Coach | 2022 Notre Dame OL Commit Ty Chan Continues Lawrence Academy Tradition

Ty Chan‍ wasn’t able to go through the typical recruiting process, but the 2022 Massachusetts offensive lineman didn’t need the typical recruiting process to come to a firm decision.

The Lawrence Academy standout announced his commitment to Notre Dame on Thursday afternoon, choosing the Irish over offers from schools like Penn State, Nebraska, Syracuse and Boston College among others.

“I think he grew up liking Notre Dame,” Lawrence Academy head coach Jason Swepson said. “I know his family are big Notre Dame fans and really, the city of Lowell, believe or not, has a lot of Notre Dame fans.

“I think he just saw that Fighting Irish growing up as a kid and couldn’t wait any longer. I know he wanted to wait and see what the campus and everything is all about, but the brand is the brand.”

The Lowell native made the decision to attend the prestigious Massachusetts prep school before last season.

“When he came to us as a reclassified sophomore, he fit right in with the team, on campus as a boarder,” Swepson said. “He’s excited to get with his teammates in a year and half from now, so all good. He’s very excited.”

Even though Massachusetts did not have competitive football this fall, Chan and his teammates were able to get some practice sessions in.

“We had about 10 strong practices with helmets on,” said Swepson. “We were able to work a lot of technique and agility stuff to get ready in case we were able to play football. He worked extremely hard on his technique. He will be ready.”

Swepson played running back at Boston College and spent decades coaching in college before taking over at Lawrence Academy in 2018.

“Lawrence Academy has a strong history of placing kids at a high level. AJ Dillon came through Lawrence Academy. We’ve got Matt Ragan, a 2022 tight end who is committed to BC. Lawrence Academy has always had talent coming out of the program. Even when I was an assistant coach at Boston College and at NC State, we had some Lawrence Academy kids on our team.

“He’s going to continue the tradition. He’s obviously going to bring some awareness to young kids and kids who want to reclassify and think about their futures as student-athletes.”