Corey Laga grew up a Notre Dame fan, so his first recruiting visit to South Bend carried extra meaning.
The 2027 Illinois offensive lineman made his way to campus last Friday and came away with a strong impression after getting his first look at the program from a recruiting standpoint.
“It was fantastic,” Laga told Irish Sports Daily. “I enjoyed it a lot. It was my first time there for a recruiting purpose. I really just took it all in.”
The 6-foot-5, 250-pounder watched practice before spending time in meetings with head coach Marcus Freeman and offensive line coach Joe Rudolph, followed by a tour of the facilities and campus.
“It was a quick spring practice and then I had a bunch of meetings with the coaches,” he said.
Those meetings stood out, particularly his time with Rudolph, where the conversation focused on his development and the next steps in the recruiting process.
“We talked about me a lot, how my game is and the next steps,” Laga said. “He’s going to come to my school and see me.”
Freeman’s approach also left an impression.
“With Coach Freeman, it was very personal,” Laga said. “We talked about our families and stuff like that.”
The Lemont High School standout may not have an Irish offer yet, but has already established himself as a legitimate Power Four prospect with offers from programs like Michigan State, Wisconsin, Missouri, Nebraska, Northwestern and UCLA among others.
“Hopefully my wish is to get that offer and then maybe set up an official visit,” he said.
It’s clear an offer from the Irish would carry a lot of weight.
“It’d mean a lot because I grew up a Notre Dame fan my whole life,” Laga said. “My uncle walked on at the school.”
The Lemont, Ill., native already has official visits set to Michigan State and Vanderbilt while continuing to evaluate other options, including Arkansas, Wisconsin, Missouri and Notre Dame.
As he works through the process, his priorities for choosing a school will be focused on long-term development.
“Their plan for me, how they’re going to develop me,” he said of the biggest factors in his ultimate decision. “That’s my biggest thing I look for because the goal’s the NFL.”
For now though, the next step will be continuing to build relationships as he looks to turn early interest from Notre Dame into an offer and a larger role in his recruitment.
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