2022 OL Ashton Craig Lands Notre Dame Offer Before Official

Ashton Craig’s recruitment has gone to another level this month and the next stop on that new level for the 2022 Indiana offensive lineman is an official visit to Notre Dame this weekend.

He’ll take that visit with an Irish offer in hand after a conversation with Notre Dame offensive line coach Jeff Quinn on Tuesday evening.

The Lawrenceburg High School standout kicked off the month with official visits to Nebraska and Northwestern. He cancelled a trip to Vanderbilt to go to Michigan after receiving an offer from the Wolverines. He visited Ohio State on Tuesday and is set to be in South Bend this weekend.

“His recruiting cycle has been just a little different, obviously, like most people with the COVID and everything last year,” Lawrenceburg head coach Ryan Knigga says. “His recruiting took off really late in the game from what we're used to.”

Craig has already been to Notre Dame once this month.

“He participated in one of the camps and had multiple conversations with Coach Quinn and the Notre Dame staff after that,” his coach said. “He just performed really well at their camp. They’d been recruiting him for probably close to two weeks.

“They've been really good at contacting him the last couple of weeks. They’re looking forward to building that relationship, starting at the official visit this weekend.”

Knigga said Craig is excited about the trip.

“Everybody knows about Notre Dame, great tradition and great football program,” he said. “They're on TV every game and things like that. When you live in Indiana, obviously, you know about Notre Dame.

“What's also exciting for Notre Dame is they got a player like Ashton Craig in their backyard who’s a highly-recruited guy in the state of Indiana. I think they do a good job of trying to keep the best guys in the state here. His interest level obviously is off the charts. He's very excited about getting up there this week. He’s very interested in the opportunity that they're offering him.”

Knigga said the first thing that hops out about Craig is his athleticism.

“He can run, he can move, he can bend,” the coach said. “He plays with a chip on his shoulder, plays with great tenacity. He's a smart kid that understands leverage. He also plays defense for us as well. I think seeing some of the defensive film that he has produced also makes him more valuable.”

He also believes Craig is versatile enough to play any of the five positions up front.

“He's 6-5, probably about 280 right now, and still runs,” the coach said. “With his athleticism, you're looking at a kid that ran a 5.1 and had a broad jump of 9-foot. His athleticism is something that jumps off when you watch film and when you see him move. He's going to be a valuable player at the next level because he's just a versatile guy.

“When you watch him, you're like, ‘This kid’s a phenomenal athlete.’”

His coach also calls him “a role model for everyone in our program and our community,” with the way he handles himself off the field.

“He's a very humble kid and just goes about everything the right way,” says Knigga. “He's a great student, he's a great teammate.

“He's always one of the first guys here and one of the last guys to leave. He just goes about everything the right way and as I said, not only on the football field, but in the community, in the classroom. He checks all the boxes and just does stuff the right way.

“He's been in our program forever and when you do the things the way that he does them, this is what happens. All of the attention and all of the offers that he’s getting are not just because of his talent, but because of his work ethic as well.”

He enjoyed his first trip to South Bend and is looking forward to this weekend.

“He had a great time at the camp,” says Knigga. “He had a great time getting to know the coaches while he was there. I think he was on campus maybe six hours, so in that timeframe, he got to see some of the coaches and see a few of the players and things like that.

“I think that he wants to continue building that, but his interest is high. He loved it, loved the facilities, loves what Notre Dame is about and what they stand for, not only athletically, but academically as well. Those are all high on his radar.”

Having the offer from the Irish should help him as he aims to have a final decision relatively soon.

“Talking with Ashton and talking with the family, I think he definitely wants to have it wrapped up before the season starts,” his coach says. “I would not be shocked after the Notre Dame visit if the picture becomes a little more clear for him and that he could have a decision before the season starts.

“It's a numbers game, so once you get to these places and once you know how many offers they have left and different things like that, I mean, you’ve got to make sure that you're making a sound decision on where you want to spend the next four or five years in your life.

"If they’ve got the right people and they’ve got the right program and their goals align with what you want to get accomplished, if those boxes check each other, then we need to go ahead and do this. I think he has a great perspective on all of this. I think when he goes to each place, he's really trying to dive in and learn about it. I'd be shocked if he doesn't have an answer and is committed here in July.”