Irish Pick Up 5-Star TE Ben Koyack
Brian Kelly picked up the first 5-star recruit recruit of his Notre Dame career on Monday when tight end Ben Koyack became the 8th member of the class of 2011.
Koyack (6-5, 230 lbs, 4.6) picked Notre Dame over a host of elite programs all who offered the talented tight end. Boston College, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, USC, Virginia Tech, and Wisconsin all extended offers to the Pennsylvania native.
ESPN Chicago’s Wes Morgan spoke with the 5-star talent on Monday. Here’s a little of what he had to say.
“Just the offense he runs, and he seems like a guy I can trust,” said Koyack, who has 4.6 speed in the 40-yard dash. “I definitely believe what he says. [The previous staff] started off saying they had a lot of interest, and then I kind of lost touch with them. When Brian Kelly took over, I mean, I watched his offense at Cincinnati so I knew I had to check it out.
Advertisement“A week before [I signed] I narrowed it down to Notre Dame and Ohio State. When I went [to South Bend], I just kind of fell in love.”
Koyack also referred to Notre Dame as “Tight End U” – a tradition his commitment continues.
Most draft experts are predicting that Kyle Rudolph could be a 1st round pick in the 2011 with a breakout season in 2010. Because of this, it was imperative that Notre Dame land an elite, pass catching tight end in this class – Koyack’s commitment ensures that.
Koyack is a big target at 6’5″ that runs very well for a big man. In just seven games in 2009, he caught 43 passes for 748 yards and 7 touchdowns.
His speed is on display in the scouting video below.
[youtube]iYcHzh9UKSA[/youtube]
While it’s still very early, some of the recruiting concerns that many expressed with the new staff seem to be fading pretty fast with Kelly and staff securing verbal commitments from top rated talents like Koyack at a rapid pace.
Koyack is the fourth commitment since the Blue/Gold game joining Conor Hanratty, Jarrett Grace, and Tony Springmann.
Frank Vitovitch has been Co-Owner and Editor in Chief of UHND.com since joining forces with Kyle Flavin in 1999. Since that time, he has written over 2,000 articles covering Notre Dame football, recruiting, and basketball. He also works with all staff and external writers on all articles published on UHND.com. Frank's love for Notre Dame football started at a young age watching Rocket Ismail give opposing coaches ulcers in the late 1980's. By day Frank works in marketing and holds a degree in Digital Media from Drexel University. Frank's work has been cited by online/print editions of NBC Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated and has been quoted on air by ESPN's Collin Cowherd. He's conducted interviews with Notre Dame legends Rocket Ismail, Randy Kinder, Lee Becton, Reggie Brooks, Michael Stonebreaker, and Ned Bolcar among others over his 20+ years of covering Notre Dame football. He's also been published in the print edition of USA Today Sports Weekly and the USA Today College Football Preview multiple times. Other Published Works/Citations for Frank Three Reasons Notre Dame Will Beat Alabama - USA Today Notre Dame Suspends WR Kevin Stepherson, RB C.J. Holmes Indefinitely - Bleacher Report Notre Dame / Ohio State Fiesta Bowl Preview - Eleven Warriors Brace Yourself: The Fighting Irish are Relevant Again - Sports on Earth Interviews with the Enemy: A Q&A with Frank Vitovitch of UHND - Yahoo! Sports Five Good Minutes: Notre Dame Football Preview With UHND.com - BC Interruption Vicious Electronic Questioning with UHND - MGO Blog
I played with the Kid…
He is a total BEAST!!!!!
That play were he was triple covered was amazing, can’t wait to see him in the gold helmet on Saturdays. Go Irish !!!
Talented kid.
6’5 running an end around…….HOLY SHIT!!!!!!
And, he’s mauling linebackers and d’ends on running plays……..HOLY SHIT!!!
this guy’s a monster!! in one of those plays, i seen three guys covering him, and he still managed to catch the ball! i feel this guy could be a game changer and a guy that can open up the run game big time! with his blocks, or catching ability, he sure will amke an impact at ND
I have played football with hi this past year and to let you all know he is a beast and hard to cover it was a blast playing with him and i won’t forget the experience i have had with him
ive seen a lot of highschool talent…. and this kid blows my mind. College size and speed in highschool, while playing both side of the ball. These type of kids are the future of Notre Dame.
Recruiting was my biggest concern with Kelly. So far he is proving me wrong and I have never been so excited to be wrong!
Go Irish, keep the train a rollin…….