BREAKING: 2019 CB Isaiah Rutherford Picks Notre Dame

Persistence is key in many things and recruiting is one of them.

And that’s the reason why Notre Dame just landed a commitment from Isaiah Rutherford‍ despite not being included in the 2019 California cornerback’s top four just a few months ago.

“They kept going and kept constantly being in my ear about everything, giving me all of the great statistics about the school,” Rutherford said of the Irish earlier this week, when discussing his decision with ISD.

“It’s hard to turn them down.”

Rutherford just announced his verbal commitment, selecting the Irish over offers from schools like Oklahoma, Oregon, LSU, Alabama and Cal among many others.

“Choosing them is a big-time thing with the type of family and alma mater they have,” he said. “I’ll be really proud to say I come from there.”

Rutherford's father, Reynard Rutherford, echoed that sentiment.

“You’re trying to get the best of both worlds at Notre Dame,” Reynard Rutherford added.

“You’re getting a great academic institution and you’re also getting a high-profile athletic football program. It’s the kind of situation where he can benefit from both. It’s not football-dominant or school-dominant. He’s getting the best of both worlds.”

Rutherford’s pledge gives the Irish 19 current pledges in their 2019 recruiting class and joins Atlanta’s KJ Wallace to give them a pair of defensive backs.

“I think I’ll be able to hold my own on the field,” said Rutherford. “I’m a long, lengthy guy, so I think I will do really good there.”

After making the Jesuit High School star's initial cut of seven schools early in the summer, Notre Dame was left off the top four he announced in July in favor of Oklahoma, Oregon, LSU and Cal, his father’s alma mater.

But Irish assistants Brian Polian and Todd Lyght quickly followed up to save their spot in the race and locked down an official visit in the process.

“I’ve talked to them almost every day,” Rutherford said of Polian and Lyght. “They’ve recruited me hard for almost a year now, so it’s really good.”

That moment was clearly pivotal as Rutherford’s official to Notre Dame for the Irish’s opener against Michigan allowed them to jump out to the front of the pack. He said he saw everything at Notre Dame and felt like he fit in with the players in South Bend.

“They’re pretty similar to me,” he said. “We all have that same personality and same characteristics and we all want to win.”

He followed up with an official to Colorado and was supposed to take an official to Oregon last month as well, but that visit was scratched.

Given his father’s connections to Cal, many felt the Golden Bears could be the team to beat, but Rutherford’s family always said they wanted him to make an independent decision and there were many hints that doing something different would be welcomed.

Rutherford chose something different, different from his dad and different from what he thought only a few months ago.

“I’m just happy that he got the opportunity to make this choice,” his father added. “He’s been working hard his whole life. He’s got a God-given talent that was bestowed to him.

“I’m just so proud that he’s worked hard in the classroom and on the field and off the field. It’s just a proud moment to see that he’s trying to fulfill a dream that he’s always had.”