m surprised that he’s put up with me this long. Back when I was about 3, he used to take me with him when he would work out, and I would make him play TNT by AC/DC over and over again. I could never thank him enough.”
-Hinzman on his father, Jon
2021 NOTRE DAME DEFENSIVE LINE COMMIT GABRIEL RUBIO
“My father is one of the most influential people I have ever known. He has taught me everything that I know today on and off the field.”
-Rubio on his father, Angel
2021 NOTRE DAME OFFENSIVE LINE COMMIT PAT COOGAN
“My father has been one of the most influential people in my young life. Through thick and thin, he has always had my back and supported me in every aspect of life. The foundation he has laid for my family and I has been one thing I will always be grateful for. Throughout my recruiting process, he was always there to add some key pieces of knowledge and advice. It’s an amazing feeling to be able to live out a childhood dream of playing for the University of Notre Dame, which my Dad had a great influence in constructing."
-Coogan on his father, Mike
2021 NOTRE DAME TIGHT END COMMIT CANE BERRONG
“My dad has devoted much of his life and sacrificed a lot to make sure that my brother and I have had every opportunity. He made sure that we had the right trainers, supplements and that we stayed focused on our goals and were doing the right things on and off the field.”
-Berrong on his father, Scott
2022 PENNSYLVANIA RUNNING BACK NICK SINGLETON
“My father has always been there for me and he means a lot to me...He always drove me to workouts, college visits, camps...he made a lot of sacrifices for me. Without him in my life, I don’t think I would be in this situation, so I just wanna say thank you for everything you did for me. Happy Father’s Day and I love you.”
-Singleton on his father, Timmy
2022 ILLINOIS ATHLETE REGGIE FLEURIMA
“My father means everything to me. He pushes me every day and always tells me he wants me to be better than he ever was. I work hard every day knowing that in the long run, he will be a proud dad of me for all the hard work I have put in.”
-Fleurima on his father, Reggie
2022 TEXAS WIDE RECEIVER CRISTIAN DRIVER
“My Dad honestly has helped me so much. There’s a lot that I won’t be able to get to but...First off, I would like to say he has done an amazing job teaching me how to be a man, a great father figure for my kids to come. How he treats my mom and my sisters has impacted me a lot because it has taught me more about respect and the love you should have for people.
“From a view of inside the lines of football and outside, I would say that my dad is my idol. He has taught me so much about the game I never thought I would learn from anyone else. He’s my hero. He’s the person that I tend to go to for football and for things way beyond football. He’s an amazing, loving dad to me, my mom and my sisters. My dad always reminds us that family is forever. One thing I would say about football and how he’s helped me get to this point would probably be the constant work effort that I put in with him, trying to perfect my craft. I’ve learned so much just over this summer about both sides of the ball that I never thought really mattered. But I would say the reason I am at the point where I am is because he hasn’t let things slide. It can be the simplest things, that I think I did good, but there’s always something that needs work. So I think one big thing I’ve learned from my dad is hard work and dedication to the game and studying the game will take me far.”
-Driver on his father, Donald
2021 NOTRE DAME CORNERBACK COMMIT RYAN BARNES
“He is the reason why I am where I am now. He started my football journey when I was 3 by getting me on my first flag football team and from there, he coached me throughout the rest of my career. In my younger years, he would coach my team but as we got older, he was a coach off the field. My younger brother and I would watch film with him, he would work with us in our off time, he would motivate us to be the best we could be before games and praise us after. He always wanted the best for me, so he prepared me for ball on every level and got me ready for the changes that would come. He would do his due diligence and find the best people to train me mentally and physically.
“He knew what my dream was and he did everything in his power to get me there. Now I am a national recruit with 33 Division 1 scholarship offers. I am ranked in the top 40 for my position...I am committed to my dream school of Notre Dame. I am here because of my father. Thank you.”
-Barnes on his father, Dennis
