Notre Dame got an up-close look at Ashton Taylor at Irish Invasion this summer.
Now, the Irish want to see more and so does Taylor.
The 2028 Kentucky running back returned to South Bend for the Irish’s home opener against Rice last Saturday and left with a clear understanding of what comes next.
"They talked about they're just going to keep evaluating the next couple games and then see whatever happens with this offer," Taylor said. "Hopefully they offer me, and if they do, they'll definitely be at the top for me."
The 5-foot-10, 170-pounder from Trinity High School in Louisville enjoyed getting his first look at Notre Dame on a game day.
"It went really good," Taylor said. "I had a great time. That was my first time there at a game, so I had a really good time."
Taylor had the opportunity to watch warmups and the game while also spending time with members of the Notre Dame staff, including running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider and head coach Marcus Freeman.
Seider offered some encouragement about where he stands in the evaluation process.
"He just said he likes how my season's going," Taylor said. "He likes how I'm doing this season, and he just said just keep doing what I'm doing and everything will work out."
Taylor came away impressed with Seider beyond the feedback he received.
"I think he's a great person," Taylor said. "He's obviously a great coach. He coaches some great backs and puts them in the best situation to make them be great."
Freeman was already familiar with Taylor after watching him compete at Irish Invasion in June and was happy to see him back on campus.
"He was glad to see me there," Taylor said. "I was at the Irish Invasion Camp, so he saw me do my thing there. So he was just glad to see me back, make it back out to campus."
That interaction carried plenty of weight with Taylor.
"That's important to me because he's the big dog," Taylor said. "He makes everything happen. So it was really important to me for him to talk to me."
Taylor described Freeman as a "great person" with "great energy," another piece of a Notre Dame package that has considerable appeal to him.
His Catholic faith is part of that appeal.
"Just the coaching, the beautiful campus," Taylor said when asked why Notre Dame could rise to the top with an offer.
"I'm Catholic and obviously it's a Catholic school, so that's something very important to me, so I can keep my faith in football and just bring those together would be something huge for me."
Taylor already owns offers from Louisville, Oklahoma State, TCU and others.
His upcoming schedule will give him opportunities to continue comparing schools as he's headed to Louisville next, followed by Arizona State, Oklahoma State, TCU and BYU.
Notre Dame, meanwhile, will continue watching him. And Taylor will be watching closely to see where that evaluation leads.
Want the latest scoop on Notre Dame Football and Recruiting? Sign up for our newsletter and become an ISD Premium Subscriber: Sign Up for ISD
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Under Armour Core Tech Stretch T-Shirt
