2028 DB Bryland Alexander Got Inside Look At Notre Dame Defense

Bryland Alexander‍ got an up-close look at Notre Dame's defensive operation during his visit for Saturday's game against Stanford and the 2028 Ohio defensive back liked what he saw.

From pregame preparations to conversations with the coaching staff, Alexander used the opportunity to learn more about the Irish and how he might fit into their secondary.

The 6-foot, 169-pounder made a point of studying the Irish defense throughout the afternoon.

"Good, really good," the Gahanna High School standout said. "I liked the environment and all the coaching staff."

Alexander holds offers from Miami (Ohio), North Dakota State, South Florida and Youngstown State, among others, as he continues exploring his college options.

While the game itself was a major part of the experience, Alexander was particularly interested in observing how Notre Dame's defensive players prepared for kickoff.

"I got to see how the defense warms up and go through their pregame and then after watched their game and how they coach, especially the coaching staff," he said.

Alexander also had an opportunity to speak with members of the Irish defensive staff, including safeties coach Jevaughn Codlin and defensive backs coach Aaron Henry. 

"I met Coach Cod in the meeting room before we went out to the field for pregame and came up to me and basically told me his game plan," Alexander said. "Well, their game plan of playing Stanford and how they're going to execute."

The conversation gave Alexander a chance to learn more about the staff's approach to preparing its players, something he hopes to apply to his own development.

"I was just really focusing on getting to know him and how they teach their defense and how their defense plays," he said.

Alexander was especially interested in the drills Notre Dame's defensive backs use and whether he could bring some of those techniques back to Gahanna.

"If they do certain pre-game drills or just especially their safety or cornerback room goes on so I can just go back to my high school and just implement into my high school and how we do things," he said.

The atmosphere inside Notre Dame Stadium also made an impression during the Irish's Green Out game.

"The atmosphere was great," Alexander said. "I heard it was a sold out game for the Green Out and it was just really loud and I really enjoyed it."

Beyond the game-day experience, Alexander sees the visit as an opportunity to begin developing stronger relationships with the Irish staff.

"Next steps are building more of a connection with the staff and also just seeing how I would fit in their DB room," he said.

Alexander's recruiting travels will continue this weekend with a planned visit to South Florida, one of the programs that has already extended an offer.

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