Booker Looking For The Total Package
Football is an important aspect of Thomas Booker’s life, but it’s far from the only one and it certainly isn’t the only thing the 2018 Maryland athlete is looking at as he goes through the recruiting process.
That process will bring the 6-foot-4, 245-pound Baltimore native to South Bend for a multi-day visit this week.
“I’ll be at Notre Dame on Thursday night and I’ll be there from Thursday night through Saturday,” Booker said.
The Gilman School standout has an impressive offer sheet that includes schools like Maryland, Clemson, Duke, Virginia, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Nebraska among several others.
He’s excited to learn more about what Notre Dame has to offer on and off the field.
“Everyone knows Notre Dame has a storied academic and athletic tradition,” he said. “They’re a Top 15 school in U.S. News & World Report. That’s definitely a thing that’s very attractive to me.”
Booker is taking this trip seriously.
“I’m going to be attending some classes while I’m there to kind of get a feel for the academics,” he said. “I’ll be sitting in some smaller classes, some discussion-based classes to really see what it feels like to be interacting with Notre Dame students and Notre Dame professors on a day-to-day basis.”
He’s focusing on three possible areas of studying.
“I’m interested in three majors currently; Economics, Business and Computer Science,” he said. “I’ll probably do a minor in Computer Science because I’m really interested in technology and the business around technology.
“So, kind of knowing the ins and outs of the actual technology like how to code, how to solve problems on a base level, but also understanding the business side of things; supply and demand, the economics of getting out a product. That’s something I want to be able to know how to do from both sides.”
He’s serious about meeting the members of the Notre Dame Football program as well.
“Of course, the football is Notre Dame Football,” said Booker. “You’ve heard about it, I’ve heard about it. I’m excited to get out there and really talk to some of the coaches to see how they think and see how they interact with the players. I’m interested to see the players and what the players are like.”
The contact with the coaches has been consistent to this point.
“I’ve been talking to them a lot, almost every day or every week,” said Booker. “They talk to me about how I could fit in as a defensive end there, I could fit in as a hybrid type of guy, a guy who can drop back, a guy who can rush the passer, a guy who can stop the run.
“That’s what the conversation has been like so far. I’m looking forward to getting the time to sit down with them, watch some film, break some stuff down and see how I can really fit in specifically.”
Booker doesn’t have any other visits set up just yet, but more are coming.
“We’re still planning some, but we’re not exactly sure which schools and when, but we are planning as we speak,” he said.
With so many options, Booker will not rush his decision.
“I’m of the mind of take your time, appraise your options and make the best decision. I don’t really have a decision timeline. We’re just gathering information, seeing schools, meeting people, getting to know programs and the academics, so when the time comes I can make the most educated decision possible.”