2021 Notre Dame OL Commit Pat Coogan Staying Positive

Since Pat Coogan‍ committed back in April, Notre Dame’s 2021 recruiting class has added seven new members, including five within the last month or so, as the group has swelled to 15 total members.

That doesn’t even include a pair of commits in the 2022 class within the last week.

“It’s super exciting, very exciting,” says Coogan. “We’re hitting the recruiting trail really hard right now. We have a lot of momentum. The future is definitely bright and it’s just going to keep getting brighter.”

The 2021 offensive lineman recently found out that he and his Marist High School teammates wouldn’t be playing this fall as the state of Illinois pushed high school football to the spring.

“It sucks, more waiting,” says Coogan. “I do think it was the right decision, I think it was the safer decision. I think it gives us the best chance to play a full season.”

And as one of the team leaders, it’ll be among Coogan’s responsibilities to make sure everybody stays engaged.

“Just keeping everyone focused, keeping everyone together,” Coogan says of his duties. “We were doing summer workouts and that got cancelled right away so we won’t see each other for a little bit, so staying in close-knit groups, staying a family, staying close together, keeping that same goal in mind to win a state championship.”

Personally, Coogan will focus on getting back into the weight room.

“During the summer, we were doing more on-the-field stuff,” he explains. “Now, we’re transitioning to more of an offseason deal because we’ll have the whole fall. So, just getting in the weight room and getting on the field as much as I can to get better.”

The Irish staff was impressed with Coogan’s reaction to it all.

“I told them about it and they were like, ‘Oh, that sucks.’ They kind of felt bad for me, but they liked my attitude and how I went about it and how I handled the situation. They just wished me luck and told me to stay focused just like everyone else.”