2024 TE target Jack Larsen was ‘inspired’ during Notre Dame visit
Charlotte (N.C.) Catholic class of 2024 tight end Jack Larsen visited Notre Dame last July for a camp and returned to watch the Fighting Irish knock off North Carolina last October. But a lot has changed since those two visits.
Notre Dame has a new head coach in Marcus Freeman. Former tight ends coach John McNulty took a new position at Boston College and Freeman replaced him with Gerad Parker, who was West Virginia’s offensive coordinator.
And Larsen didn’t hold an offer from Notre Dame during either of those trips. But he picked up the good news from the Irish staff last month and was back in South Bend this Tuesday.
“It was great to meet Coach [Gerad] Parker for the first time in person,” Larsen said. “I really enjoyed getting to know him and his approach to the game. Also, talking with Coach Freeman and Coach [Tommy] Rees was great. I met them last summer but really got to spend some time with them on this visit.
“Talking with Coach Freeman and Coach Rees about the direction of the program was really inspiring. I also sat in the tight end position meeting with Coach Parker and the players, which was great. That tight end room is elite, and it was cool to hear them break down plays and responsibilities for each play.”
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The Notre Dame staff raved about Larsen in their conversations with him.
“The coaches feel I can be an impact player,” Larsen said. “They said my route running skills and speed are big differentiators for me. I definitely plan to come back up this fall for a game. I’m still working on scheduling but we’ll get something on the calendar for sure.”
Larsen stressed how important academics are to his recruitment, and that’s an area where Notre Dame is able to shine.
“This was my third trip to Notre Dame and, every time I come here, I learn something new and get reminded about how special this place is,” Larsen explained. “We were able to spend some time with the academic director, Adam Sargent, who was great. Academics are a huge part of my decision so getting an understanding of what it’s like to be a student here helped a lot.”
Larsen’s recruitment will only continue to heat up with the spring evaluation period beginning Friday. He’s racked up offers from Alabama, Michigan, Florida State, Tennessee and Notre Dame since March, and more offers are surely on their way.
“I’ve been visiting a lot of schools for spring practices to help determine where I spend my time this summer and in the fall, so the schedule is wide open for now,” Larsen added about upcoming visits. “We’ll have to wait and see.”
The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) gives North Carolina State an early lead at 30.6 percent. Notre Dame is running second at 26.8 percent.
Larsen does not have an On3 Consensus ranking yet.
