2023 OL Sam Pendleton Goes In-Depth On Notre Dame Decision
Apparently, Chad Bowden couldn’t believe it.
“He was the first guy I called and he thought I was pranking him,” Sam Pendleton said of Notre Dame’s Director of Recruiting.
“He laughed and said, 'Stop pranking me,' and actually almost hung up the first time.”
It was three days after Pendleton had made his lone trip to South Bend and the 2023 North Carolina offensive lineman was calling Bowden to say he was in, to silently commit.
“After they figured out I was serious, they were more than ecstatic,” said Pendleton.
That silent commitment turned into a public announcement on Monday evening with the 6-foot-5, 295-pounder letting the recruiting world know he was choosing Notre Dame over NC State, Michigan and Florida among many other programs that had offered him scholarships.
“One of the biggest things for me was the family-like atmosphere they have there, especially just with offensive line,” said Pendleton, who was struck by the way Irish offensive line coach Harry Hiestand handles his room.
“Everything is together, everything is family, everything is for one unit. And that's what I like to see and that's how I like to play. That's also with the whole team. I think Coach (Marcus) Freeman really emphasizes the whole, 'We're one team. We're a family and we battle together.'”
Pendleton’s recruitment changed course quickly.
Without an offer from Notre Dame or even much contact at all, the Reagan High School standout released a Top 5 of NC State, Michigan, Clemson, Penn State and Virginia Tech on Feb. 1st.
But after letting it be known he’d still like to hear from Notre Dame, hearing from Notre Dame, being offered by Notre Dame and taking a visit to South Bend within a month’s time, he was ready to be Irish.
“I feel like it's definitely just a God thing,” Pendleton said. “I've been so blessed to be recruited by Notre Dame and not just Notre Dame, lots of other universities. This does not take away from the opportunities I've been given by other places or things I've seen. There's been a lot of great places I've been, but nothing like Notre Dame for me.
“You talk to recruits all the time and they're like, 'Yeah, it was a gut feeling.' But this was really a gut feeling for me.
“On top of that, everything they have to offer is what I'm looking for and nothing is lacking. They're high-grade education, high-grade football. It's probably one of the most competitive teams in college football in my opinion. The tradition is rich there. And that's what I want to go into. I want go into a school that has rich tradition, they play good football and they don't worry about how they look or how they're perceived because everyone knows they're coming to win ball games.”
Pendleton is excited about joining Notre Dame’s 2023 recruiting class.
“It feels great,” he said. “Those guys have been super, super supportive throughout this whole process. I've talked to a few of them. I've had some time to talk to Preston Zinter.
“The guys who I think get recruited to Notre Dame are people who I want to be around because they have the same morals as I do. They want good education, but they also want family football and they want good football. I'm just so excited to be a part of this family and to continue to work hard and hopefully earn my spot on the team.”
And now that he’s publicly committed, he’s ready to start recruiting others, including fellow East Coast offensive linemen Sullivan Absher and Monroe Freeling.
“Sully's a big guy I want to play with. I have a lot of respect for his game. I have a lot of respect for what he does. He's one of the guys I'm looking to bring with me up to South Bend. Two North Carolina guys in South Bend, that would be the dream. Of course, Monroe would also be a really great addition as well. Those are two guys I'm really going to hammer down on.”
Film Don’t Lie | Sam Pendleton
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