2019 Four-Star DE Colt Ellison Enjoyed The Family Feel At Notre Dame
2019 Aledo (Texas) defensive end Colt Ellison made his second trip to Notre Dame over the weekend. It was the first official visit for the four-star prospect and Ellison saw everything he hoped to experience on the trip to South Bend.
“The visit was great,” the 6-foot-4, 235-pounder told Irish Sports Daily. “It’s a family feel with the players and coaches. I like Coach (Mike) Elston a lot. He showed me how I would fit into the Drop position and the defense.”
Ellison was also joined by fellow Texans NaNa Osafo-Mensah and 2019 Notre Dame defensive line commit Hunter Spears.
“I never really met them in person, but we all bonded pretty quick,” stated Ellison. “I actually didn’t know this, but NaNa leaves about 10 minutes away from me. That was pretty funny to find out.”
The community around Notre Dame impressed the Texas native, but also seeing the high rate of academic success was something he wasn’t expecting to see.
“The people are different at Notre Dame,” explained Ellison. “They’re all really nice but different from Texas, and that’s OK. Academically, the 98 percent graduation rate was amazing to see. It’d be hard to fail, so that’s awesome.”
On Saturday evening, the recruits and their families made a trip out to Kelly’s lake house for a night of food and fun.
“The lake house was pretty crazy,” laughed Ellison. “It was 30 degrees, and we all got in the heated pool. It was weird because you’re sitting in the water and your head is freezing. He had a game room with speakers inside the walls.
“Coach Kelly is a great guy and made us feel like a big family with the players already there.”
Notre Dame paired Ellison up with tight end Brock Wright, who is also from Texas. Wright was able to explain how he made the transition to the Notre Dame culture and how things would go for Ellison if he signed with the Irish.
“Brock was great,” said Ellison. “He told me how great of an atmosphere it was and how big of a family they all were. That’s what I have been looking for.”
Kelly and Elston had a simple message for Ellison and his family.
“The message was about 4 for 40,” Ellison stated. “Once you go to Notre Dame, you’re set for life. You play big-time football and become part of a family.”
Heading into the visit, Ellison did have concerns about distance. Notre Dame’s staff and players made sure to address the concerns on the visit.
“The distance is the only hesitation because it is a long way away from family,” Ellison explained. “Going up there and seeing it is possible was good. Most people at Notre Dame aren’t from around there and they all bond together. That was cool to see.”
Ellison will now look to slow things down a little bit, but he still wants to make a decision by the end of the summer.
“I haven’t really set any visits,” stated Ellison. “We’ll see how it goes. I’m trying to take a break for a little bit.
“I’d like to commit by the start of my season. It’s going to be kind of hard, but we’ll see. That’s the goal.”
Ellison did make sure to stop and have some Five Guys during his visit. We asked Ellison his thoughts on the nationwide debate between Five Guys and Whataburger.
“It was pretty good,” Ellison said of his Five Guys experience. “They have Five Guys down here, but I never eat it for some reason. I might have to start. It was good, but Whataburger is going to win all the way.”