As J.C. Wessel's recruitment has exploded over the past several months, Notre Dame has quickly positioned itself among the schools that matter most.
After earning an offer in June, the 2028 Florida tight end believes the Irish possess many of the qualities he's searching for in a school.
Notre Dame offered the 6-foot-6, 225-pounder just days after he impressed the staff at Irish Invasion in June. Since then, Wessel has continued building relationships with offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Mike Denbrock and assistant tight ends coach Harris Bivin.
Recruiting has picked up rapidly for Wessel since transferring to The Bolles School in Jacksonville from Frederica Academy on St. Simons Island, Ga., this offseason.
Since the change of schools he’s seen a relatively small offer sheet swell to one that now features dozens of programs like Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Texas, LSU, Florida, Miami, Texas A&M and many others in addition to Notre Dame.
"It's definitely been a lot since I just transferred," Wessel told Irish Sports Daily. "I'm trying to focus more on the transfer to Bolles, but it's been going well.
"Notre Dame is a great school. I visited for their Grill & Chill, which was awesome. There was really good competition there and it's been good so far."
Before the Grill & Chill and Irish Invasion trip, Wessel visited South Bend in April, which allowed him to see a different side of the program.
"Since I visited during spring practice, I saw how the practices were run and how all the coaches perform and how they kind of set an example," he said.
"At the Grill & Chill, I kind of saw the community and the bonding aspect of it too. I feel like you can really feel the bonding experiences at Notre Dame."
Those experiences have helped reinforce the impression the Irish have made early in the process, one Denbrock has played a major role in.
"Coach Denbrock is awesome," Wessel said. "He taught me a ton of route stuff, a ton of awesome stuff, of course."
Bivin has also become someone Wessel values.
"Coach Bivin is awesome," Wessel said. "He came and visited me. He's a role model for me because he's always happy. He always tells me, 'Just keep the main thing the main thing and keep pushing to get better really.'
"I hope to see him soon, but he just tells me to stay locked in and just make sure that you work for what you think you deserve."
Wessel plans to return to South Bend for a game this fall, though he hasn't settled on a date. When he does, he'll be paying close attention to how Notre Dame competes on game day.
"I want to see the competitive edge in its real form during a game," Wessel said. "I want to see all the players getting hyped and everything."
Notre Dame won't be the only stop on Wessel's fall schedule. He also hopes to visit Miami, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Alabama and Florida and others.
While Wessel doesn't expect to make a decision until next spring, he already knows the factors that will carry the most weight.
"We prioritize academics in my family. So academics and just the environment, because if you're in a good environment, then you can thrive and do well. And good football, obviously."
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