Gavin Stecker got a good look at Notre Dame when he visited South Bend for the Irish’s game against Purdue last weekend and the 2027 Iowa linebacker liked what he saw.
“Great environment up there,” Stecker said. “They got their first win this season, so kicked it off right versus Purdue, won the rivalry, so it was a great environment.”
The Bettendorf High School standout enjoyed the pregame recruiting activities and the game itself, at least the part he was there for.
“Ian Book spoke, so that was pretty cool,” Stecker said. “We got to listen to the GM speak and then we were on the field for the whole warmup, basically. I got to see all that and then we were up in the stands and then we had that extended halftime break and then we were like, 'We've got a long ride home, so we headed home at the halftime break.'”
The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder enjoyed hearing from Book and Mike Martin.
“They were just talking about the recruiting process and then how Notre Dame is different and what Notre Dame has to offer and just why they love Notre Dame,” Stecker explained.
“They really talked about the alumni base as well as the education side, choosing hard, the Ivy League-level of education as well as competing for national championships year in and year out.”
Stecker has early offers from Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State and Minnesota.
He has a few visits set up for later in the Fall.
“I'm going to be heading to Iowa and Minnesota here,” he said. “Iowa versus Penn State. I'm still trying to set up Minnesota and then Kansas State versus Colorado toward the end of the year after my season is out.”
He plans on keeping in touch with the Irish and possibly returning to South Bend down the road.
“I think just continuing to communicate,” Stecker said of what’s next for him and Notre Dame.
“Just getting some more communication set up, maybe coming back in the wintertime or the spring, something like that.”
He’s already outlined the most important factors to his ultimate decision.
“I'd say the people, the environment, the culture around the school and what I feel they can provide me for the future and how they can help me grow as a man and as a player. I think that's something that's really important to me.”
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