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Notre Dame Football Recruiting

2023 DL Devan Houstan High On Relationships Coming Into Notre Dame Visit

January 27, 2022
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Notre Dame got in relatively early with Devan Houstan‍, offering the 2023 defensive tackle back in October, and that’s helped the Irish continue to grab his attention.

“They were one of the first ones to offer me right as I started to blow up,” Houstan told Irish Sports Daily. “I have a great relationship with Coach (Marcus) Freeman, which is really big.

“The fact that I have a relationship with the head coach really means a lot to me and really means I'm a priority for them. I'd just love to get down there and see what the school's all about.”

And Houstan, a native of Ontario, will make the trip down to see the school for this weekend’s Junior Day.

“I definitely would like to just see the culture,” he continued. “I know Notre Dame has a very big culture from watching them when I was a kid and seeing them on TV; the facilities, the coaching staff. I’d really like to build a better relationship with them and just overall get a feel for the school and the culture.”

This will be the first true recruiting visit for Houstan, who plays at St. James School in Maryland.

“I went on a couple game day visits, one to JMU, one to Penn State and another to Pitt with my teammates,” he said. “But I've never been on an unofficial by myself, so Notre Dame will be my first one.”

He also has offers from schools like Maryland, Penn State, Michigan State, Duke, Kentucky, Pitt and Rutgers among others. He plans on continuing to make visits.

“I'm definitely looking to get down to a lot of schools that have offered me,” he said. “They've all reached out and said they wanted me to come down, so I'm definitely looking to get to as many schools as I can.”

College scouts see the 6-foot-5, 270-pounder as a three-technique and like his ability to move.

“Coaches always mention my speed and agility, especially for my size,” he said. “They say I move very well for being 270 pounds. They also really like my aggression, my violent hands.”

He has a good idea of what he’s looking for in a school.

“Honestly, I'm just looking for a school that's great in academics, has a positive environment and in terms of football, I'd say it's the right fit for me,” he said. “Just making sure that I have a great relationship with the coach and a bunch of people on the staff because I'm really big on relationships and that they understand me as a person and a player.

“Also, what school and what staff can help me get to the next level because obviously the NFL is the goal. There are a lot of other factors that weigh into the decision, but those are the basic ones for now.”

Houstan doesn’t have a timeline for a decision just yet.

“I'm very early in the process, but I hope to get out to some visits this summer and spring just to continue to learn more about different schools; compare and contrast and build relationships with schools to then hopefully make my decision later on.”

 
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