Ben Coleman already knew how he felt about Notre Dame.
This summer, the Irish coaches have started showing the 2028 Illinois offensive lineman how they feel about him.
"I love every single one of them," Coleman told Irish Sports Daily. "They're always straight to the point. They always communicate with me well. I always feel welcomed when I go. It's just a great atmosphere."
After earning his Notre Dame offer during a visit earlier in the spring, Coleman returned to South Bend in June to spend additional time around head coach Marcus Freeman, offensive line coach Joe Rudolph and assistant offensive line coach Rob Delaney while competing at an Irish camp.
The visit only strengthened the relationships he had already begun building.
"I got to talk to Marcus Freeman again and just hang out with some other potential recruits, getting to know them," Coleman said. "It was awesome. I loved it."
Those conversations have become more specific as the Notre Dame staff has outlined how they envision Coleman fitting into the offense.
"They like how physical I am," Coleman said. "They like how I can get my foot in the ground and go. I played tight end this past year, so they got to see how I block in space and they said I can block in space pretty good.
"I'll probably play guard or center in college, so I can get a good pull going. That's what they like about me."
That projection aligns well with the mentality Coleman has developed at Providence Catholic under head coach Tyler Plantz, a former Notre Dame player and assistant.
"My head coach is a Notre Dame alum," Coleman said. "His whole family is Notre Dame and he's just been preaching to us that you've got to believe, you've got to stick to it, you've got to be gritty. You've got to play like it's the last time you're going to play."
Coleman appreciated the opportunity to work directly with Rudolph and Delaney during camp.
"It was awesome," he said. "I learned a lot. I take what I learned there and bring it into my own practice. I got to compete with some high-level dudes. It was a great time. I loved it."
In addition to Notre Dame, the 6-foot-4, 250-pounder holds offers from Oregon, Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, Kentucky, Minnesota, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin and Georgia Tech among others.
Coleman plans to return to South Bend for a game this fall and an official visit later on. He also hopes to make gameday visits to Iowa, Kentucky, Illinois and Northwestern.
He’s expecting to make a final decision sometime next spring.
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