Notre Dame football recruiting: Weishar’s wish comes true
CHICAGO - As a high school junior, Nic Weishar made a point to tell his mother one of his goals for 2013.
Sitting at the annual Chicago All-Area banquet hosted by Tom Lemming and NCSA Athletic Recruiting a year ago, Weishar told his mom that his name would be the one called as the 2013 Tom Lemming Prep Football Report Player of the Year.
On Wednesday night at Soldier Field, Weishar’s prediction came true. In a ceremony at the United Club, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound tight end became the 12th Notre Dame bound recruit to win the award.
“That was one of my goals,” Weishar said. “I was looking at that list on the program. The list is pretty unbelievable. It's awesome to be a part of that list.”
Weishar, who caught 86 passes for 1,044 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior at Marist High School, beat out five other local seniors recognized at the banquet. That group included Notre Dame linebacker target Nyles Morgan, Northwestern running back commit Justin Jackson and Ohio State defensive lineman commit Dylan Thompson.
“This is pretty unbelievable,” Weishar said. “Just sitting with those other five guys who are up here, those are some of the best players in the state. To win this award is very humbling and I couldn't be more proud of it.”
Other former Notre Dame players to win the award include Tom Zbikowski, Oliver Gibson and Chris Zorich.
On Thursday, Weishar hosted Irish head coach Brian Kelly and tight ends coach Scott Booker for an in-home visit. Weishar lost his lead recruiter from Notre Dame when Chuck Martin left for Miami of Ohio on Tuesday, but he remains committed to Irish.
“Obviously I had a great relationship with him, so I'm sad to see him to go, but I'm happy he did what's best for him and his family,” Weishar said. “It was a good decision for him to make.”
Weishar’s senior season ended in late November after a 9-4 season and an impressive run to the Class 8A state semifinals. Marist lost to eventual state champion Naperville Central.
“The previous three years when I was on the varsity team, we lost in the first round,” Weishar said. “To go out that way with a bang, I'm definitely going to remember that for the rest of my life."
Weishar, who also plays basketball at Marist, intends to sign with Notre Dame in February.
Boykin waiting patiently
Junior wide receiver Miles Boykin made an unofficial visit to Notre Dame for the BYU game in late November, but now he’s waiting to find out his future as a potential Irish recruit.
Boykin, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound, holds offers from a handful of schools including Michigan State, Wisconsin, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech and Illinois. He remains interested in Notre Dame following a junior season at Providence Catholic in which he caught 51 passes for 730 yards and 13 touchdowns.
"I was having pretty good communication with them until Chuck Martin left,” Boykin said. “I was talking to him about once a week.”
Boykin has yet to be offered a scholarship by the Irish coaching staff.
Irish hosting elite prospects
A pair of prospects will make their way to Notre Dame on Friday for the penultimate recruiting weekend of the year.
Senior tight end Dalton Schultz will travel from South Jordan, Utah, for an official visit. The 6-foot-6, 235-pound prospect ranks as the top tight end in the country according to 247Sports, ESPN and Scout. Rivals ranks Schultz as the No. 2 tight end.
Junior center Tristen Hoge will also visit campus on an unofficial visit. The 6-foot-5, 285-pound prospect hails from Pocatello, Idaho. Both Tom Lemming and 247Sports rank Hoge as the No. 1 center prospect in the 2015 class.
Hoge last visited Notre Dame for the USC game in October. After the visit, Hoge told the Tribune he came close to committing to the Irish but wanted to follow through on a visit to Florida in late November.
