Coach | Football Matters To 2028 Notre Dame QB Target Trey Tagliaferri

The first thing Vito Campanile mentions about Trey Tagliaferri‍ has nothing to do with his offers, his statistics or his arm talent.

It's his alarm clock.

The Bergen Catholic quarterback wakes up at 4:20 every morning to make the 90-minute commute to one of the nation's premier high school football programs. According to Campanile, that daily commitment says as much about Tagliaferri as any throw he makes on a Friday night.

"I think it's beyond important to him," Campanile told Irish Sports Daily. "The kid wakes up at 4:20 every day to get to high school. Not too many kids are willing to do that. He lives an hour and a half away from our school and he's there at 6:00 AM every day."

That mindset has helped fuel a rapid rise for the 2028 New Jersey quarterback.

Last week, Notre Dame officially entered the race for Tagliaferri, extending an offer after months of evaluation. The Irish joined an offer sheet that already included Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, Florida, Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas A&M, Stanford, North Carolina and many others.

Campanile believes the attention is well deserved.

"He's been as consistent and as regimented as you can be," Campanile said. "He's got incredible arm talent. We've had an unbelievable run of quarterbacks and he's probably got the most arm talent out of any guy I've ever coached."

That's saying something coming from the longtime Bergen Catholic coach.

Tagliaferri backed up the physical tools with production as a sophomore, throwing 29 touchdown passes against just two interceptions while helping lead one of the nation's top programs.

Campanile believes the ceiling is even higher.

"Where I think he's really going to develop this year is just understanding coverage and anticipation," Campanile said. "The big thing about him, he can make every throw on the field. There's not a throw that's off limits."

That arm talent gives Campanile, Bergen Catholic’s play-caller, an unusual amount of freedom.

"Everything's available," Campanile explained. "22-yard outs are never going to be a problem.

"I think he threw four touchdowns on field-go balls. In high school, that's the last throw you ever want your quarterback to make and he just has the ability to make it from the far hash and rip it 50 yards. It’s like a 62-yard throw. You've got to defend the whole field against the kid. He’s pretty special when it comes to arm talent."

As impressive as the physical traits are, Campanile points to Tagliaferri's approach as the characteristic that separates him.

"He's been incredibly engaged," Campanile said. "Always wants to know football. He's been incredibly engaged in the learning capacity. We do football almost every day and he just always wants more.

"He's never going to be OK with being OK. He wants to be the best he can possibly be all of the time and he's really driven and he's always on the attack to get better."

The recruiting process has accelerated quickly over the past several months, but Tagliaferri has handled the attention exactly the right way.

"Thank God, right?" Campanile said. "It's the most refreshing thing and my favorite quality he has. He has stayed incredibly grounded, incredibly humble."

Campanile credits much of that maturity to Tagliaferri's family support system, including his older sister, Frankie.

"I think his older sister being a professional athlete has a lot to do with that," Campanile said. "She kind of holds him in check and his parents are very supportive of him."

Notre Dame's offer clearly resonated.

Tagliaferri visited South Bend for the Blue-Gold Game this spring and came away impressed by virtually every aspect of the experience. 

Campanile, who has sent multiple players to Notre Dame and has another coming in 2028 Irish edge commit Jackson Vaughn, believes Notre Dame checks many of the boxes that matter most.

"I think he'd be a great fit for Notre Dame," Campanile said.

"I really haven't had a kid that's gone out there and not just been totally wowed by everything that's available in South Bend and what it's about. I think the academic side with arguably the greatest tradition in college sports, it's hard not to have your eyes wide open to it."

As for where things go from here, Campanile isn't making predictions. He does know one thing.

"I know he was beyond happy the other night (when he got the Notre Dame offer).”

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