Holden Staes Enjoyed Another Inside Look at Notre Dame Over the Weekend

2022 Westminster (Ga.) tight end Holden Staes‍ is no stranger to Notre Dame and it was a no-brainer to get back to campus over the weekend for another official visit. 

The 6-foot-4, 230-pounder made the trip back with most of the 2022 recruiting class and they had a ball days before they sign with the Irish. 

"It was definitely really fun," Staes told ISD. "The weekend flew by. It was a quick day and half. It was great being with most of the commits and getting to know those guys better.
 
"Getting to go to practice and being in the meeting room with (John) McNulty and the tight ends was really fun." 

Recruits don't often get an inside look at practice due to the way the recruiting calendar shakes out and Staes loved getting a peek at how Marcus Freeman structures his practices. 

"I would say the tempo stood out," stated Staes. "It was their first practice back after some time off. They weren't really going too hard because they were in shells.

"They were definitely moving period to period pretty quick. There was really no point where everyone was resting. It seemed like a normal practice and they'll ramp it up before the bowl game." 

Staes also loved sitting in a tight end meeting with McNulty during the visit. 

"He was the same as he always is," said Staes. "In the meeting room, they were going through plays and looking at film. He was very even-keel and asked how everyone was doing before the meeting. He was cracking jokes throughout the meeting too. 

"McNulty is never too serious, but he knows how to get his work done and when to be serious. It was a very calm meeting. I don't know if that's just because Eli and I were in there, but I think that's how he always is. I'm super excited to be playing for him." 

And yes, Staes and the other commits felt the energy from Freeman's hiring as there is still a buzz on campus. 

"You definitely feel it because everything happened so recently," Staes stated. "We were at the basketball game and you saw all the fans cheering him on and that was great to see. 

"The players were excited and having the Fiesta Bowl representatives speak to the team after practice and hyping them up about the Playstations added a lot of excitement to the program. I can't wait to be part of it." 

Notre Dame will add another talented class on Wednesday (and beyond) and it's another piece to the puzzle as the program looks to get back to the College Football Playoff. 

"Knowing how good of a class we have coming in, it's going to match the hype with Coach Freeman," said Staes. "The combination of that and what we're bringing in - the 2021 class was super good and the 2023 class is building to be a good class. Once we get established there, I think it'll only take Notre Dame to higher heights."