After taking a visit to Notre Dame back in May, Marquis Bryant returned to South Bend this weekend for the Irish’s primetime game against USC.
“I loved it,” Bryant told ISD afterward. “It was a great experience.
“Just how the fans interacted with the game and the coaches, they showed love and they just really showed interest in how much they really want me. They set out a plan for me if I was to come here and that's really what set my interest on them.”
The 2027 North Carolina defensive back was able to talk to several Notre Dame coaches, including defensive assistant Jevaughn Codlin, secondary coach Mike Mickens, head coach Marcus Freeman and others.
“I even have a relationship with the running backs coach,” he said. “I talked to Justice (Bathas). I talked to Carter (Auman) also. I talked to everybody.”
The plan that was laid out for the 6-foot, 190-pound safety was based on the defensive backs the Irish have coming in in the 2026 class and how they’re trying to structure the 2027 class.
“How they're planning everything out for the next years and how they're going to run their defense,” Bryant said.
The Rolesville High School star said the plan “definitely” intrigues him.
He was impressed with what he saw from the Notre Dame secondary during the win over the Trojans.
“I loved it,” said Bryant. “Even though they had a couple of misplays, their coaches still never gave up on them. That definitely says a lot about how the coaches think about their players and how much they trust their players to let them go back and fix their mistakes and things like that.”
He’s also impressed with the staff as people.
“They're great people,” he said. “Obviously, they're known for having good character, not just on the field, but also off the field. That definitely plays a big factor in it.”
After a pair of visits to South Bend, Bryant is excited to continue the recruiting process with the Irish.
“Really just keeping that relationship strong,” he said. “Maybe trying to get back up here sooner or later, just to talk more, taking further steps and things like that. But still weighing out all my options equally.”
He has visits set to Ohio State and Georgia next.
Bryant made the trip to South Bend with a pair of Rolesville classmates, running back Amir Brown and receiver AJ Roberts. He acknowledged they have thought about attending the same school.
“We talk about it sometimes, but we try to be realistic at certain points because that time is getting closer,” he said. “But we do spark a lot of the same interests.”
Notre Dame being one, which did so for Bryant again this weekend.
“It just opened my eyes to a lot of things I haven't seen before.”
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