2024 OL Robbie Wollan commits to Notre Dame football as a PWO

Robbie Wollan’s shot in the dark came to light on Friday. About a month after the 2024 offensive lineman sent a blind message to Notre Dame football assistant Joe Rudolph, the Mendota Heights (Minn.) St. Thomas Academy senior accepted a walk-on spot on the Fighting Irish roster. Wollan announced the news on social media.

The 6-foot-4, 275-pounded picked the Irish over offers from Presbyterian College, Marist College, Davidson College, Butler University, University of Chicago, Amherst College, Tufts University, Middlebury College, Colby College, St. Thomas Academy, University of Sioux Falls, Valparaiso University, University of Wisconsin River Falls and Carleton College. 

Auburn, Brown, Dartmouth, Navy and Yale also expressed interest. Western Michigan gave him a preferred walk-on (PWO) opportunity. While most of those programs offered intriguing chances to compete, none could top the one to fulfill his lifelong dream of playing football for Notre Dame.

“It’s unbelievable,” Wollan told Blue & Gold on Thursday before making his decision public. “Ever since they reached out, I’m still trying to wrap your head around it. I don’t think it will hit me until I get into that first practice and start playing and banging around. It’s truly unbelievable.” 

How he earned the opportunity might buy him a script in Hollywood. Wollan is an Irish Catholic and grew up a die-hard Notre Dame football fan. His opportunities to play at the next level were exciting. But being a member of the Irish was incomparable.

Wollan applied to Notre Dame as a student. Then, he shot his shot by sending a message about his senior film to Rudolph, ND’s second-year offensive line coach. Rudolph said they would review it, which they did the next day and followed up with an opportunity to walk on with the Irish.

“It’s been a dream since day one,” he said. “To be able to play college football at the next level was always a dream, but I never thought it would be at Notre Dame. I’m extremely lucky and grateful. I know these next four years will be some of the best four years of my life. 

“The coaches are fantastic. They will do great things for me as a person and as a football player. I’m already going to start getting into the plays, and I will work with my strength coach to develop a similar program to get bigger, stronger, and faster into June camp.”

Background on Notre Dame PWO OL Robbie Wollan

Wollan is coming off a senior season that warranted attention from college football programs. He was preseason All-State and named All-District on the offensive line, defensive line and as a long snapper afterward. 

Wollan was a captain on a team that reached the state final. He did not surrender a sack in 201 pass attempts and only gave up one tackle for loss in the run game in 495 plays. 

In the classroom, Wollan is just as accomplished. He has a 4.42 GPA and earned a 34 on the ACT. Receiving admission to Notre Dame should have been no problem, but contributing to the football team helped expedite the process.

Although Wollan grew up a Notre Dame fan, Thursday was his first time on campus. Seeing it for the first time in person was surreal, to say the least. 

“It was everything and more than I expected it to be,” he said. “Between all the facilities, the campus, the residence halls and academic buildings — those were amazing. The football facilities are state of the art. You’re not going to get much better than that anywhere. 

“Seeing the coaches and I met a lot of the 2024 grads who are already down there for spring ball, so it was great meeting them and getting a sense of who will be my brothers for the next couple of years.” 

Over the next four years, Wollan will have plenty of battles with his brothers on the practice field. Still, his main goal is to help his dream school succeed on and off the field.

“I’m going to do everything I can to help the team,” he said. “Whether that’s being a scout guy in my first year, working up the depth chart or signaling plays. I will do anything I can to carve a path for myself.”