Notre Dame is still waiting to get Micah Rhodes to South Bend.
In the meantime, running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider has made sure his relationship with the 2028 Texas running back continues moving in the right direction.
Since coaches were permitted to begin directly contacting members of the 2028 class on June 15, Seider has made a point to stay in regular contact with the 5-foot-10, 180-pounder.
"Coach Seider has been reaching out to me heavy," Rhodes told Irish Sports Daily. "We're building this relationship. He started really talking to me a lot after the 15th. Ever since the 15th, he's been hitting me every week, making sure that he stays in contact with me so we can start building a relationship.
"It has been great ever since. He keeps finding ways to talk to me every week just to build a relationship."
Those conversations haven't centered on football.
"The talks haven't really been about football, honestly,” said Rhodes. “They've just been about life. Just checking up on me, seeing how I've been doing, seeing how he's doing. You know what I mean? It hasn't been about football yet, but he's definitely been telling me that he wants to get me out there for a game."
Rhodes hopes that visit happens this fall.
"Oh, for sure," he said. "I definitely want to come out for a game. I don't know when, but I want to."
When he does make it to South Bend, Rhodes already knows what he'll be evaluating.
"Just how Coach Seider teaches his running backs," he said. "I don't know how he coaches yet. I haven't seen it. So I just want to see that and see how the backs respond to him.
"But he put two backs in the League this year. That says a lot."
Rhodes says Seider has already made a strong impression.
"He's a great genuine guy," Rhodes said. "I feel like he cares for me. I feel like he wants me to play there. He makes me feel like a priority to him. He makes me feel like I'm his guy."
Rhodes has already made trips to Texas and Georgia and those schools look to be leading the way at this point. He is also hoping to visit LSU, Baylor and Notre Dame this fall while returning to both Texas and Georgia as well.
Although he isn't ready to establish a firm commitment timeline, the Klein Oak High School standout believes a decision could come sometime during his junior season, possibly around his birthday in early October.
Whenever that time comes, Rhodes says he'll be looking for much more than a recognizable logo.
"Do you run the ball? Do I feel like a priority? Am I your guy? How do your backs respond to you? How do you talk to your backs?
“Those are just some factors that I look into, but ultimately it's wherever I want to be, whatever's comfortable to me."
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