2023 Four-Star DL Devan Houstan Goes In-Depth on Notre Dame Commitment
Committing to a program is never an easy decision and 2023 Saint James School (Md.) defensive lineman Devan Houstan took a mature approach to his recruitment.
The 6-foot-5, 270-pounder knew the magnitude of choosing a future college and rushing into a decision wasn’t something Houstan was going to do.
"I feel I took a pretty long time to come to my decision,” Houstan told ISD. “I could have made it earlier, but I really weighed all my options and made sure I made the right decision. I looked at all the aspects of everything.
"Ultimately, I can't even explain it. I knew in my heart Notre Dame is where I wanted to go."
What pushed Notre Dame over the edge?
Competition.
Houstan knows he’ll be pushed every day in The Gug, but also in the classroom as he’ll be competing with his peers at Notre Dame.
"I would say the competitive edge,” stated Houstan. “All the schools are competitive, but when you're playing against guys that are NFL-caliber players every day, you can't get that anywhere else. I feel like that on top of education is huge.
"Everyone thinks they are going to the NFL, but when it really comes down to it, it's about after the NFL. A typical NFL career lasts probably three years if we're being generous. I looked at what was going to help me after football, but not a backup plan - it's Plan A and a half."
Notre Dame defensive line coach Al Washington also was a significant reason why Houstan choose the Fighting Irish.
Houstan saw a difference in how Washington recruited him as it was more focused on a relationship than selling Notre Dame or anything else.
"He was huge,” Houstan said. “He got hired and he didn't have much time to get used to Notre Dame when I came in for Junior Day. He hit me up the night I got there.
"The relationship we've been able to build is something special and I'll always appreciate him for it. I'm definitely excited to be coached by him and win some championships."
The four-star prospect also knew Washington wasn’t putting on an act to get him to commit as Houstan saw how Washington was outside of football with his family.
"The fact he's a family man - he tries to get out to all of his kids games,” said Houstan. “He prioritizes his family over everything - even his Notre Dame family. You see a lot of coaches get caught up in the glitz and glamour of college football, but he balances it out really well spending time with his Notre Dame family and his actual family.
"He's just a really genuine guy."
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