2026 DE Dae'Cion Echols Enjoys First Notre Dame Trip

Dae'Cion Echols‍ made his way to Notre Dame this past weekend to check out the Irish’s home game against Stanford. 

“I liked it,” the 2026 Indiana athlete told Irish Sports Daily afterward. “I got to see the pregame warmups. I got a sideline view. I got to talk to the d-line coach Al Washington and Caleb Davis.

“I liked the hospitality, how the game was and how the fans were and stuff.”

The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Echols has early offers from Pitt and Eastern Kentucky. 

“It's motivating to go harder to keep bringing offers in,” he said of his early offers.

He plays edge and running back at Muncie Central High School.

“I was talking to them and they asked me what I liked doing the most,” Echols said. “I told them I liked edge, so Caleb told me he was going to keep up with me.

“I really liked Caleb. I feel like Caleb was showing a lot of love. Coach Al was too, but I didn't get to talk to him as much because he had to go.”

Washington asked Echols to keep his eyes on Junior Tuihalamaka and Joshua Burnham during the game against the Cardinal, which he did.

“I noticed they were disciplined, but they were also explosive off the ball,” said Echols. “They would get off the ball and stay square and not upfield and stuff like that.”

It’s a system Echols thinks he could fit well.

This was his first trip to Notre Dame and he left impressed.

“The campus was nice,” he said. “The parts that I got to walk around were really nice. I liked how the buildings were and everything was just nice.”

He plans to return next summer to compete at one of the Irish’s camps.

“Hopefully, I ball out and get an offer,” he said, adding that he’s hoping to showcase his explosion, speed, footwork and handwork. 

And if he does get an offer from the Irish, it’s one he’ll seriously consider.

“I really like Notre Dame. I like how they're put together. They've got a really good staff. Again, the fan base and stuff like that; just really everything about Notre Dame, I like it. There wasn't a single bad thing that I could say about it.” 

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