Self-Confidence at the Core of Max Hurleman's Rise at Notre Dame
Max Hurleman announced he would grad transfer to Notre Dame on March 12th.
The decision didn’t send shockwaves through the fanbase, but seven months later, Hurleman has made a name for himself on Notre Dame’s special teams and has quickly become a fan favorite.
It might be a surprise to some, but not to Hurleman. The 5-foot-11, 201-pounder had a productive career as he tallied 814 career rushing yards, 834 career receiving yards and scored four touchdowns in four seasons at Colgate.
Hurleman could have easily transferred to a school where he would find a little more playing time, but the Pennsylvania native wanted the challenge and the experience of playing the game at the highest level - even if it meant taking a risk.
“My goal all along was to play football at the highest level possible,” explained Hurleman, who also had opportunities at Duke and Northwestern. “I think entering the portal and trying to go FBS, making the largest chance I could, gave me the best chance to do that. It’s definitely a little bit of a risk, right?
“I wasn’t the most highly-recruited player out of the portal, but I also was, at the FCS level, I had a lot of love. I knew I wanted to go big or go home and I was satisfied with what I did at the FCS level. I wanted to see what I could do taking the next step.”
It also took some initiative from Hurleman to get on the radar of Power 4 schools.
Hurleman took it upon himself to contact schools to see if there would be interest. Carter Auman, Assistant to the General Manager, was his first contact point at Notre Dame, which quickly led to Chad Bowden reaching out.
“We had a discussion and the three of us kind of worked together to make it happen,” recalled Hurleman. “So, just very thankful that they were giving me an opportunity. In comparison to the other schools, I was given the same opportunity, right? At the end of the day, if I’m not a guy you’re investing money in and I feel like I have the same chance no matter where I am, there’s a lot of things that can go into those decisions. I was like, ‘If I’m gonna play at the highest level I can, why not go somewhere where I can compete for a national championship?’”
Notre Dame has embraced its walk-on program and Marcus Freeman has prioritized adding FCS and Ivy League grad transfers over his first three seasons as the head coach.
“The walk-on process, our personnel department led by Chad Bowden, is in charge of finding those guys who can help our football team win and fit this place,” Freeman said. “Max Hurleman and Justin Fisher are crucial in terms of helping us win games. Max has been great. It happened with Jordan Faison two years ago.
“Max has been an amazing addition to our program. He fits this place, but he’s also a really good football player who came in here with the right mindset and has earned everything he’s gotten. He’s built a lot of trust in the coaching staff. He’s been our starting punt return last week, making big plays on kickoff. All those things matter for us to have success.”
There is no denying Colgate to Notre Dame is a significant jump in just about everything but the academic workload. Yet, Hurleman knew what he was getting into and went to work as soon as he stepped foot on campus.
And all it took was one day for him to realize he could carve out a role.
“I was working with some of the best athletes in the country,” stated Hurleman. “Just seeing the numbers I was putting up in comparison to them, in a lot of different running intervals or lifting, I was right there at the top of the pack. So athletically wise, I’m like, ‘Hey, I can do this.’
“I always had self-confidence about myself, which is why I even tried to come here.”
Sure, Hurleman had proven himself at the FCS level, so there is a natural confidence that comes with experience and production. That said, the former Wyomissing Area High School star had confidence before he touched the ball at Colgate.
“I think a lot of it’s self-created, but it’s also just knowing I’ve put the work in myself,” stated Hurleman. “To make a decision like this, maybe you need to be a little delusional and have a little irrational confidence.”
Hurleman’s irrational confidence has paved the way for him to become Notre Dame’s punt returner, which was a role he also had at Colgate. In fact, special teams was a role he embraced at Colgate, so finding his way on Marty Biagi’s units was an immediate goal.
“I knew once I got here, my goals were to be recognized amongst the strength staff and then work on special teams, get some recognition there. And then, hopefully, the next step would be to contribute on another phase of the ball.”
And speaking of contributing, Hurleman is closer to finding his way on the field in a role outside of special than most might think.
Notre Dame originally wanted him to fill out the running back room, but depth concerns in the secondary prompted him to move to defensive back.
In Notre Dame’s win over Stanford, Hurleman worked at nickel in the fourth quarter and following Benjamin Morrison’s season-ending injury, he becomes even more important as Al Golden needs options if another injury happens to the cornerback position.
“It’s weird because I played offense at Colgate,” Hurleman explained. “I was a starter for the three years that we played. The original agreement was that I was gonna come here and play offense as well.
“I think just a numbers thing, they moved me to defense. That also allowed me to get closer to Coach Biagi because he works with the DBs. It kind of built that trust of having to put me in those roles.”
Hurleman has develop trust with Biagi, but also the rest of the Notre Dame staff and it started with those workouts in June.
“Attention to detail, very disciplined, super trustworthy and wants to do right,” said Biag. “I think you see time and time again with his peers the players really respect him because he shows up everyday to work.
“I think that’s where all of a sudden it quickly was like, ‘OK, this guy really merits getting a shot.’ It was consistent.”
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