Notre Dame remains a priority for Cade Cooper, who has now locked in an official visit to South Bend.
The 2027 Pennsylvania wide receiver scheduled the trip for June 12-14 after a strong January visit with his father that helped solidify the Irish as serious contenders.
“It definitely was a priority for me,” Cooper said of locking in the official. “When my dad and I went down in January, I just really enjoyed it. The vibe and the people showed a lot of love and made time for me, and I think that was really important.”
The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder returned home impressed by the campus environment and the direction of the program.
Since that visit, conversations with head coach Marcus Freeman, wide receivers coach Mike Brown and recruiting assistant Justice Bathas have only strengthened that impression.
“The message the last couple of weeks is that they’re ready to get this thing started,” Cooper said. “They definitely like me as a player and they’re excited to get me up in the spring and get this thing rolling. They’re excited to meet the family too.”
The Malvern Prep standout values the family element and the familiarity already built within the program. He had the chance to reconnect with early enrollees Joey O’Brien and Grayson McKeogh, also Pennsylvania natives, during his earlier visit, and that sense of comfort remains important.
When he returns for the official visit, Cooper plans to deepen those relationships.
“I’m looking forward to meeting with more of the staff and getting more involved with the Notre Dame family,” he said. “Being able to talk to more players and really get my family out there and feel the vibe.”
But even before that, Cooper intends to make spring trips prior to the official visit, both to South Bend and elsewhere.
“I’m definitely going to be taking trips in the spring during spring break and even in the next few weeks,” he said.
Ole Miss is the only other official visit currently scheduled, set for May 29-31. He continues to communicate with Illinois, Nebraska, Penn State, Virginia and Pitt while working to finalize additional spring plans.
A further trimming of the list could come soon.
“In the next few weeks, I’ll probably plan on narrowing my list down,” Cooper said. “In my head, I kind of have a couple schools that I’m really rocking with and then a lot of schools I want to continue building relationships with.”
Notre Dame appears positioned to remain one of the schools that stays in that upper tier.
“Yeah, for sure.”
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