Miamen Blown Away By Offer From Notre Dame

2019 Dunlap (Ill.) defensive end Josiah Miamen‍ hadn’t been to Notre Dame before Thursday’s visit, but it will be a trip he won’t soon forget as the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder left with an offer from the Irish. 

“It was insane getting an offer from a school that prestigious,” Miamen told Irish Sports Daily. “It was just crazy. I can’t even put it into words.

“I toured the facilities, saw practice and walked around campus. I had individual meetings with the coaches, and Coach Elston offered me.” 

The chance to sit down with Elston made a significant impact on Miamen as he was able to get a feel for the defensive line coach.  

“It was great,” said Miamen, “He seemed like a good guy, and he’s down to earth. You can tell he has the best interest in mind for his players. Sitting down and talking with a coach on one of the best teams in America was great. It’s just an honor to be in the position I am in.” 

Miamen was also impressed with the high energy practice on Thursday morning. 

“It’s all run well and organized,” explained Miamen. “You can tell by watching practice that they are part of one of the best teams in college football. You can tell why Notre Dame is what it is. It all speaks for itself.” 

The three-star prospect was blown away by the stadium and the new practice facility coming in the next year. 

“It’s amazing,” Miamen said of the stadium. “The stadium is beautiful. Walking out of the tunnel with no one there – I can’t imagine what it would be like with 80,000 people there. The facilities are beautiful, and Notre Dame is building new ones. I can’t imagine what the new facility will look like when it’s complete.   

“They just broke ground last week. They are connecting the old building with the new building and building a new practice facility. I think will be done by mid-year next year.” 

Illinois, Illinois State and Northwestern have also offered Miamen, but the offer from Notre Dame will bring some more attention in the coming weeks. The Illinois native hasn’t set a schedule for future visits and will take everything in stride.

“I haven’t solidified any other visits,” stated Miamen. “I’m sure a lot more stuff will open up as time goes along and I’ll make those decisions as they come.” 

Miamen will be looking closely at the academic opportunities at each program he visits, and Notre Dame set the bar on Thursday. 

“Academics are huge to me,” said Miamen. “The people Notre Dame has in the academic center and seeing they have the best interest in mind for the athletes was great. The academic presentation was as impressive as the football.”