Where Notre Dame Is, And Should Be, With Carnell Tate

Notre Dame has been on Carnell Tate for a long time and should never have fallen behind, but now the staff has to play catch up

The buzz around Notre Dame recruiting is at an all-time high with several recruits in the 2023 class trending towards possibly committing to the Fighting Irish. 

No one has stirred that pot more than Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy five-star wide receiver Carnell Tate, who was originally slated to visit the campus on March 17. There was already tremendous anticipation with the fanbase around the visit that Irish Breakdown originally reported on March 7. Then, Tate tweeted that he was moving his trip up two days and would be in South Bend on March 15 instead. As I watched the frenzy from the Irish fanbase reach a fever pitch, it became apparent that most have consumed the news surrounding his recruitment as a game of catch up rather than what it really is.

With Ohio State long being seen as the leader in his recruitment, many have overlooked what’s really going right in front of their eyes. Notre Dame sits in this position because of the passive aggressive approach to recruiting the best players in the country by the previous regime. Honestly, Tate’s recruitment probably should’ve been sealed a long time ago, considering the Fighting Irish were always first in the heart of the Chicago native.

“Out of all the schools, Notre Dame has been on me from the start since my freshmen year," Tate told the Lucky Lefty Podcast. "My connection with the program is great and I’m really close with Tommy Rees over there.”

That statement always jumped out to me from Tate, because it doesn’t sound like someone that has recently fell in love with the Notre Dame program and staff. On the contrary, Tate seems to finally be receiving the love from a program that was his first love. Kudos to the former staff for quickly identifying talent and potential so early on with Tate, but his recruitment prior to Marcus Freeman becoming the head coach was another sad tale of it’s so tough to get the best players to come to Notre Dame. 

They took Tate for granted in many respects and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees was left to battle and fend off a relentless Ryan Day, Brian Hartline and staff. By the beginning of the 2021 season, Ohio State had taken up residence in Tate’s heart because of their consistency and a roster that sported the top two wide receiver prospects in the 2022 NFL and third prospect that decided to transfer to Alabama for more opportunity. 

A decision was imminent in December, and then Brian Kelly decided to leave Notre Dame for LSU. One would think that a seismic move like that would seal the deal in his recruitment. However, it was the total opposite as Tate decided to take a step back and wait to see what would happen with a program that meant as much to him as Notre Dame did.

Freeman was announced as the next head coach on December 3, and although Tate had never shared anything more than pleasantries on a visit, a phone call from the new leader quickly reminded him of that feeling as a freshman at Marist High School. The excitement continued to grow as the relationship with Freeman grew via phone and an early December visit to IMG Academy to meet with Tate face to face. 

The duo of Freeman and Rees have now been joined by new receivers coach, Chansi Stuckey, in this too close to call race to the finish. What’s happening in South Bend beginning today is great recruiting theater and all of us get to watch it play out on the biggest of stages. This final act has multiple endings, but remember Irish fans, no one ever forgets their first love!

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Notre Dame 2023 Class Big Board

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