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Notre Dame Football Recruiting

Mabry Coach: How Can You Go Wrong With ND?

February 15, 2017
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Ron Crawford certainly wasn’t going to tell Cole Mabry where to go to college, but the Brentwood High School head coach did have a single thing for Mabry to think about when the 2018 Tennessee offensive lineman received an offer from Notre Dame.

“My only advice to him was, ‘If you go to Notre Dame, how can you be wrong?’” Crawford said. “It’s just not a bad decision when you get an opportunity like this.”

Mabry probably didn’t need much prodding after visiting South Bend for this past weekend’s Junior Day and on Tuesday night, he announced his commitment to Notre Dame.

“We’re excited for him and think he’d be a fine player wherever, but particularly there,” said Crawford.

“He’s got all of the measureables, 6-6, 270 pounds. He’s a lean 270. He’s going to be a big guy as he matures and grows. Obviously, he’s been a dominant player for us. He’s got really good feet. All of the big boys are looking for that. He moves well.”

Crawford gave the Irish credit for getting the offer out to Mabry before other major schools and, like many, suspected much of that had to do with offensive coordinator Chip Long, who had been recruiting Mabry when he was on the staff at Memphis.

But the visit is what really seemed to seal the decision.

“He was super impressed, came back super impressed,” his coach said. “He was just really impressed with his trip, his visit. He liked the coaches, but most of all, he came back and talked about the University and the kind of educational opportunities it’s going to provide for him as well being able to play for championships.”

Crawford said the football in Tennessee has been growing in recent years while Mabry will be well-prepared for the academics at Notre Dame.

“There are more Division-I type players in our area now and Cole certainly fits the bill on that for us,” the coach said. “Our school is the number one-rated public school in the state of Tennessee, comprehensive high school. The average ACT score is 27.2. We’re in a place where folks are successful. Moms and dads are successful, so there’s a lot of pressure here to do well academically.

“The academic end of it here is very, very difficult and gets them super-prepared for college. Athletically, football in Tennessee has really, really improved. You can see that just with the number of recruits we have now.”

Mabry has certainly been up to the task on and off the field.

“He’s over a 4.0-student, he takes all Advanced Placement courses and Honors courses. He’s got a great test score already. He’s a quality kid. His uncle and dad played college football, so he’s got good genetics and overall, he’s a great kid.”

 
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