Notre Dame Visit Was A 'Dream Situation' For Safety Jake Pope

Notre Dame hosted Georgia safety Jake Pope last weekend, and the visit was a home run for both sides

Safety is an extremely important position for Notre Dame in the 2022 recruiting class, and as of right now the Irish staff are still pushing hard to land one of their top targets. One of those must-get top of the board targets is Buford (Ga.) High School athlete Jake Pope, who visited Notre Dame last weekend.

That visit went extremely well for both Notre Dame and Pope. According to Buford head coach Bryant Appling, Notre Dame defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman and safeties coach Chris O’Leary made Pope feel at home, showed him how he will fit into their defensive scheme, and emphasized the importance that he holds in this recruiting cycle.

From the prestigious academics and rich history to the highly coveted football program, Appling described what the University of Notre Dame means to Jake.

“Dream school type of visit for him,” said Appling. “It’s a dream situation for him. He loves the staff and we talk about the position coach [O'Leary] a lot. They know what they are doing. They’re going to have him continue to improve every week of every year, so he’s definitely excited about those guys.”

Pope is a high-level athlete that Irish Breakdown publisher Bryan Driskell has described as a more athletic version of former three-year Notre Dame starting safety Jalen Elliott. Appling, obviously, is also high on what Pope brings to the table.

“Very smart player; on top of his athleticism, what makes him special is being able to do multiple things and do it at an early age,” explained Appling. “He’s in a very smart class and they’re all built the same way. They kind of drive each other and push each other in that aspect. It’s a very driven group and Jake is one of the leaders.

“I know he’s working on the things he can do off the field for us," continued Appling. "Flexibility, core strength, he’s very in tune with his body. He’s making sure he can play a whole season here and continue to play a long time. He does a great job of wanting to learn the whole defense, the whole offense. He wants to know everything … he wants to know every situation so that when it pops up, he’s not surprised.”

Pope produces on both sides of the ball, serving as one of Buford’s top wide receivers and defensive backs, which includes 2022 standout cornerback Ryland Gandy, who recently committed to Pitt. He’s been working hard to continuously strengthen his knowledge of the game with the goal of heavy production in whatever position he resides.

In addition to his impressive on the field efforts, he shows no hesitancy and is a relentless leader off the field. 

“He’s a prototypical great teammate, he’s going to lead guys when they need to be led and the way they need to be led,” raved Appling. “He’s proven everyday that he is a whole leader. He’s done a good job communicating with the coaches, there is a bridge between the underclassmen and the coaches. He understands the situation he’s been in and has been able to learn from that. He’s definitely a lead by example kind of guy.”

Pope’s character and leadership skills that he displays pay dividends for his high school football program, and he has been a viable asset setting the standard for the program top to bottom, and that character was built at home.

“His parents don’t take anything other than his best effort and we don’t as well,” stated Appling. “Getting into a school like Notre Dame, he’ll do well fitting in with that high level of expectation for the classroom and the football field.”

Pope is expected to make his commitment at some point this summer, after he has completed his official visits. The first weekend of June he visited North Carolina and he will be in Columbus visiting the Ohio State University this weekend. He also will visit Alabama the final weekend of June.

His experience with the recruiting process has been exciting and nonstop. He’s gotten to know the Irish defensive staff very well and has developed strong relationships with them as the months have gone by.

“He talks to them at least once a week," said Appling. "He (Pope) was talking to me about a scheme and how he would fit in. He talks to them on a regular basis.”

Pope is clearly a player the Notre Dame coaches covet, and he's a player the staff is making a hard push to land in the 2022 class.

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