Top 2023 TE Jaxon Howard Enjoys "Amazing" Experience At Notre Dame

There was plenty for Jaxon Howard‍ to see and learn during a stop at Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon, but the thing that stood out most to the 2023 Minnesota tight end was the people he met, including Irish tight ends coach John McNulty, recruiting coordinator Mike Elston and head coach Brian Kelly.

“It was an amazing experience for me; not only me, but my little sister as well and my father,” Howard told Irish Sports Daily immediately after the visit.

“Right off the bat, when I first got there, there was amazing hospitality. Coach McNulty himself came outside and greeted me. It was amazing right away.”

Howard measured in at 6-4 and 235 pounds. From the Gug, they were brought to the women’s basketball facilities.

“They showed my little sister around,” Howard said. “I think that was an amazing experience for her.

“I think it's an amazing way to reflect on how well they're recruiting me and how amazing the hospitality they have is. I mean the amount of care that they took around me and my younger sister is just amazing.”

From there, they went to a meeting with Elston.

“Most of the film he showed me was actually a presentation that he made up just about all the culture when it comes to Notre Dame Football and just what it's like to be on a team,” Howard said of Elston. “He showed me this video of a lot of the players going to charity events and giving back to the community around themselves. It's not just about football, but it's everything around you.

“One thing I also liked was that when the players are in their dorm rooms, it's not just football players around them. It's common students and people from all around. They have students from Japan, Africa, all around the world coming to Notre Dame because it's such a special place.”

Howard also had the opportunity to go over some X’s and O’s with McNulty.

“One thing I did like was that there are quite a lot of talented tight ends over there, especially from last season, but they don't give the ball to just one guy,” he said. “They spread it out to all of the tight ends, especially in practice because there's always a spot to be taken.

“I forgot how many snaps, but a lot of snaps were in 11, 12, 13, and even sometimes 14 personnel, so if I were to go to there's a very high chance that I'd be able to get playing time.”

The meeting with Kelly definitely stood out as well.

“Just to talk with that man, he's an amazing person,” the Robbinsdale Cooper High School star said.

“One thing that I take away from that conversation was he told me that with all of these places I'll be going to, they're going to have the big weight room, big indoor facilities and all of that, but the big thing to take away is all the people that you're going to meet. Everyone's going to have great facilities, but it's really about who's inside them and who's going to be around you when you're at the school, so it was an amazing experience for me.”

Howard is in the beginning of a extremely busy month of visits. When the dead period was lifted on Tuesday, the swing started with a stop at Minnesota and by the time they arrived in South Bend, they’d already hit Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State.

They left Notre Dame and drove north, where they’ll make stops at Northwestern and Wisconsin on Sunday. By the end of the month, they will have hit 29 schools.

And expect Howard to make it back to South Bend in the fall.

“I like the idea of getting down for a game, definitely,” he said. “Maybe even the Notre Dame versus USC game. Coach said it'd be a night game. That's definitely an opportunity I'd like to take up.”

Notre Dame was already in a solid position with the top target and it’s obvious the Irish helped themselves in a major way on Saturday.

“It came up to all of my expectations and it definitely exceeded them as well. It's a great place and I'm looking forward to getting to know the coaches and also the system even more.”