Chip Long Surprises 2018 WR Lawrence Keys III On In-Home Visit

Notre Dame recruits the entire country, but very rarely do they make it down to New Orleans for a recruiting trip. On Thursday night, offensive coordinator Chip Long and receivers coach Del Alexander made their way down to Louisiana to conduct an in-home visit with 2018 McDonogh 35 receiver Lawrence Keys III‍ and his mother, LaTanya Manning. 

“The visit was great,” Manning told Irish Sports Daily. “I didn’t even know coach Long was coming and he surprised me when he came with coach Alexander. The presentation was phenomenal. 

“They gave factual information, and they kept it real with me about the things Lawrence would encounter at Notre Dame. It’s nothing bad, but the culture is different.”

Part of Notre Dame’s goal on the trip was to explain what life was like on and off the field to Keys and his mother. Keys hasn’t made his way to South Bend just yet, so getting the chance to hear from the staff was significant. 

“The small classroom settings is what stood out to me,” stated Manning. “I told them I’m really big on the educational part. I love the football, but I’m big on education. I asked them why they chose Lawrence and they said his character, talent, and they noticed he was different in his own unique way. 

“We talked about life skills and making decisions on his own. Lawrence asked some questions, but of course, I had questions as a parent. I asked about the depth chart and if Lawrence would be able to play. Coach Alexander said he wants self-motivated players and he felt Lawrence would be a good fit for Notre Dame because of his character.

“I told them I would have more questions when we go on the official visit when I can talk to the academic administrators and look at the facilities, where he will be living and the regulations in regards to the freshmen.”

For Manning, the visit was crucial as she had yet to meet Alexander or Long. However, the fact both coaches showed up in Louisiana spoke volumes to her. Keys and his mother will return the favor as they will be in South Bend January 19th for an official visit. 

“Notre Dame alone carries a ton of weight,” explained Manning. “I told them I had to call the coaches to make sure Notre Dame had offered Lawrence a full scholarship. Lawrence’s coach told me yes, but that they don’t’ normally come down to Louisiana.

“When Lawrence told me Notre Dame was coming, I was like ‘They are going to fly down here to see you?’ He explained that it’s what the coaches do, but that’s when I knew it was serious because Notre Dame was coming down here. 

“I knew it was a big deal.” 

Manning felt comfortable with Alexander and Long, but another school followed up the Notre Dame in-home visit. LSU receivers coach Mickey Joseph stopped for a quick visit and had a similar message as the Notre Dame staff.

“Both schools talked about academics,” explained Manning. “I asked them about why they offered Lawrence over other kids, and they talked about his character. They both talked about his skills on the football field. 

“They all seemed to be pretty interested in not only Lawrence playing on the football team but that his degree would come first.” 

LSU is the hometown program and is the dream school for a lot of New Orleans prospects, but Keys and Manning both know the significance of the opportunity at Notre Dame. 

“Notre Dame carries weight,” said Manning. “LSU does too, but for Notre Dame to come down is a big deal. You have athletes getting offers from LSU, and those are hard to come by, but for Notre Dame to offer, it’s really big. I think Lawrence is the only one in the state to get an offer from Notre Dame.”

Keys and Manning locked in an official visit to LSU for January 12th and will be in Houston next weekend, but outside of Notre Dame, no other visits are locked in at this stage.