Blue chip tight end Tyler Luatua committed to Notre Dame Monday morning, continuing a whirlwind of action on the recruiting front for the Irish. Luatua, from La Mirada, California, picked Notre Dame over Alabama, where his brother plays football.
Other schools that offered the 6-foot-4, 235-pounder include Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, UCLA and USC among others. Luatua is the second tight end in the class, joining Nic Weishar, and the 22nd member of a group that’s getting full in a hurry.
I'm officially committed to the University of Notre Dame🍀🍀🍀 #GoldenArmy14 #GoIrish
— Tyler Luatua (@Luatua13) December 16, 2013
Landing Luatua was no small feat for Brian Kelly, West Coast recruiter Mike Denbrock and position coach Scott Booker. Luatua took an official visit to Alabama where his brother Isaac is an offensive guard, and according to Irish Illustrated’s Jake Brown ($), thought long and hard about both schools.
“My final two was Notre Dame and Alabama,” Luatua told Irish Illustrated. “I changed my decision these last few weeks. I was going to Notre Dame then going to Alabama. I talked to my family about it and they said I’d have better chances at Notre Dame and I fit in with their offense. It was just talking to my parents this past week and my family too.”
Fit in the offense seems to be a key factor that pushed in Notre Dame’s favor. After watching Kyle Rudolph, Tyler Eifert and now Troy Niklas and Ben Koyack put up productive numbers, Luatua felt like the Irish offered him the best opportunity to make an impact.
“Alabama is a great school, but they use their tight ends differently and I just wasn’t going to be as happy there like I felt at Notre Dame,” Luatua told BlueandGold.com. “I got a lot of respect for that school, but it’s not the best fit for me.”