2019 TE Ethan Rae Loved What He Heard And Saw From Chip Long
2019 Lutheran (Calif.) tight end Ethan Rae was identified very early by the Notre Dame staff as he picked up an offer from the Irish in May of 2017.
The four-star prospect made his way to South Bend over the weekend to get a much closer look at the Notre Dame program, and it didn’t disappoint.
“It did meet my expectations,” Rae told Irish Sports Daily. “I liked it a lot.”
Offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Chip Long was one of the main reason Rae made the trip out to the Midwest, and the two got to spend some quality time together.
“I got to spend a lot of time with Coach Long,” stated Rae. “Coach Long and I talked the most football since he would be my position coach and offensive coordinator, which is really special to me.”
Not only did the two get to strengthen their relationship, the 6-foot-5, but 240-pounder also took in Notre Dame’s practice on Saturday morning and got a feel for Long’s coaching style.
“He gets a lot of the tight ends involved,” explained Rae. “I saw it in practice, and he showed me some film.”
The California native also got to meet with head coach Brian Kelly, and Rae liked what he heard.
“Coach Kelly told me how he likes to run things and the family feeling since the school is smaller,” said Rae. “He also told me his offense is based around the tight end and how important the position is at Notre Dame.”
Rae got a strong sense of the family atmosphere, but also he was surprised to learn the smaller community and how it is a positive when it comes to academics.
“The academics are top of the line, and I feel completely secured for life after football,” Rae stated. “I also didn’t know only about 8,000 students go to Notre Dame, which is unique because your teachers will know your name and care about you and your success.”
Notre Dame made a big impression, and there’s a good chance Rae will return to South Bend in the fall for an official visit.
“I’ll most likely return,” said Rae. “Probably during the season.”