Notre Dame Pushed All The Right Buttons With Dominik Hulak

Notre Dame linebacker commit Dominik Hulak gives insight into his decision making process

Notre Dame has made the state of Illinois, and city of Chicago more specifically, an absolute priority in the 2025 recruiting class. Littered with talent this cycle, the Irish staff has really focused their attention on several big time talents in the area.

One of which is Elmhurst (Ill.) Immaculate Conception defender Dominik Hulak, who committed to Notre Dame on Friday. The versatile defender is the perfect example of how a staff can “close on a football player.” The last few weeks have been about making Hulak understand just how wanted he was in the class.

"It has definitely been an interesting couple of weeks,” Hulak told Irish Breakdown. "I have been talking with the staff a lot over the last few months. We would get on the phone weekly to just talk ball and life in general.

"I would talk to Chad (Bowden) every week,” he continued. "He really likes to push me. He has been telling me constantly how Notre Dame is the best place for me. He thinks that it is the spot out of anywhere to help me grow and become the best version of myself.”

That constant push has really helped Hulak to make his mind up quickly, and narrow things down. Earlier this week, it was one last phone call that really sealed the deal.

"On Tuesday, we were on the phone for a good half an hour,” explained Hulak. "He was talking to me about committing and honestly, I had a moment where I just started thinking, 'Why not now?’ So I pulled the trigger and told him I wanted to do it. I was ready.

"Chad was really happy but he told me to sleep on it and make sure it’s what I wanted to do, and call him in the morning before school,” he added. "When I woke up, I knew that it was the best decision for me so I called him and told him the news. He got me on the phone with Coach Freeman and the staff. Everyone was so excited.”

It became a point where there just wasn’t much more that the Illinois standout had to hear, see or be pitched. He firmly understood what Notre Dame thought of him. A couple weeks ago, Hulak also made the trip for the team’s game against USC. That really was the last “first” that he wanted to experience.

"Before the USC game, I had seen everything that I needed to,” he said. "I knew what the Notre Dame program stood for and what they brought to the table. Seeing a game atmosphere was really the last thing that I wanted to see and they destroyed a top ten team in USC. It was so impressive.”

Notre Dame’s efforts over the last few months can not be complimented enough. Not only did they make Hulak feel like a part of the family, they did so for his most important members of his support system. They gained an extreme alley in his mother along the way.

"After that game, you could tell my mom really wanted me to commit,” Hulak explained. "She loves Notre Dame. I just wanted to make sure that I didn’t miss anything and I wasn’t making a rushed decision. In the end, it became apparent that there wasn’t much left to see.”

With Hulak being a local kid, he also understands the magnitude of this decision. Staying home to wear the blue and gold wasn't always something that seemed like a reality but it’s already surreal to think about.

"Being from Illinois, this opportunity means a lot,” he said. "I grew up with the program meaning so much and being a prominent part of this area. I never thought I would have the chance to be a part of it. This is just such a crazy opportunity to have.”

He became the second member from Illinois to be a part of the class, joining fellow defensive player Joseph Reiff. Notre Dame staff has their eyes on players like wide receiver Talyn Taylor and defensive end Christopher Burgess in hopes to keep the big time talent home.

Hulak had been garnering interest from several prominent Midwestern programs. Some of his notable offers include the Fighting Irish, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Purdue, Illinois, Louisville and Iowa State so far. Several other programs have also been keeping close contact with Hulak.

The 6-3, 232-pound athlete was a key performer for the 13-1 Class 3A state championship squad as a sophomore. In total, Immaculate Conception outscored its opponents by a margin of 617 to 151 en route to winning the team’s last 12 games of the season. The Knights are off to a 9-2 start in 2023.

The Illinois native does the bulk of his damage on the defensive side of the football. Over the last two seasons, Hulak collected 93 total tackles, nine tackles for loss and four sacks. He also had two fumble recoveries, seven pass breakups and two blocked kicks.

On offense, Hulak also has a role as a tight end. In the last two seasons, he hauled in 18 receptions for 345 yards and two touchdowns through the air. That is an average of 19.2 yards per receptions. Hulak also ran the ball once for a 12 yard gain. 

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