2024 Notre Dame OL Commit Anthonie Knapp Locked In With irish
The last time Anthonie Knapp visited Notre Dame, he didn’t even have an offer from the Irish.
“It's the first time I've put effort into a school that I had not already had a scholarship from,” the 2024 Georgia offensive lineman recently told Matt DeBary of DawgPost.
When Knapp returns to South Bend for an official visit this weekend, he’ll return as a member of the Irish’s 2024 recruiting class. The Roswell High School standout announced his commitment to Notre Dame shortly after that March visit, but he knew even sooner.
“I spent the whole day at Notre Dame, loved it there, got the offer 30 minutes before I left and I knew where I wanted to go,” Knapp said of the first visit.
“I actually committed on the spot when they offered. They told me to sleep on it. My family told me to sleep on, so I was like, 'Alright, I'll sleep on it.' So I called them 9 am the next morning and I said, 'Hey, I'm committing. I didn't change my mind.'
“I already knew where I wanted to go. I was just waiting on the offer to be honest. As soon as I stepped in those doors, I was like, 'Alright, this is home.' And then once I had the offer, it was a done deal.”
New Notre Dame offensive line coach Joe Rudolph certainly helped the 6-foot-4, 270-pounder come to that decision quickly.
“Coach Rudolph coming from Virginia Tech, Virginia Tech was one my first Power 5 offer and I loved the coach,” Knapp said. “I went to a camp with him last summer. I already knew he was a great coach and basically I was hoping for Notre Dame just to fill all the boxes I wanted to.
“The atmosphere there, I just feel like it would be give me all the best opportunities I need to be successful, so I knew it was home immediately.”
Head coach Marcus Freeman also made a major impression.
“My coaches back here, they're a young staff and they relate and build relationships,” Knapp says of the staff at Roswell. “It's not a business, if that makes sense.
“(Freeman) cares about his players and that's very important to me. He does a great job of sharing and expressing himself in a way that makes you feel comfortable around him and showing gratitude. It's just perfect. It's like you knew him for years when you talk to him.”
Knapp will have the opportunity to get to know fellow offensive line commit Peter Jones in South Bend this weekend and some potential future commits as well.
Knapp says Rudolph has talked about starting him off playing left tackle for the Irish, but also understands he’s versatile.
“He plans on trying me anywhere because he knows that I can play each and every position comfortably,” Knapp said. “I think that's very important why I got recruited because even though I see myself as a tackle and I can play tackle and that's what I'm most comfortable with, I know I can be almost like a Swiss Army knife for an offensive lineman.
“I can play wherever because I know what it takes. They recruit you as an offensive lineman, not as a single player position.”
Knapp has heard from other schools since his announcement, but his recruitment is finished.
“I'm locked in 100 percent,” he said. “I think Notre Dame is home for me. I've gotten a couple texts from other schools. I always treat them with respect because you never know what could happen, but to me, I'm 100 percent to Notre Dame.”
Knapp had a message for Irish fans in terms of what to expect from him.
“I know I'm not a high-ranked five-star or whatnot, but I'm very adamant and I love to compete and I'm very aggressive. No matter where you put me at, I don't really care, I'm just super aggressive. You're going to get an aggressive offensive lineman. That's how I'm always going to be. I'm always going to be ready to compete and be ready for anything. I think I'm pretty fundamentally sound, but other than that, just an aggressive offensive lineman.”
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