Jack McNamara had been to Notre Dame games several times as a youngster, but Saturday was the 2028 Chicago tight end’s first time there as a recruit.
It was a memorable one as the 6-foot-5, 235-pounder picked up an offer from the Irish.
“It was pregame,” McNamara said afterward. “I was talking to Coach (Mike) Denbrock in the pregame and he just let me know that I had an offer from the Irish.
“I was very excited and kind of shocked.”
Despite already having offers from schools like Ohio State, Texas, Texas A&M and Washington among others, the magnitude of the Irish offer caught him off guard.
“It's just always been a dream to get an offer from Notre Dame and an honor,” McNamara said.
He pointed to the culture of the University and his family as the biggest reasons.
“It's always just been a part of my life growing up,” the Brother Rice High School star said. “I've always gone to games since I was young and my family loves it there.”
He enjoyed being in South Bend as a recruit this time.
“It was pretty special being able to be so close to the field and go on the field and talk to all the coaches and meet Coach (Marcus) Freeman,” he said.
Meeting Freeman was surreal for McNamara.
“It didn't feel real at first because last year I remember seeing him on TV and now I'm meeting him,” he said.
McNamara was impressed with the staff in South Bend.
“They're great people and they care a lot about the team and their recruits and they're great coaches,” he said.
While on campus, he got to get an even better feel for the program and University.
“The players were talking to us and they were telling us about the culture,” he said. “Ian Book talked to us about Notre Dame. When you're at Notre Dame, you are always going to find a way to continue to have Notre Dame in your life throughout the rest of your life.”
McNamara has visits to Georgia and Michigan planned this fall, but could be back in South Bend.
“I’ll continue to build relationships with all the coaches, then keep going on more visits there,” he said. “I'm going to have to check my schedule, but I would love to get down for another game this fall.
“I've always loved Notre Dame and I continue to love Notre Dame.”
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