Patient Process Could Pay Off For Tommy Rees, Notre Dame With 2022 QBs
While other programs had been sending scholarship offers to quarterbacks in the Class of 2022 – and even 2023 – like an all-out blitz, Notre Dame took a much more deliberate approach.
It’s a method that could pay off big time for the Irish in the end.
After extensive evaluation of several signal-callers, Notre Dame “finally” sent out a pair of offers to quarterbacks in the Class of 2022 on Monday, to New Jersey’s Steve Angeli and Gavin Wimsatt of Kentucky.
Neither seemed concerned with the fact that the Irish waited longer than the other schools on their respective lists. In fact, in the immediate aftermath Notre Dame seems to be in such a strong position with both prospects that it could end up being a matter of which jumps on the offer first.
And that’s because Notre Dame, led by offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Tommy Rees, did such a fine job being honest and clear about the process.
“Coach Rees contacted me about three or four weeks ago expressing interest in Gavin,” Owensboro High School head coach Jay Fallin explained.
“He’d seen his film. They do a good job of making sure they get to talk to the head coach and get to know what kind of young men that potential recruit is. Coach Rees did a great job of doing his homework and asking the right questions about Gavin.”
From there, Notre Dame Director of Player Personnel Dave Peloquin requested Wimsatt’s academic transcripts.
“They wanted to go over that and review it and make sure he was the kind of student who’d fit at Notre Dame,” Fallin said. “They did a good job doing their homework and checking on Gavin.”
Rees was also very upfront with both quarterbacks that the Irish were also extending offers that night.
“Coach Rees told me from the beginning that they usually offer two quarterbacks per class,” Fallin said. “Obviously, they’re going to be very selective on who that’s going to be for them in 2022. They wanted to make sure Gavin was the right fit for them.”
For a few weeks leading up to the offer, Fallin had been helping arrange conversations between Rees and Wimsatt.
“Obviously. he’d be coaching and working with Gavin’s position group if he were to end up at Notre Dame,” said Fallin. “In speaking with Coach Rees, he said he and Coach (Brian) Kelly sat down and watched the film of quarterbacks and evaluated and felt that Gavin was one of two kids they wanted to pursue in 2022.”
Angeli’s head coach at Bergen Catholic, Vito Campanile, was also thoroughly impressed with Rees’ recruiting style.
“He’s not throwing it all against the wall and offering any guy,” said Campanile, who has national recruits on his roster year in and year out.
“He really does his due diligence on the kid and wants to know everything about him. They do such a great job evaluating film before they’ll offer somebody. It’s kind of refreshing to see that.”
Campanile has dealt with Irish defensive line coach Mike Elston several times in the past, but with a quarterback as Notre Dame’s focus in 2022, Rees is taking the lead with Angeli.
“I’m just really impressed with him as a person in talking to him over the last several months. He’s really doing his due diligence.”