Jack McNamara arrived at Irish Invasion with a very specific goal.
The 2028 Illinois tight end already knew Notre Dame wanted him. What he wanted to find out was how Irish offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Mike Denbrock and assistant tight ends coach Harris Bivin would coach him.
After spending a day working directly with both coaches, McNamara left South Bend with plenty to think about.
"I think it went great," McNamara said afterward. "It started off with blocking stuff and then we went on to routes and the routes we were going to run in the one-on-ones. I picked up a lot of stuff and learned a lot of new things."
The Brother Rice standout entered the weekend with one of the most impressive offer sheets in the country. In addition to Notre Dame, McNamara already holds offers from schools like Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Oregon, Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Florida, Miami, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Illinois and Northwestern among others.
So, Friday wasn't about earning an offer. It was about evaluating fit.
More specifically, it was about learning how Denbrock and Bivin teach the position and whether he could see himself developing under them at the next level.
"Lots of things I picked up on route running definitely that I didn't know before,” McNamara said when asked what he learned from the coaches.
"I can definitely bring that back to my high school season. I can't wait to do that."
The 6-foot-5, 235-pounder spent time with both coaches throughout the day, including during Notre Dame's Grill & Chill event before camp began.
"The conversations were great," McNamara said. "I love talking to them. They're always great to talk to. Great people."
McNamara has visited South Bend numerous times, but this trip provided something previous visits could not.
"It was new to get coached by all the coaches," he said. "That's what I was really coming here to see. It was great to have that. I had an awesome experience."
The camp itself featured an especially strong tight end group. McNamara welcomed the competition and felt good about his own performance.
The workout focused heavily on route-running before one-on-one competition, where McNamara said he performed well while applying many of the coaching points he learned throughout the day.
The recruiting process continues to evolve as McNamara moves deeper into his sophomore summer. A camp at Michigan is next on the schedule, which could prove pivotal, while additional visits could be added in the coming weeks.
A timeline for a decision hasn’t been set, but it could be relatively soon.
"If everything works out at a place, then I'll be ready to commit," McNamara said. "But if not, then it's just going to keep going until later."
And while he told ISD that this visit to South Bend and the upcoming trip to Ann Arbor could go a long way in setting the course for his recruitment, McNamara isn't ready to lock in any favorites.
"My recruitment is still wide open."
Still, his latest trip seems to have helped Notre Dame.
"It was great. I had an awesome experience."
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