Just before his visit to Notre Dame this past weekend, Deonte Flemings talked about the whirlwind he’s experienced with recruiting over the past month.
The 2028 Pennsylvania cornerback picked up his first offer from Sacramento State a month ago and added Southern Miss, Syracuse, UTSA, West Virginia and Pitt in relatively rapid succession in the weeks that followed.
Flemings told ISD, “When somebody says, 'When one comes, they all come.' That's a true statement. That's very true.”
Another came just before the Irish’s game against Syracuse on Saturday during a conversation with Notre Dame defensive backs coach Mike Mickens.
“We were chopping it up, talking,” Flemings said of himself and Mickens. “He was happy to see me down there. He was happy I got down there. He was saying all that. The crazy part is he has a couple of family members down here too, so he knows about PA and the athletes we produce.
“He was just like 'We want to offer you.' He said, 'We want to give you a scholarship to Notre Dame.' I didn't even know how to feel. It was just an honor. I know the grace that comes from Notre Dame and I just felt very honored, man, honestly. I'm very grateful for the offer.”
The McDowell High School star was impressed with Mickens in person.
“He's a really down to earth guy,” said Flemings. “He's a great coach. He sent a couple corners to The League, couple DBs to The League. It was great to talk to him, talking to a great coach and a great guy.”
The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder was also impressed with the Irish’s 70-7 beatdown of Syracuse.
“I got an offer from Syracuse too, so I know a couple of those guys over there, but man, I didn't think it was going to go down like that,” he said. “It was crazy. In the beginning of the game, it was all those turnovers. I'm like, 'Dang.' We left early, super early. We were only a couple games into the game and I was like, 'Yeah, this is about to be a blowout.' But the only reason we really left that early is because we had to get back on the road. We had to drive six hours back. We didn't want to stay overnight, so we left early.
“But man, Notre Dame just had...I don't know, the energy they came into the game with was crazy. 21 points off straight turnover, the offense didn't even touch the field. It was just crazy, man.”
Flemings plans on returning to South Bend.
“I will definitely try to get down there more, try to get down there a couple more times,” he said. “Just keep these relationships and just keep going. I really like the program, so I will definitely keep going down there and keep staying in touch with all the coaches.
“If I'm being honest with you, Notre Dame is definitely in the talk of my top right now, if I'm being honest. Definitely one of the top colleges. In our last interview, I was saying, which college makes me feel like home. And honestly it was one of them.”
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