Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman Drops In On 2024 DE Benedict Umeh
If Benedict Umeh didn’t know Notre Dame was serious about him, he does know.
Irish head coach Marcus Freeman and defensive line coach Al Washington were in the Northeast on Wednesday and checked in on the 2024 defensive end from Avon Old Farms at a wrestling meet.
“They drove all the way out to TP (Trinity-Pawling) and that’s an hour and 30 minutes away from Avon,” Umeh said of Freeman and Washington. “That they came out and watched me wrestle definitely means a lot.
“Honestly, it was pretty nerve-racking and kind of weird. They drew a crowd, the whole place filled up. It was fun. That was nice.”
Off-campus, in-person communication between college coaches and 2024 prospects is limited at this point in the calendar, but Umeh had plenty of contact with the Irish over the phone leading up to this visit.
“They told me they’re just happy I’m wrestling,” Umeh said. “Coach Marcus Freeman says all of his sons wrestle and he’s really into the sport. He says it’s really good for d-linemen and he was happy to come and watch.”
Umeh has been impressed with Freeman since getting to know him following the offer from the Irish last month.
“He’s very intense,” he says. “He’s real fun to talk to. He’s a great guy.”
Umeh and Washington have had even more chats.
“He’s great,” Umeh says of Washington.
In addition to Notre Dame, Umeh has offers from schools like Stanford, Michigan, Florida, Texas, Texas A&M, Auburn, Penn State, USC and Miami among others.
He hasn’t had a chance to get to South Bend yet, but could get there multiple times over the next several months.
“It looks like I’m going down in the spring sometime, we’re just not really sure when,” he says. “It doesn’t look like I’ll make it there during March break. I’m definitely going to visit and then probably take an official.
“I’m going to take an unofficial in the spring and an official in the summer.”
So, is Umeh higher on Notre Dame following the visit from Freeman and Washington?
“Definitely.”
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