OL Commit Richie Flanigan Soaks In Special Notre Dame Night At Lambeau
Richie Flanigan couldn't have scripted a much better setting for his brother's first Notre Dame touchdown.
Sophomore tight end James Flanigan scored it at Lambeau Field, just minutes from the family's Green Bay home and in the same stadium where their father and grandfather once played.
“It was crazy,” Flanigan told Irish Sports Daily. “I'm so proud of him. It's a dream come true for him and it's a dream come true for our family.
“It's kind of crazy the way it ended up being in Lambeau, but I'm super happy for him getting his first touchdown.”
The 2027 Notre Dame offensive line commit was in attendance Sunday night for the Irish's 41-13 victory over Wisconsin, giving him a front-row seat for a moment that brought together generations of his family's football history.
Their father, Jim Flanigan, played at Notre Dame before going on to play for the Green Bay Packers. Their grandfather also played for the Packers.
“It was almost unbelievable the way everything happened,” Flanigan said. “The first game he really played in meaningful minutes ended up being 10 minutes away from our house in a place where my dad played and my grandpa played.
“I mean, unbelievable, crazy experience. I'm so proud of him.”
For the 6-foot-4, 275-pounder, the night also offered another opportunity to experience Notre Dame from the perspective of somebody who will be wearing an Irish uniform himself next year.
Flanigan has been committed to Notre Dame for nearly a year and admits he regularly imagines what it'll be like when he finally gets to begin his own career in South Bend.
“All of the time,” he said. “I think about getting down there and starting my process all of the time.”
The Notre Dame Academy standout paid particularly close attention to the offensive line, a group he's gotten to know over the past several months.
“I like the o-line guys a lot,” Flanigan said. “I met them a lot on the visits that I've been to. I think in the second half, once they got settled, they were really rolling, being super physical in the game and dominating.”
The Green Bay native also came away impressed by the Notre Dame crowd at Lambeau and what it demonstrated about the reach of the program beyond South Bend.
“It was awesome to see so many fans there, not even in South Bend,” Flanigan said. “I thought there were more Notre Dame fans than Wisconsin fans there, which is a little surprising to me, but it honestly just speaks to how big the brand is and how much reach they have all over the country and in the world.”
Flanigan will get more opportunities to see the Irish in person this fall when they get back to Notre Dame Stadium.
“I'm for sure going to Miami and then I might be going to Michigan State.”
