2028 NJ QB Trey Tagliaferri Enjoys First Look At Notre Dame

Notre Dame already meant something to Trey Tagliaferri‍ before he ever stepped on campus.

His first visit only reinforced that.

The 2028 New Jersey signal-caller made his way to South Bend for the Blue-Gold Game and came away with a strong first impression of both the program and the people within it.

“It was great,” Tagliaferri told Irish Sports Daily. “My dad's been a Notre Dame fan his whole life, so it was pretty cool for him too. He was in shock the whole time. The place is very historic. The place was amazing.”

The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder got a full look at the operation, including time with quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli and head coach Marcus Freeman.

“I loved the coaches,” he said. “I loved meeting Coach Gino. I loved meeting Coach Freeman. He's a great guy. I love the facilities too. The stadium is so historic and I loved seeing the team compete.”

That experience added context to what Tagliaferri already associated with the program.

“Just the history of Notre Dame,” he said. “You think of Notre Dame, you think of the history, those gold helmets. You think of a team that always competes and they're always in the game no matter what the score is.”

The visit also allowed Notre Dame’s staff to get an in-person look at the Bergen Catholic standout, with Guidugli evaluating him shortly afterward, seeing him throw at school.

“He loves my style of play,” Tagliaferri said. “He loves me as a quarterback and he thinks I would fit in great at Notre Dame.”

That feedback only added to the significance of the trip as he continues to work through an already extensive offer list that includes schools like Alabama, Auburn, Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas A&M, Stanford, North Carolina, Ole Miss and Rutgers among others.

Even with all of those offers, Notre Dame simply having interest in him is meaningful. 

“I’m very thankful for it,” he said. “It definitely means a lot for a big program like Notre Dame to be interested in me.”

If that interest were to turn into an offer at some point, Tagliaferri knows exactly what it would represent.

“It would mean a lot,” he said. “I'd be honored to get an offer from Notre Dame. They're a great program. Coach Freeman is always coaching the team to compete and win, so I would be honored to play for him and Coach Gino and be in South Bend.”

As he continues to sort through his options, relationships remain the central focus.

“The main thing I'm just focused on is building relationships and getting to build trust with these coaches,” he said. “That’s the main thing for me.”

That approach aligns naturally with what he’s already experienced at Bergen Catholic under head coach Vito Campanile, where the connection to Notre Dame runs deeper than most.

“I think the coaches are very similar in how they coach and their feel for the game,” Tagliaferri said. “Coach Gino always says Notre Dame is an extension of Bergen Catholic. He says it would be a great experience, just passing on to a bigger level of football.”

For now, the process remains ongoing. But after one trip to South Bend, Notre Dame has positioned itself firmly within it.

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