Notre Dame isn't being subtle with Julian Bruno about where he stands on its 2028 recruiting board.
The Irish have told the California linebacker they want him to be the kind of player who helps lead their class.
“That I'm their guy and that every class they've had has been led by the linebacker and they want me to be that guy for this class,” Bruno told Irish Sports Daily.
It's a significant message for the 6-foot-1, 225-pounder, who received his Notre Dame offer in July and has continued building relationships with the Irish staff from across the country.
“It feels great, especially from a program like Notre Dame,” Bruno said. “Just to hear that, it really makes me feel good about the process, the track I'm on and just to keep working.”
Bruno's communication with Notre Dame has remained consistent.
The Grant Union High School standout recently spoke with linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary, director of recruiting Carter Auman and other members of the staff. He was also texting with defensive assistant Tre Reader immediately after a recent practice.
“I'd say we definitely have a good relationship,” Bruno said.
The Sacramento, Calif., native has been impressed with those relationships beyond the recruiting pitches.
“Just good standup dudes,” he said of Reader and Auman. “They remind me of the coaches I have here, like family.”
Notre Dame's history and recent success have also caught Bruno's attention as he evaluates a recruitment that includes offers from Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oklahoma State, SMU, Stanford, UCLA, USC and Washington, among others.
Bruno will get his first opportunity to evaluate the Irish in person when he visits South Bend for the Nov. 7 game against Miami.
“I think it's going to be great,” he said. “It's two good teams battling it out. It's going to be a good one for sure.”
The Notre Dame trip will be part of an extensive fall schedule for Bruno. He's already visited Stanford, Washington and Oregon State and plans to be at USC this weekend followed by Arizona State in a couple weeks. Bruno also has trips to SMU, Arizona, Michigan and Stanford on his schedule in addition to Notre Dame.
Those visits should help him begin bringing some structure to his recruitment. Bruno expects to make his first significant cut around the end of his junior season.
“I will probably narrow my list down probably sometime in the season, probably towards the end of the season towards playoffs,” he said. “I'll probably drop a Top 12, Top 10.”
Bruno isn't ready to establish a firm commitment date. He said it'll ‘most likely’ be sometime next year, but wasn't ready to rule out something sooner.
“I don't want to put an exact date on it,” he said.
Whenever that decision comes, Bruno already has a clear picture of what he'll be looking for.
“Just somewhere where I could come in and have an opportunity to come in and start and make a difference, somewhere where I feel like the coaches believe in me and just somewhere where I could fit in with the players and I could feel like it's a home away from home.”
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