FIW Exclusive: Interview with Notre Dame ‘21 commit Pat Coogan

Our very own Michael Chen checks in with Notre Dame 2021 commit Pat Coogan as he updates his weird offseason and what’s next for him.

The lone state in the Midwest where fall high school football isn’t being played in the fall is Illinois. So, Michael Chen decided to check in with one of Notre Dame’s Illinois commits, offensive lineman Pat Coogan, on what his future holds before he arrives to South Bend. Check out our interview as we discuss what Coogan has been doing preparing for a spring season, the process of getting the coveted Irish offer and his ensuing commitment, a potential pipeline from Illinois to Notre Dame and much more.

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Rees behind recruitment of ‘23 WR Tate

Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees has been leading the charge of 2023 Illinois star wide receiver Carnell Tate.

When Tommy Rees was elevated to offensive coordinator prior to the Irish’s Camping World Bowl game, many wondered how the former Notre Dame signal caller would do calling games and behind the scenes with recruiting.

The jury is still out on Rees’ play calling but he was instrumental in the recruitment of Tyler Buchner, who at the time had yet to be elevated to his new position when he committed. Rees has also been credited with offensive guard Rocco Spindler, wide receiver Lorenzo Styles Jr., and tight end’s Cane Berrong and Mitchell Evans as a major factor in their recruitments. For the 2022 class, Rees has already made a big impact with instate tackle Joey Tanona commitment.

Looking one more class ahead to 2023, Rees is putting his stamp on Illinois wide receiver Carnell Tate. Tate was interviewed by Fighting Irish Wire, and he let us know that Rees has been leading the charge in his recruitment.

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“Tommy Rees reached out to me, I’ve seen him before like right after our season, in the hallways at school. We talked a little,” is what Tate told me. A freshman with the talent that Tate has sure got Rees’ attention and the ensuing offer was made.

Tate is looking for a place that feels like home, and hopefully when Tate gets a chance to visit South Bend it reminds him of Marist High School (a private Catholic school). Tate did mention he could commit early, but is going to “be patient with his commitment.”

The sophomore is working hard to get better and that’s a very scary for opposing defenses. Tate wants to get a few more offers as he said Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama and Penn State are some he would like to get in the future. If he continues his current trajectory, Tate will have those offers in hand shortly. Hopefully, it won’t matter and we will see Tate wearing Blue and Gold in the future with Rees leading his recruitment.

WATCH FIW Exclusive: Interview with Carnell Tate

Notre Dame offered ‘23 star wide receiver Carnell Tate and our own Mike Chen got a chance to speak with him about the Irish offer.

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The Notre Dame staff seemingly was focused to get started on the 2022 recruiting class on Tuesday, the first day the NCAA allowed teams to expand contact to direct messages, text messages and mailers. That didn’t stop them from looking even farther ahead and an offer went out to Illinois wide receiver Carnell Tate.

Carnell is an exceptional young man, with a very bright future ahead of him. He is going to be one of the most sought after receivers in the 2022 class, picking up yet another offer from West Virginia yesterday. I got the chance to speak with the Tate yesterday, check out the interview above.

 

Notre Dame: O-Line U Lands an Offensive Line Commitment

Notre Dame landed a commitment Wednesday evening from offensive tackle Pat Coogan from Marist High School on Chicago’s South Side. Coogan is rated as a three-star talent on 247Sports and the 36th best tackle in the 2021 class.

Notre Dame landed a commitment Wednesday evening from offensive tackle Pat Coogan from Marist High School on Chicago’s South Side. Coogan is rated as a three-star talent on 247Sports and the 36th best tackle in the 2021 class.

Coogan is listed at 6-5, 275 pounds and chose Notre Dame relatively quickly after receiving a scholarship offer on March 26. Shortly after Notre Dame’s offer was made the likes of LSU, Ohio State and Oklahoma quickly followed suit.

Coogan announced his commitment on Twitter and shared an image of himself years ago cheering on the blue and gold of the Fighting Irish.

The best guess is that Coogan plays on the interior in college but that’s a bridge to cross down the road.  For now it’s pretty cool to see a young man get to live out what seems to have been a childhood dream. It’s also worth noting I’m fairly sure you’re not allowed to play college football anywhere but Notre Dame with a name like Pat Coogan.

Congrats to him and his family on this commitment.