AJ Harris’ father, Daniel, has been a Notre Dame fan for over 30 years. It’s safe to say that Mr. Harris being able to go inside all the Irish facilities, meet the entire coaching staff and get a VIP tour of campus made his day, if not his year.
That much was expected going into the visit, though. What may not have been expected was that AJ loved the visit just as much as his father did.
“He was like a little kid in a candy store,” Harris said of his father. “It was fun just to see him so excited, and I matched his excitement. I wasn’t expecting to see what I saw during the visit. It was amazing.
“Notre Dame took me and my family by surprise. We enjoyed every second of that visit. It was definitely crazy to see them in-person. Everyone was genuine, and I loved the feeling of being on Notre Dame’s campus.”
What surprised Harris, who ranks as Rivals’ No. 28 overall prospect and No. 3 cornerback in the 2023 class, so much about Notre Dame?
“Really the coaching staff showing me as much love as they did,” Harris answered. “They had a camp running, but Coach [Mike] Mickens missed half of it to come take pictures of me and talk to us. It showed that I’m really a priority to them. The campus itself was beautiful too and it was so rich in tradition.”
Notre Dame’s biggest pitch to the Phenix City (Ala.) Glenwood standout was what the staff and university can do for him on and off the field.
“I bought into that,” Harris said. “They can prepare to have an amazing job, and I can still have the platform to play top-tier football and compete for a national championship.
“Coach [Brian] Kelly’s pitch is ‘get your degree and win a national championship.’ I really bought into that, and that sounds amazing to me.”
Harris thought highly of the Fighting Irish already with what his father told him about the program, but Harris learned much more about Notre Dame during his Tuesday visit to make the Irish a top contender in his recruitment.
“Coming in, I looked at them as a high academic school that could help me off the field, but I don’t think I was aware of what they could do for me on the field with seeing the statistics of the players they’ve put in the league and things of that nature,” he explained. “Getting to see they produce just as many draft picks as anyone else is big for me.”
Harris holds over 30 offers, which includes the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State and USC.
“They’re in my top three, definitely,” Harris said of Notre Dame. “I like the pitch that they gave to me. It does sound like a long shot because I do live in SEC territory, but what matters most is what a school can do for me on and off the field. I like what Notre Dame can do. Being able to hear their pitch and giving it to me straight is something I loved to hear today.”
Harris will be visiting Ohio State on Wednesday, June 16.
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