Notre Dame WR Logan Saldate Hitting the Ground Running
The recruiting process wasn’t a completely foreign world to Logan Saldate and his family when schools started to offer scholarships to the California receiver.
Saldate’s older brother, Chase, was the No. 1 ranked wrestler in his weight class, so there was a foundation in place of what worked and, more importantly, what didn’t work when picking a college.
Sure, there were some ups and downs during his recruitment, which included a decommitment from Oregon State, but Saldate leaned on his brother’s experiences to get him to Notre Dame.
“Growing up, watching him succeed and get all the attention he got helped me in many ways,” explained Saldate. “I talk to him every day. We are super tight. He teaches me a lot about what I know about social media and talking to coaches. I’ve learned more than enough from him, so I give a lot of credit to him.”
The world of social media can be a slippery slope, but the Saldate brothers seem to have figured it out. Combined, they have amassed over 450,000 followers on TikTok and over 130,000 followers on Instagram.
Some might see it as a distraction, while some view it as an escape from the grind of academics and athletics. Saldate views it as an opportunity, especially with the Notre Dame network.
“I’d like to say the people I surround myself with trained me pretty well, along with my brother,” stated Saldate. “He went through it and knows what to do and what not to do. I plan to almost use it as a money maker to be honest. In this day and age with NIL - just create the best image for yourself. I believe I’m doing a pretty good job with that as of now.”
The 5-foot-11, 187-pounder has priorities and football is at the top of his list. Saldate was part of a three-man receiver class and saw the other two enroll in January.
Like any competitor, Saldate was a little bothered by his peers gaining a headstart, but that quickly disappeared once he got the playbook.
”At first, it was kind of bothering me a little bit - watching the spring game, especially watching them compete, and I was the only receiver not there,” Saldate said. “I just put trust in God. I have my own journey and I’m slowly catching up to them playbook-wise.
“I believe we’re all on the same level when it comes to route running, speed and all that type of stuff. When it comes down to it, who makes the plays will get in.”
All three receivers are close as they begin their college journey. In fact, Micah Gilbert and Cam Williams made sure to tell Saldate what to expect as he’s going through what they experienced in the spring.
”They told me straight up that it’s going to be hard and the playbook is going to be rough,” explained Saldate. “I’m experiencing that now. The older kids have helped me like Jaden Greathouse, Jayden Thomas, all of them really took me under their wing. Whatever questions I have, just ask them and even like Micah and Cam, the other freshmen, they help me too.
“Everyone wants to see everyone win. It’s a competition, but at the same time, you want to see your brothers win.”
Saldate has also used a bit of blind faith regarding Notre Dame.
First, he committed to Notre Dame without ever visiting, but then he had to trust Marcus Freeman when he made the change at receiver coach from Chansi Stuckey to Mike Brown.
Brown has worked hard to build a relationship with his new receivers in the last six months and Saldate couldn’t be more pleased despite going into signing day feeling a little uneasy.
”It’s been amazing,” said Saldate. “Coach Brown has definitely been a good thing in this process. He teaches the exact same things I’ve learned growing up, so I just love learning from him and hearing what he has to say about the game, teaching defense and how to read them.”
Some players are nervous about the transition to the locker room and position room, as it’s a new group of teammates. Saldate has made an effortless transition because of the veteran presence and the healthy culture could lead to a big year from the Notre Dame receivers.
”Watching last year, we were limited to how many receivers we had,” stated Saldate. “Bringing in these transfers definitely helped a lot. Honestly, it’s helping us younger receivers. They help us every day in practice. They’re not selfish. Our outside receivers move like slots, but they’re like 6-foot-3, so it’s just ridiculous, I think we’re definitely going to surprise some people.”
As for the adjustment to college, Saldate admits it took a few weeks to adjust to life in the Midwest, but now that classes have started, he has found a routine.
”I would say coming from California, the time difference has been the biggest part for me,” Saldate said. “Waking up for the 6am lifts is definitely challenging because it’s really like waking up at 2am for me. That was for the first week and a half just getting adjusted to the time and stuff. Other than that, it’s been pretty good. The coaches help me a lot and the players guide me. It’s good.”
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