Elite 2025 S Ivan Taylor Returning To Notre Dame This Week

Ivan Taylor‍ enjoyed his trip to Notre Dame last month.

“It was a good experience,” the elite 2025 Florida safety said. “It was a great atmosphere.”

Taylor enjoyed it so much that he’ll be coming back for this weekend’s home finale against Wqke Forest.

“I just like being around the coaching staff, to be honest with you,” the West Orange High School standout said. “I like seeing the team play. They've been balling out, the defense has been balling out, so I just think it would be good to go back.”

But the staff is certainly the highlight.

“The coaches are honestly the best part about it, hands down,” said Taylor. “The coaches are just so welcoming. They always text me, 'How are you?' They always have nice things to say and I can't wait to go back up there.

“They give the most attention out of everybody. They're texting me every day, we damn near call every day. It's a great connection between all the coaches and I.”

Taylor has formed strong relationships with safeties coach Chris O’Leary, Director of Recruiting Chad Bowden, defensive coordinator Al Golden and head coach Marcus Freeman.

Taylor says, “Coach O'Leary is my dog.”

“When I was at the camp, me and him just connected at the start of it,” he continued. “I thought that was good. I was at the camp and we were just always chopping it up, what I can get better at, the small things like that.”

Taylor calls Bowden “a great guy.”

“He really is,” Taylor added. “You talk to him so easily. Me and him have a great relationship. Me and all the coaches have a great relationship, but Chad is a very easy guy to talk to.

“Coach Freeman's the same way. He's absolutely one of the best coaches in college football right now. He's changed the whole program around.”

“The big thing with the coaches is I just want to have a good relationship with the coaches where it's like a Lincoln Riley-Caleb Williams situation. If Coach O'Leary goes somewhere, I would want to go somewhere with Coach O'Leary, if that makes sense.”

Taylor visited Wisconsin this past weekend and will head to Michigan for the Wolverines’ game against Ohio State the final weekend of the month. 

He had the chance to spend time with some of the current Irish commits during his previous trip and will have another opportunity this weekend. He said that “definitely” matters.

“You have to find a brotherhood because when you go in there, you don't really know anybody except the people you're coming in with,” he said. “That could be a huge, huge thing as you guys on the field and off the field just being a brotherhood.”

And just like with the coaches, relationships matter with Taylor more than anything.

“I really don't care about the stars,” he said. “I don't care about any of the politics. I honestly try to stay off of social media as much as I can. I just care about the personal connections. I know I can have that forever. I feel like the coaching staff is the most important thing to me because it's who I'm going to be playing with, who's going to be calling the calls. 

“That's just how I feel about things. Me and my head coach, me and my dad, my dad was a coach. We've always had a personal connection. My head coach right now, my dad and I want the same connection with the coaches.”

Taylor says he’s already narrowing a lengthy list of scholarship offers down in his head and could have an official list soon. He says he doesn’t expect to have a final decision until the end of winter or start of spring.

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