Julian Caldwell is entering a new phase of his recruitment.
The 2027 Texas wide receiver recently released a Top 5 of Notre Dame, Texas Tech, Texas, SMU and Oregon, narrowing his focus as he moves closer to a decision.
“It was a hard decision, but we’re getting down to the nitty gritty,” Caldwell told Irish Sports Daily.
Caldwell said trimming his list has helped bring more clarity to a process that had become increasingly busy.
“I appreciate every school that reaches out, but it definitely makes it easier on me and my family, especially for visits,” Caldwell said. “I’m talking to 20 schools a day, so just narrowing that list definitely makes it less stressful and I can really focus in on schools I really could see myself going.”
The five schools share several key traits that made them stand out to the Argyle High School standout.
“All these schools have been recruiting me really hard,” Caldwell said. “I really think they could develop me and ultimately help me reach my goal of making it to the NFL. I don’t think any of those schools would be a bad option.”
Notre Dame has remained firmly in the mix, in part because of its balance on and off the field.
“Notre Dame is a very prestigious school with sports and academically too,” Caldwell said. “I’m very serious about my academics, so getting a degree from Notre Dame is definitely a big deal. I think they could definitely help me a lot as far as just getting jobs after football, because football doesn’t last forever.”
The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder also pointed to the program’s culture and personal connections as factors.
“My mom’s from Indiana, so I have a lot of family over there,” Caldwell said. “And I just love the culture they have there. It’s really nice.”
Caldwell has been active on the visit circuit in recent weeks, including stops at Oregon and Texas Tech following his trip to South Bend for the Irish’s Junior Day.
“Oregon does a great job recruiting,” Caldwell said. “They definitely made it fun on the visit. We did a lot of different stuff.”
“Texas Tech is cool too,” he added. “I know a couple guys from there, so I could definitely see myself hanging out with them.
“Same goes for Notre Dame. They have a couple Texas guys I hung out with and they’re all very cool.”
The Argyle, Texas, native said a decision could come sooner rather than later and official visits could end up being a non-factor.
“As of right now, I don’t have any more visits planned. I think there’s a potential I make this decision before official visits. Me and my family are just trying to talk about it and decide which one is best for me.”
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