2022 Notre Dame LB Commit Jaylen Sneed Loved Third Visit to South Bend

2022 Hilton Head (S.C.) linebacker Jaylen Sneed‍ made two trips to South Bend earlier this year, which led to his Notre Dame commitment in July. 

The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder returned to Notre Dame over the weekend for the first time as a commit. 

"It was just amazing," Sneed told ISD. "I got to see everybody. I got to see and meet with the coaches a little bit. Seeing the players on game day and walk out of the tunnel seeing thousands of fans cheering for Notre Dame was amazing.

"There were screaming fans and a bunch of people and cameras there. It was a great experience." 

Despite the loss, Sneed was impressed with the tremendous support the fans gave Notre Dame throughout the entire game. 

"The fans cheered from start to finish," said Sneed. "We were down, but they were still cheering and being as hype as they could be." 

Defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman and Sneed were able to connect on campus, but the South Carolina native also made sure to call his future coach following the game. 

"We talked a little bit and then I called him after the game," stated Sneed. "He said it was a hard loss for him because of where he came from, but he still had fun and he's going to continue to work hard. He said it's time to keep pushing." 

It was Sneed's first time seeing Freeman's defense live and it left a positive impression as he saw a perfect fit as Notre Dame plans to start him off at Will or Sam. 

"I got to see how they moved and how the defense really works," explained Sneed. "It was good to see how they use their linebackers and use the defense to put pressure on the quarterback." 

Sneed took a midweek official visit, so the only commit he was able to meet was defensive end Tyson Ford‍, who was on his official as well. 

On Saturday, Sneed was able to connect with fellow 2022 linebacker commit Nolan Ziegler‍ for the first time in person. 

"It was pretty cool to get to meet someone I'm going to be going to school with," Sneed said. "He's going to be a linebacker and we're going to be really good friends when we're there. Nolan's a very cool guy and down to earth." 

Sneed also made sure to do a little recruiting as he made sure to let 2023 five-star Sonny Styles‍ know he was wanted at Notre Dame. 

"Sonny and I talked a little bit," Sneed stated. "I told tell him that he might as well make the move because Notre Dame is going to be the place to be over the next few years." 

And yes, Sneed could be back in South Bend sooner than later as he's hoping to return for the North Carolina game at the end of the month. 

Ranking
ISD: 94 (four-star)
247: 94 (four-star)
Rivals: 6.0 (four-star)
ESPN: 86 (four-star)
Composite: 97.74 (four-star)

Senior Midseason Highlights