2020 Calif. QB Making Trip To Notre Dame

DJ Ralph‍ will be going on his first-ever recruiting trip when the 2020 California quarterback visits Notre Dame this weekend.

“My dad is the head coach at El Camino and he received an email from Aaryn Kearney from Notre Dame,” explained Ralph. “I have always been a fan of college football and Notre Dame has always been a college that I have looked at growing up because of the movie ‘Rudy.’ It has always been an option for me that I have wanted to visit there.”

Although the California native has a little bit of knowledge about Notre Dame and its rich history, he is excited to see it for himself and has a few specific things he would like to see and learn about on Saturday.

“I know that they have a good history, they have a good football program, a great school and when someone goes there, they are always proud to say that they went to Notre Dame,” expressed Ralph.

“I want to see their culture and how their coaches work because if that is where I proceed to go in the future, I want to see how they play pregame and see how the locker room with everyone getting ready before the game, and overall just see if it is a winning environment.”

The El Camino High School sophomore has been the varsity back-up all season due to a senior ahead of him on the depth, but he has worked hard, embraced the competition and is prepared for when he gets his shot.

“Every day at practice, I am getting varsity reps and I get as many reps as the varsity starter,” he said. “I am prepared for whenever my name is called. Jaden Casey is the varsity starter and he pushes me every day, it is great competition and working with him makes me better every single day.”

Ralph has sent film to colleges and is hoping for feedback soon.

Over the last couple years, he has hit the camp circuit and heard certain things coaches liked about the young quarterback, especially his potential.

“Going into my freshman year I went to a camp and talked to the Arizona coach and they liked my maturity since I was just going into high school, as well as my upside since I am still going to grow and the arm strength that I already have,” the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder explained.

Ralph is early into his recruiting process and has plenty of time to think about the factors that will go into making his final decision on where to play, but his upcoming visit to South Bend has made him think about the key what those could be.

“It will be the coaching staff,” he said. “You want to be comfortable with where you’re playing because it is going to be like your family so you want to be comfortable with the coaching staff. Also, the talent coming in with me, the school and somewhere I can get a good education.”