BREAKING | 2023 OL Sam Pendleton Commits To Notre Dame
Sam Pendleton knew he wanted to hear from Notre Dame and after a single trip to South Bend, the 2023 North Carolina offensive lineman knew he wanted to play for the Irish.
Pendleton just announced his commitment to Notre Dame, choosing the Irish over NC State, Michigan and Florida among several others.
“I feel like they have everything I’m looking for in a college, especially with a legendary coach in Coach (Harry) Hiestand coming back,” Pendleton told ISD earlier this month.
“With Coach Freeman as head coach of the program, I think they have a lot to look forward to.”
The 6-foot-5, 295-pounder is the first offensive line commit for the Irish in the Class of 2023 and gives Notre Dame 10 pledges in the class.
The four-star prospect could probably play guard or tackle at the next level.
On Feb. 1st, the Reagan High School standout announced a Top 5 of Michigan, NC State, Clemson, Penn State and Virginia Tech and appeared set to choose from the set shortly thereafter.
But barely a month during a photoshoot with Tom Lemming, Pendleton was asked if there were any other schools that he’d still like to hear from.
Pendleton listed Notre Dame.
When Irish offensive line coach Harry Hiestand got word, he quickly got in touch with Pendleton. Days later, an offer was extended and an unofficial visit was set up.
Pendleton made that trip two weeks ago and was clearly blown away by the experience.
“I really enjoyed it there,” he said. “It felt like home.”
The football box was essentially checked even before the visit – “The football is great, it’s Notre Dame Football. That’s always going to be top-tier,” – but the academic presentation really made a huge impact on Pendleton, who plans to major in Engineering.
He learned that former Irish players like Sam Mustipher majored in Engineering while being developed into an NFL player and that there were other players on the current roster working to do the same.
“That’s really unheard of,” Pendleton said. “Everywhere else I’ve been, I haven’t really met with anybody who is actually an engineer other than at Notre Dame.
“The dean really just showed me that it’s possible, that people have done it and been successful in it and gotten really great jobs outside of football in Engineering.”
With Pendleton on board, the Irish will continue to chase other offensive linemen, including Sullivan Absher, Monroe Freeling and Austin Siereveld, who were all on campus for this past weekend’s spring game, along with Charles Jagusah and Samson Okunlola.
ISD publisher Mike Frank recently highlighted Pendleton as one of his favorite targets for the Irish this cycle.
“I immediately thought this guy is what I call ‘Country Strong,’” Frank said. “He seems like the type of kid who grew up on a farm and just has that ‘Country Strong’ about him. Sure enough, he comes from a town of about 2,000 people.
“But, on film, he did go against some bigger guys and just threw them around like rag dolls. As a run blocker, he’s a finisher. He is going to be moving some real estate. As a pass blocker, there actually is some good clips of him in pass pro. He was quick in his pass set and had a solid punch, and then he moved his feet really well.
“I don’t think he played against a lot of elite athletes, but he dominated anyone he went against. He can pull and move and play in space. I see him as a guard at Notre Dame, but he could easily play tackle for a lot of places...He’s an underrated prospect for sure.”
Film Don’t Lie | Sam Pendleton
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