Nicholas Reddish has been counting down to this moment for a long time and now that it’s almost arrived, the 2026 Notre Dame safety signee is prepared.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Reddish told Irish Sports Daily of enrolling early in South Bend. “It’s finally here, but now it’s just time to get to work. It’s a reset for everything and everybody, so just getting up there and ready to go.”
As an early enrollee, Reddish will arrive in South Bend this week,
Last month’s Signing Day closed the door on a recruiting journey that took a few unexpected turns along the way and brought a sense of relief as much as anything else.
“It was a great experience knowing that I came off from a long journey,” Reddish said. “At first I started as a quarterback and now I’m playing Division I football, so it was just a sigh of relief.”
The decision to enroll early was rooted in opportunity and preparation. Reddish wants to give himself every chance to accelerate his development.
“I just want to get up there and get developed early,” he said. “I want to be able to see the field early. Learning the playbook, getting into the weights and the program gives me a better chance for that.”
The message from the coaching staff has been consistent as he prepares to arrive.
“Hard work,” Reddish said. “It’s going to be hard. They always say ‘Choose hard,’ and that’s what I’m going up there to do. The weather’s not going to be on your side. Nothing’s going to be on your side. You’ve just got to stick with your brothers and have fun.”
When it came time to choosing Notre Dame, Reddish said his priorities remained consistent.
“The networking, for sure,” he said. “That’s the number one thing I always say. The education and life after football, because football doesn’t last forever.”
Having two brothers who went through the process before playing at Virginia Tech also played a role in shaping how he approached both recruiting and what comes next.
“It definitely slowed my process down,” Reddish said. “I saw how they did theirs. I didn’t want to make the same mistakes they did. I was just learning from them.”
That advice still applies now that he’s headed into his college career.
“Hard work,” he said. “That’s all it is. You get in what you put out. You’ve just got to do it.”
As he looks ahead to joining the 2026 Notre Dame class, Reddish he already feels connected with his class.
“They’re really funny,” he said. “They’re great people. Every time I get around them, I always have a smile on my face. But we know how to flip the switch from joking around to taking things serious and getting to work.”
The goals for the group are straightforward.
“Everybody says win a national championship, and that should be the goal,” Reddish said. “But it’s also about building a brotherhood and knowing we’ve got everybody’s back.”
Leaving high school behind has brought mixed emotions, especially as he prepares to move on sooner than most.
“I’m packing right now, ready to go. I’m happy, but at the same time it’s sad leaving people behind. But you’ve got to go through adversity to get the things you want.”
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