Notre Dame made the most of its chance to impress Asa Burch earlier this fall.
The 2028 Ohio edge rusher was in South Bend for the Michigan State game, and the trip put the Irish firmly among his top schools.
"It was spectacular and I felt the love they were given," Burch told Irish Sports Daily.
"Obviously words, but with their actions and what they're all about. Not with just football, but outside of football as well."
His most frequent contacts are a three-way tie, defensive line coach Charlie Partridge, defensive line assistant Nick Sebastian and Director of Scouting DJ Bryant. He also talks to head coach Marcus Freeman consistently.
"They keep it real," he said. "They’re never going to lie to you. They keep it real. They want me there. They want to see me being Irish.
"It feels amazing because they're one of my top schools I'm thinking about going to and feeling the love back really means something to me."
What makes Notre Dame as a program so appealing to Burch predates his birth.
"First of all, the football tradition of just winning and all this stuff going back before I was born, but also the presence outside of sports," he said.
Burch will be back in South Bend on Nov. 7 for the Miami game and knows what he wants to see. He has heard the soft-schedule talk about Notre Dame and wants to watch the Irish answer it himself.
"I definitely want to see them win," he said. "I want to see that they can win a tough game."
He has already visited Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State and Michigan State this fall. Miami gets a visit on Nov. 21, and then he will be at Ohio State for the Michigan game.
His process is likely to come to an abrupt finish.
"I'll be committed verbally afterwards," he said.
He has natural Michigan ties through his father, who played there, but Burch dismisses outsiders who assume that means he’ll definitely be heading to Ann Arbor.
"People think it sways me, but he knows that wherever I want to go is based on me and how they recruit me, who has the most presence and tries the hardest and stuff," he said. "He's completely unbiased with me, keeps it real."
Even if his father isn’t pushing him one way or the other, he is playing a significant role in this process with decades of experience going through the recruiting process as a coach, friend, family member and obviously a player himself.
Burch appreciates the resource he has in his father
"It’s like the hardest test you've ever taken in your life, but then you have the answer key right next to you."
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