Grant Haviland made his first trip to South Bend last month and the 2027 Georgia tight end left impressed.
“It went well,” Haviland told Irish Sports Daily. “It was a good time. Some great players there, just getting to build a relationship with them and then just seeing the place, seeing the culture there, seeing all the tradition that's at Notre Dame and then just getting to build that relationship with the coaches was really nice.”
Haviland picked up his offer from Notre Dame on Pot of Gold Day in March and has been communicating with Irish offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Mike Denbrock and tight ends assistant Harris Bivin ever since.
“It was great to just build that relationship and get to know them more as people,” he said. “They seem very family-oriented. They seem like coaches who will coach you hard, they'll hold you accountable, but they'll also praise you when you do well.”
Denbrock and Bivin have delivered a clear message to the Milton High School star.
“They just think I really fit the culture and the people they have there and that I would work well in their system because they think I'm a threat in both the pass and run game, which they like a lot,” he said.
“I definitely liked it there. I'm excited to continue to build the relationship and maybe get back up there.”
The 6-foot-5, 230-pounder also has offers from schools like Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Clemson, Miami, Tennessee, Michigan, Texas and USC among several others.
He will be hitting the road again this fall and has a handful of schools in mind in addition to a potential return to South Bend.
“I haven't really sat down and completely figured out my schedule, but I think I'll probably be at Georgia Clemson, LSU, Alabama, Texas,” he said. “I'm not sure. There will probably be a few other schools, but I'm not sure yet.”
Haviland has a good idea of what he’s looking for in a college.
“I definitely want a good culture,” he said. “I want a culture to fit me and the people at the school to fit my values. I want the offense to utilize the tight end well and I want to be able to fit well as a player.
“Coaching-wise, I want a tight end coach who will coach me hard, hold me accountable and also a person who I can be relaxed around, comfortable to have a conversation with. I would say those are the three main things and then also a big one is I want to have the chance to win a championship.”
Want the latest scoop on the Fighting Irish? Sign up for our newsletter and become an ISD Premium Subscriber: Sign Up for ISD
Under Armour White Notre Dame Fighting Irish Stack Stretch Performance T-Shirt
