Tyler Houlf went to Notre Dame to introduce himself, and the 2028 Illinois offensive tackle left with Irish offensive line coach Joe Rudolph wanting to see more.
Houlf was in South Bend for the Stanford game, taking in pregame on the field and joining the locker room celebration afterward.
"It was amazing," Houlf told Irish Sports Daily. "Great experience, great win for the team, definitely."
The 6-foot-5, 270-pounder went on the field before the game, took pictures during pregame, and was on hand for postgame festivities.
"After the game, I went into the locker room, talked to the coaches and just saw everyone, saw how they were after a win, celebrated everything," Houlf said. "Before that, I went on the field, saw everything, saw the pregame, took a lot of pictures."
The Brother Rice standout’s offer sheet currently includes Colorado, San Diego State, Toledo, Liberty, Miami (Ohio), UConn and Florida Atlantic.
Houlf came to South Bend with a simple goal.
"I just know Notre Dame's a big, well-known school, so I want to get my name out there, get to meet the coaches, just see how a day in the life of a Notre Dame guy is," Houlf said. "Campus is amazing."
The Chicago native met Marcus Freeman and Rudolph, and the Irish offensive line coach gave him a clear next step.
"Coaches were great," Houlf said. "Marcus Freeman, he's a great guy. He's a very, very good coach. Coach Rudolph, the o-line coach, I liked him too. I talked with him for a little bit."
Rudolph told Houlf to send his film and stay in touch.
"He was just saying how I should send him my film, talk a little bit here and there, just get my name out there and stuff, keep in touch," Houlf said.
"They seem decently interested. Nothing really seems to be popping up, but hopefully soon my name gets out more and just everything works out."
The Oak Lawn, Ill., native has already visited Indiana, Toledo and Colorado. Miami (Ohio) is next week, Cincinnati the week after, and Illinois is possible the week before Thanksgiving.
Houlf knows what will matter most when he chooses.
"Great academics, good major to be in. I'm thinking of doing Engineering, so that might play a role in everything. So that, good football team, kind of close to home, good weather and all that stuff."
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