2025 WR Cooper Perry High on Notre Dame, Chansi Stuckey Following Visit
2025 Notre Dame Preparatory (Ariz.) receiver Cooper Perry had heard a great deal about Notre Dame from those around him, but he wanted to check it out for himself.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder made the trip to South Bend this weekend after receiving his offer from the Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.
“The campus, facilities - they had everything you need to succeed,” Perry told ISD. “The coaches are all so nice, humble and stuff like that. When they need to coach you, they’ll get on you for the little things. That’s what I loved to see.”
Perry had spoken with receivers coach Chansi Stuckey a few times over the last month and getting to meet him face-to-face was one of the highlights of the trip to the Midwest.
“When I was in a meeting with just me and him, I felt I could have talked to him for hours,” stated Perry. “He pulled up some film and we started breaking it down. You could see what type of coach and dude he was and all good things from the coaching staff, especially Coach Stuckey.”
The Arizona native also was able to see how Stuckey coached his guys as Perry took in Notre Dame’s practice on Saturday. And he left impressed with what he saw from Stuckey and his receiver group.
“What I saw from the practice, Coach Stuckey’s drills were all in-game situation stuff,” said Perry. “He gets you ready for the time in the game when you need to make a play. You know you’ll be OK because the drills you’ve been doing have prepared you. To see that was definitely good to see.”
Perry also was able to get some one-on-one time with Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, who made sure to let him know the staff wanted him back on campus soon.
“He said we like you as a player and they wanted me back as much as possible,” Perry explained. “He wanted me to get around the campus and see everything. He wanted me to talk to some of the other recruits. It was all great. Coach Freeman is definitely the best of the best in the business and talking with him was amazing.”
Freeman also brought Perry and his father out on the field during individual drills during Saturday’s practice for a quick chat.
“It was a great opportunity,” Perry stated. “We were joking about some stuff in practice, so it was cool to have a conversation with him. You can just tell from just two minutes that he’s a great coach and guy.”
Perhaps the message that resonated the most over the weekend came off the field. Notre Dame’s Director of Recruiting Chad Bowden was able to explain why the degree is valuable, but also why the school's professors are unique to most universities.
“What I got is if you want to be taught by billionaires, go to Notre Dame,” Perry said. “Coach Chad was telling me the reason why these billionaires come back to teach is they love Notre Dame, the community and the campus. That’s good to hear that you have people who want to be there, but want to invest in you.
“He talked about life after football and football will only go so far. If God forbid you hurt something, you can get out and get a great job just by going to Notre Dame. Life after football was definitely a big thing.”
The trip was also a trip down memory lane for Perry’s father, who had been to campus for a few games in the past.
“It was great,” said Perry. “After the visit, he wanted to just drive around the campus and see everything. I know he was happy. It was a good time this weekend.”
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