Nick Sebastian Impressing at Notre Dame
Notre Dame has had an impressive track record of defensive line assistants dating back to Larry Black Jr., who now is the defensive line coach at Vanderbilt, and Harland Bower, who coaches the defensive ends at Duke.
The next in line is Nick Sebastian.
Sebastian arrived at Notre Dame in 2022 following a stop at Ohio State where he was a defensive line assistant since 2019.
Al Washington, who coached linebackers for the Buckeyes from 2019-2021, was familiar with Sebastian’s work, so it was a no-brainer when his name came up for the opening at Notre Dame.
The Ohio native’s swaggy black fits and chain game might be popular around The Gug, but Sebastian’s recruiting efforts and the will to do multiple jobs have turned heads in Notre Dame’s football offices.
Sebastian played a hand in grad transfer Javontae Jean Baptiste’s recruitment to Notre Dame as there was a great familiarity there as the two had worked closely together.
“The familiarity with Coach Wash and even Coach [Sebastian] did a lot for me,” Jean-Baptiste stated in February. “I’ve been with them for three years, just knowing them and how they treat their players and their guys, seeing them in action, let me go play for them.”
When it comes to Sebastian, the relationship with Jean-Baptiste goes much deeper than just crossing paths in the halls at Ohio State.
“Sebas - that's my dog,” explained Jean-Baptiste. “That's really my guy. A lot of conversations with him while we were at Ohio State - the connection between me and him was very good. I mean, just going through things and in the meeting room and having conversations about what I can do, like little tweaks. When I need to come in and just to talk to somebody about my day, he was always there for me.”
Sebastian is involved daily with several recruits, including 2024 Mill Creek (Ga.) defensive end Cole Mullins, who committed to the Irish in April. 2024 Katy Paetow (Texas) defensive end Loghan Thomas is another recruitment Sebastian has a hand in and the four-star edge rusher is expected back sooner than later.
2024 Monsignor Bonner (Pa.) defensive end Mylachi Williams is another priority recruit for Notre Dame and Sebastian also left a lasting impression on the 6-foot-4, 210-pounder.
“He was great,” stated Williams following his visit for Notre Dame's Blue-Gold Game.
2025 Simeon (Ill.) defensive end Chris Burgess earned an offer from Notre Dame in March and made his way to campus twice since then. The 6-foot-5, 240-pounder is another who has been impressed by Sebastian.
“He’s a good dude,” stated Burgess. “Notre Dame has a great coach on their hands. In my opinion, he’s helping Notre Dame recruiting a lot."
2025 Northwood (N.C.) defensive end Gus Ritchey also made two trips to Notre Dame this spring and it’s not a surprise he was impressed with Sebastian.
Ritchey also pointed out other recruits have spoken highly of Sebastian when talking about Notre Dame.
“Every recruit I've talked to out there knows and loves Coach Sebastian,” Ritchey stated. “Easily one of the best and nicest coaches I've met. He's a guy you really want to play for.”
Defensive end Isaiah Foskey was drafted by the New Orleans Saints last week in the second round of the NFL Draft after he left Notre Dame as the program’s all-time sacks leader and he's seen quite a few personalities come through The Gug over the years.
And while Foskey's focus wasn't recruiting during his final months at Notre Dame, Sebastian still managed to catch his eye.
“Coach Sebas is one of the hardest-working coaches I’ve been around,” said Foskey.
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