Coach | Notre Dame Offer A "Gamechanger" For 2020 ATH Jordan Addison

Vince Ahearn has asked Jordan Addison‍ to do a lot the past few seasons at Tuscarora High School in Maryland.

And as a result, Addison has done a lot.

“He’s done everything I’ve ever asked of him,” said Ahearn, Tuscarora’s head coach.

“He’s played on the varsity level since he was a freshman. We knew who he was even before he came into the school. He was pretty dynamic. He played cornerback in previous seasons at the varsity level. His sophomore year, he played receiver exclusively and some defense, cornerback and safety.”

And then, this past season, Ahearn put the 6-foot, 165-pounder behind center.

“He played some wideout, he played some slot, he played some quarterback,” said Ahearn.

When asked about Addison’s athleticism, he pointed to the picture above.

“Do I need to say anything now?” the coach laughed. “He did catch that ball. Take him out of the picture and look at the vertical jump of the other two. Their vertical jumps aren’t bad. His feet are just about at the same height as the waist of the referee.”

Addison responds to coaching and advice as well as any young person could be expected to. Ahearn recalls a meeting with Addison and his family to stress the importance of his grades.

“His grades changed immediately,” the coach said. “He had a 3.75 at the beginning of this semester. He’s turned competitive even with the grades. I tell coaches all of the time, ‘How many times do you bring a kid and say you need to get on these grades and three weeks later, you’re bringing him back in and saying the same thing?’

“I bring it up all of the time because it’s really what happens with him all of the time.”

Addison responds to coaching the same way.

“He is perceptive and he is focused and he is locked in on conversations,” said Ahearn. “This goes right back to the academic piece, you ask him to adjust the way he runs a pattern. You can say, ‘OK, I want you to do these three things.’ He goes right out there and makes all three adjustments. He just has a certain awareness, it’s unique. He has a good understanding and appreciation for detail. He’s always been able to apply it.”

Addison also has a growing list of scholarship offers that now includes schools like Notre Dame, Virginia, Pitt and Maryland among others. Notre Dame is recruiting him to play cornerback while other schools are looking at him as a receiver. There’s some thinking that the transition to the college level may be easier on offense than defense, but the Irish should get a chance to make their pitch.

“Oh, absolutely,” Ahearn said. “His mother’s side of the family is from South Bend. When he went up for a Junior Day in the wintertime, it turned into a family visit. He has some ties to South Bend. Bottom line is it doesn’t matter where you are. If Notre Dame is on your board, it changes the game. No one can debate that. In some ways it’s surreal. He’s obviously honored and humbled at the same time. And he is a very humble kid, so it’s a gamechanger as far as opportunity, not just the football program, but the long-term benefits. Going to Notre Dame, it doesn’t matter where you go in the United States, everybody knows Notre Dame.”

He's looking at getting back to South Bend for one of the camps early next month.

Addison is expected to make some other stops during the summer as well and from there, will regroup to decide on his next steps, whether that’s a commitment before the season or official visits in the fall.

“One step at a time,” his coach said. “It’s an overwhelming process.

“He’s learning a lot about himself and not just colleges.”