Nagel on Notre Dame Commitment

Notre Dame secured their second verbal commitment in the Class of 2007 when Lemont, Ill., athlete Aaron Nagel gave Charlie Weis and the Fighting Irish his word that he’ll sign a National Letter-of-Intent next February. Nagel told Scout.com that the Notre Dame offer took him off guard.

“I really wasn’t expecting it,” Aaron Nagel said.

“I went to Notre Dame with my dad for an unofficial visit because Coach (Rob) Ianello had called me and told me that Coach Weis wanted to get a feel for me and where I was at in the recruiting process.

“I was told that there wouldn’t be an offer. When we got to Notre Dame, we sat in Coach Weis’s office and he told me that he doesn’t offer prospects that are projected at a position that they have never played.

“They want me to play linebacker and I haven’t played that position. Coach Weis ended up leaving the room for a little bit and when he came back he told me that he wanted to pull the trigger and he offered me a scholarship.

“I was completely floored. My dad gave me a big hug and Coach Weis kind of laughed because he thought my dad was more excited about the offer than I was. I didn’t commit on the spot because we wanted to go home and tell my mom.

“When I told my mom that Notre Dame had offered me a scholarship, she started to cry. I think it was a few hours after that when I called and committed.” Before committing to Notre Dame, Nagel had a dozen scholarship offers on the table. Aaron is arguably the top prospect in the Land of Lincoln and he’ll be a top selection in the Midwest “Hot 100” in 2006 as well.

Why did Nagel have more than a dozen scholarship offers in March?

It’s a combination of factors, including versatility, talent, and toughness and most importantly, he’s a tremendous student and leader.

Nagel doesn’t come off the football field, he’ plays tailback on offense, which is a position that he played for the first time this past year and he plays safety on defense. Aaron has a motor like the energizer bunny and that can be attributed to a career in wrestling.

“Coach Weis says he sees me being a 230-pound outside linebacker.” Nagel said.

“Positions really weren’t brought up in our meetings and to tell you the truth, I was kind of numb. I’ve been a Notre Dame fan my whole life. I was always in love with the academics and the tradition of the football team. This is definitely a dream come true.”

This isn’t over yet Irish fans. This won’t be the last time you hear or see the name Nagel on the recruiting scene. Aaron has a younger brother, Brett, who is a sophomore that started at linebacker for Lemont this past season.

Brett Nagel is just about 6-4 and he weighs 205-pounds and he should be just as highly recruited as his older brother. Oh yea, Brett also has a younger brother and he’s pretty well also. Stay Tuned!