Surely, it was a difficult choice, but if you talk with Ian Premer now about his decision to commit to Notre Dame over schools like Kansas State and Iowa State among others, you can see the 2026 Kansas tight end is convinced he made the right one.
“Football-wise, obviously great history there,” the Great Bend High School star says of Notre Dame. “Then, with a national championship run last year, I feel like they're in a great spot and I think the '26 class as a whole shows you that that's the overall thought across a lot of different athletes, that it's the place to be right now.
“Then academically, a great institution as well, which is something that's important to me and I was paying attention to.”
Premer was also struck by what Irish head coach Marcus Freeman is continuing to build in South Bend.
“I think the culture there with Coach Freeman and the staff he has is pretty unique,” says Premer.
“I just really enjoy that whole coaching staff and I think they can develop me really well for the NFL, which is my goal.”
Premer says it’s clear that Freeman is “a true leader of men.”
“If he walks into any room, they all know who's leading the meetings, who's in charge,” Premer says. “People know him and respect him.
“But I watched a Notre Dame documentary and he is asking some of the players for their opinions or what they want to do, so he kind of lets them have their say too, which I thought was really cool.”
Irish offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Mike Denbrock and tight ends assistant coach Harris Bivin also played key roles in Premer’s decision.
“They were big-time for me,” he says. “Bivin came out once and then Denbrock came out twice. It was great getting to talk with them. They're both standup guys.
“Obviously, Denbrock's been at Notre Dame. This is his third stint and he keeps coming back. I hope he's there to stay this time and I think he is. I really enjoyed getting to know those guys, and I think having both of them in the tight end room will be really, really good for me and my development.”
Premer is also thrilled to be joining such a loaded 2026 Notre Dame recruiting class.
“I like that there are going to be other really, really good targets,” he says. “On the defensive side of the ball, being able to go against those guys in practice every day is really exciting, to grow alongside them.”
As for his future on the field in South Bend, the 6-foot-6, 230-pounder believes he can be used in a variety of ways.
“I think a lot of it depends on how I grow and develop,” he says. “I'm still trying to continue to get bigger and stronger. I think a lot of it depends if I continue to develop size-wise and they'll kind of meet me where I am and then go from there.
“Obviously with their offense, they use the tight end in so many unique ways, I think they can find a role for a lot of guys.”
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