Coach | Notre Dame TE Commit Ian Premer "One Of One"

Erin Beck is fortunate Great Bend High School has one more year with Ian Premer‍ because the school’s head football coach realizes he’s unlikely to come across another athlete like Premer.

“Ian is such a special kid,” Beck says. “We'll never see anything like him in all aspects.”

Last week, Premer announced his commitment to Notre Dame over in-state schools Kansas and Kansas State along with several other national programs. 

“Obviously every kid who goes to Notre Dame, you probably feel like he’s one of one in their programs,” Beck continues. “That's one of the biggest things that Ian and I talked about was, 'You're going to walk into a locker room full of Ian Premers and to be on the field with those types of kids is pretty special.’

“You can't replicate that. You can't replicate a Notre Dame degree or the opportunity to go compete for national championships.”

And while there was a lure to stay home, in the end the idea of leaving and finding something bigger was even stronger, according to Beck. 

“I think he always just felt like he wanted to blaze his own trail,” Beck says. “I think everybody thought that it’d be the K-States and the KUs, but a little of him wanted to go do his own thing. 

“He's had a lot of pressure on him from the time he was a little kid and the thought of going to a Notre Dame and just being able to be Ian and not have to wear this Superman cape that he's had to wear for so long. I think he's excited to just go and be part of a program, be part of something that's bigger than him.”

His coach says Premer is ready to challenge himself and believes Irish offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Mike Denbrock and head coach Marcus Freeman are the right people and South Bend is the right place for that.

“He did his research,” says Premer. “He has made an informed decision on who's in the room, how they utilize them and all those kinds of aspects. I felt like Notre Dame was probably one of those that he felt like he could walk in and make an impact, but at the same time be challenged. He would walk into that room and there would be some guys in there that would make him better, and he didn't want to just necessarily go to somewhere that didn't do those types of things for him. 

“Then, I think one of the bigger things was Marcus Freeman is a leader of men and Ian is attracted to those types of things. He wants to be around great leaders. Coach Denbrock has coached great tight ends and the way he runs his offense is centered around that. Those things all factored in. I think he's going to be a great fit for Notre Dame. We're all ordering our Irish gear around here in Great Bend. I can tell you that much.”

The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Premer gives the Irish one of the top tight end prospects in America.

“I've never seen anybody who can maneuver and utilize his skillset like him,” Beck says. “He is so talented when the ball is in the air, his spatial awareness, I mean he is one of one. I'm telling you, his ball-catching radius and all the things he does is pretty special.”

And off the field, he’s pretty special as well, according to Beck, who fielded several phone calls from the schools that missed out immediately after Premer’s announcement; not with final pitches, but congratulations. 

“I think that speaks volumes about how he handled everything,” Beck says. “They think that Notre Dame just hit a home run. I think they all were hoping they were so close, but when it came down to it, you can't go up. The Notre Dame opportunities aren't there for everybody. There are a select few, and he meets the criteria. Let's just say that; academically, character-wise, physically, He checks all the boxes. There were no red flags when you sit down and talk to him about Notre Dame.

“Every coach that he's interacted with will say the same thing, that you are getting a special one. You can just tell in the way that Coach Denbrock when he called, he knew that they hit a home run. And obviously I would agree likewise.”

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