Notre Dame hasn't offered Julian Dwyer yet, but the Irish made it clear this past weekend that they'll continue watching the 2028 Ohio defensive lineman closely.
Dwyer spent time with defensive line coach Charlie Partridge and defensive assistant Nick Sebastian during a visit that also gave him his first taste of a Notre Dame game day.
The 6-foot-4, 260-pound Archbishop Moeller standout made the trip from Cincinnati with his mother for Notre Dame’s home opener against Rice.
The visit began with a look at the new Shields Family Hall, where Dwyer also heard from Notre Dame general manager Mike Martin. Martin spoke about the value of time and the commitment former Notre Dame players made to help build the new facility.
"He really emphasized that time as a human, that's the most valuable thing you have," Dwyer said.
Another memorable part of the day came when Dwyer had the opportunity to meet NFL Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald.
"It was a really cool experience to be able to meet such a man and player like him," Dwyer told Irish Sports Daily.
But some of the most important conversations for Dwyer's recruitment came with Partridge and Sebastian. The Irish coaches told Dwyer they like what they've seen from him and will continue evaluating his development throughout his junior season.
"They were saying they like what they see on my film and everyone will keep in touch and were really excited to see how I developed throughout the season and how I continue to grow being a starter for the first time," Dwyer said.
Dwyer, who has offers from schools like Indiana, Penn State, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Illinois, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Purdue among others, came away impressed with Partridge and Sebastian beyond their evaluations of him.
"I thought they were great men, great coaches," he said. "They handled themselves well with how they speak, with the presence that they bring. I could really feel it."
Saturday also provided Dwyer with his first opportunity to stand on the Notre Dame Stadium field during a game day. As a defensive lineman, he paid particularly close attention to Partridge's group during warmups.
"That was my first time really being able to be on the field in a game environment and watching the d-line warm up and just how technical they are," Dwyer said.
Once the game started, Dwyer's attention remained on the defense. Notre Dame's starters impressed him, but so did what he saw after the Irish had built a commanding lead and began going deeper into the roster.
"Seeing the Irish, the d-line fight and the defense attacking the ball even later in the game, even without the first group of starters in, you could still see guys ripping at the ball, trying to change the game," he said. "It was truly something to see."
The overall atmosphere made an impression as well.
"Honestly the game experience, the environment really blew me away with the tradition that they have, the Leprechaun and just the culture that the Irish have had for all these years," he said.
Notre Dame will remain in contact as it evaluates Dwyer, and an offer from the Irish would immediately have his attention.
"That'd mean a lot," he said. "I see a lot of my values align with the Irish. I'm a true Christian myself and really experiencing the walk and things like that, I can really see myself fitting in that program."
Dwyer plans to visit Northwestern next weekend. After trips to Ohio State and Notre Dame on consecutive weekends, he intends to keep the rest of his schedule relatively flexible so he can take advantage of other opportunities as they emerge.
