INTEL | Attention To Detail & Organization Separate Kearney
Winning games in college football isn’t easy, but having players who fit your culture and system goes a long way in that effort.
There’s a popular quote, ‘Recruiting is the lifeblood of the program,’ and for Notre Dame, it starts with prospects and those around them having a great visit when they come to South Bend.
The guy in charge of making sure everything goes smoothly for Notre Dame is Director of Recruiting Aaryn Kearney. You’ve probably seen his name mentioned in an article here or there, but his process has made a significant impression on numerous visits.
For Kearney, it starts with making sure each prospect has an organized visit down to the minute.
“The organization is mind-boggling,” stated one source. “It blows USC and UCLA out of the water. It really does. Aaryn Kearney has done a hell of a job. He did a great job at Nebraska for Bo Pelini, but he’s on top of everything. It’s truly showing.”
Every prospect expects to try on the uniform, see the stadium or tour the campus. Sounds easy, right? That’s just one kid. Notre Dame hosted over 100 prospects for the 2018 home finale against Florida State, and it’s on Kearney to make sure each one has a memorable experience.
“There are a lot of good guys across the country doing what Aaryn does, but it’s his attention to detail that separates him,” explained the source. “Every minute and every step, whether it’s a recruit or a coach, is planned or scheduled out. We were there for a couple of days, and he has these recruiting books for his coaches. They are in a binder and perfectly detailed. A lot of schools have them, but his are above and beyond.”
The script Kearney and the Notre Dame recruiting team made a difference to multiple sources as they allowed themselves to get comfortable on the visit knowing where and when they were supposed to do certain activities and didn’t have to worry about finding buildings or showing up on time.
“He rolled out the red carpet for us, and he did that for all the recruits,” stated the source. “The attention to detail is unreal. I call it the play card. His play card on Saturday had every single recruit with information and had everything planned out. He had this young lady making sure the recruit was OK, and his experience was great.
“It’s huge, especially when you’re on limited time. To have every minute scripted out is like how coaches script practice. I’ve been at some places where they have it like that, but they go off schedule, and you get behind. He had his assistants on time for everything and ready to go.
“Every single detail he had ready. It helps us a lot, and it shows recruits that if he’s able to do that then imagine how everything else is run. It shows. The academic team and tutoring team, right on time.”
It’s not all Kearney as his recruiting team has also impressed many people and have played a large part in Notre Dame’s recruiting success.
“I know he has a great recruiting team,” stated a source. "They were in a big room working on Sunday, but his passion is shown through them. The staff is great, but people like Kearney get forgotten because it’s always about interacting with the coaches, but he works his ass off.”
It might have been the coldest game of the year in South Bend for the Florida State game but Notre Dame hosted more recruits than any other week, and they were important recruits.
“My biggest thing as a coach is how you practice is how you play,” explained one high school coach. ‘How you script things is how you get the best players in the country to come to South Bend in 20-degree weather. It’s a free marketing board for Notre Dame as people go back to Southern California, Texas, or Florida saying how great the visit was. It might be cold, but I’ve never experienced anything like that. I’ve been a coach for 16 years and never experienced anything like that, and I’ve made a lot of college trips.
“To get Notre Dame’s top guys in 2019, 2020 and 2021 to come to the Florida State game was unbelievable. He’s a hard worker, and hard work pays off. I have a lot of friends in the business, and they try hard, but Kearney has every single assistant on board.”