Notre Dame Trip "Eye-Opening" For Buford

Heading into his first visit to South Bend, Jack Buford‍ wasn’t sure what to expect, but the 2019 Missouri offensive lineman left with a very positive feeling about Notre Dame.  

“It was great,” the 6-foot-4, 312-pounder said. “Everything was great.

“I got to hear about how serious they take the academics there and how they want to accomplish goals in the classroom and how they want to accomplish goals on the field. I found out about the religion and how everything works.”

The Lutheran North High School standout already has offers from Missouri, Illinois, Iowa State, Kentucky and Florida. He was impressed with the campus in South Bend, but particularly struck by the spiritual aspect of Notre Dame.

“They said, ‘A lot of people shy away from the whole religion thing,’” he recalled. “I take the whole religion thing seriously. I really just got a chance to see how the dorms look and how the band plays. I love how the fans cheer on the players when they walk in before the game and stuff like that.”

The St. Louis native thought the Irish played well during their 35-14 win over North Carolina State.

“They played with a lot of energy,” Buford said. “The o-line looked good. The d-line looked good and they were doing their thing. It just looked fun. The coach was amped up and hyped, so he got the team hyped and they did their thing and won.”

He also had the chance to experience pregame on the field and postgame in the locker room.

“There was a lot of energy from the fans,” he said. “It was probably one of the most live games I’ve been to ever.”

He doesn’t have any other visits planned at this point, but hopes things continue progressing with Notre Dame.

“Hopefully, they stay in touch with me. It was an eye-opener for me. I didn’t think the university was like that. It was real nice. Everything they had to say was very eye-opening. It just made me change my whole view on Notre Dame, not just athletically, but educationally.”