Post-Visit Update | Notre Dame 2024 LB Target Payton Pierce

Payton Pierce‍ “couldn’t say no” when Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden invited him to South Bend for a visit back in June.

The 2024 Texas linebacker told Irish Sports Daily it was the history and tradition of the football program coupled with the academic reputation of the University that made the trip a no-brainer to make.

About a week after that visit, Pierce picked up his offer from the Irish.

The Lovejoy High School star, who also has offers from schools like Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, LSU and Oregon among others, was back in South Bend on Saturday for Notre Dame’s game against Stanford.

Pierce called his latest trip to Notre Dame “awesome” and said he “had a blast.”

Irish defensive graduate assistant James Laurinaitis stopped to chat with Pierce for about five minutes during the team’s walk to the stadium and then came over for another 10-15-minute conversation during on-field warmups.

Pierce isn’t quite ready to start naming favorites, but repeatedly said his interest in the Irish is serious and said that’s one of the reasons he returned for a game. Quite simply, he wouldn’t have come back if it wasn’t a school he was “super interested” in.

He’s already made visits to Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin this fall and has trips to Tennessee and Texas A&M coming up.

Pierce said that as long as the Irish are into him, he’ll be into them.

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