Four-Star RB Javian Osborne’s Eye-Opening Visit to Notre Dame: ‘Notre Dame is Real’
2026 Forney (Texas) running back Javian Osborne made his long-awaited visit to Notre Dame over the last three days and it couldn’t have gone better for the four-star prospect.
The 5-foot-10, 190-pounder met everyone within the Notre Dame program face-to-face, but several other parts of the visit grabbed his attention.
“It was surreal,” Osborne told ISD. “The legacy walk. You step inside the stadium, walk down the tunnel and they show you a couple of videos. It was great talking to Coach (Marcus) Freeman in person, Coach (Ja’Juan)Sieder and meeting the GM (Mike Martin).”
Osborne had been in contact with Freeman, so a foundation was set. That said, the opportunity to spend an extended period of time with Notre Dame’s head coach opened the Texas native’s eyes to the possibilities in South Bend and what it’d be like to play for Freeman.
“Whenever I talk to Coach Freeman, I feel ready to play a football game,” said Osborne. “He has that aura about himself. He’s really positive and has a great energy. That’s really attractive and that’s positive to be around. It’s really refreshing because you don’t see that often. He’s a great human being.”
The Forney star is also well aware Freeman has been in his shoes. Freeman was a highly touted recruit and played college football at the highest level, which isn’t lost on Osborne.
“He told me himself he was once a player,” explained Osborne. “He was sitting in the same seat. It’s like a reflection of a mirror, and it’s like he was looking at himself. He understands the process.
“His message was about not pressuring me into anything. He wanted me to decompress, go back home and see how it is. He was a player. He was once in my shoes.”
Osborne is also the first recruit Seider hosted at Notre Dame since taking the running back coach job earlier this year. The two had somewhat of a relationship as Seider offered Osborne at Penn State.
“He offered me toward the end of his time at Penn State,” Osborne stated. “He felt like a guy I can trust and I could play for him. Coach Seider is really funny. He’s probably the funniest coach I’ve been around. He has a personality to him.
“It was easy to open up to him. He told me his reasoning for why he offered late at Penn State and the situation he was in. It was good for him to take that off the plate and explain that to me. It was easy to talk to him. I really enjoyed being around him.”
Martin is also a new face in the program. Osborne and his father were able to spend plenty of time with Martin and it’s clear that a significant impression was left.
“He’s a great guy,” Osborne explained. “He’s like Coach Freeman - a leader amongst men. He’s another leader with a good energy. He’s just a man and great to be around. It’s attractive to be around. He has no sense of entitlement, and I know you can get that sometimes.
“He’s still trying to learn the place and look for a house.”
“I know everyone saw I removed Texas from my official visit list,” said Osborne. “After I took a trip to Notre Dame, I had to mark that date down for an OV. I didn’t want to waste time. Notre Dame is real. I think they made a big jump in my recruitment. The opportunities at Notre Dame are big.”
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