Notre Dame’s big recruiting weekend got off to a quick start. The Irish coaching staff accepted the commitment of Florida defensive end Jonathon MacCollister.
MacCollister, a 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive end, was a teammate of Parker Boudreaux on the Florida 5A state champs at Bishop Moore. He had offers from Ohio State, Auburn, Oregon, Clemson and UCLA among others.
He made the news official after arriving on campus in South Bend.
ILL BE HUNTING QB'S FOR THE IRISH☘☘☘ #IRISHEL17E #LUCKYBOYZ☘ #GOIRISH pic.twitter.com/ap3cIVvzub
— JonathonMacCollister (@Bird1386) June 17, 2016
Some programs are looking at MacCollister as a tight end. Notre Dame sees him as a potential strong-side defensive end, with Keith Gilmore and Brian VanGorder looking at him as a potential replacement for Isaac Rochell.
But if you’re looking for a good reason to like, MacCollister, he gave the following quote to Matt Freeman of IrishSportsDaily.com.
“It means everything to me,” MacCollister told ISD. “At the end of the day, I am using football. I am not letting football use me. I am using football to get a free education. A degree from Notre Dame is using football to benefit myself. I can’t even lie about that.”
MacCollister is another front seven addition to the 2017 class, joining linebackers David Adams, Drew White and Peter Werner and defensive lineman Kurt Hinish. He is commitment No. 11 in the class.