Yet, the defensive end out of Lake Catholic High School in Mentor, Ohio is very familiar with the Irish coach and his recent progress.
As it turns out, the junior was a common spectator at Nippert Stadium.
“I didn't have any at all,” Hounshell said of contact with Brian Kelly when he was the Cincinnati head coach. “But I went to a lot of their games this year just to see how they were doing and everything and they did was absolutely great and I liked what Brian Kelly did so that's another big reason for Notre Dame.”
Even now, Hounshell hasn’t spoken with Notre Dame’s assistants.
However, the 6-foot-6 Lake Catholic product has been receiving plenty of mail from the Irish program.
One person the Irish staff has contacted is Mike Bell, Hounshell’s head coach with the Lake Catholic Cougars.
“I haven't talked to my recruiting coach yet from Notre Dame,” he said on Wednesday. “They've contacted my head coach, but I didn't get his card yet. I'm planning on going to their Junior Day coming up.”
As a result, a Notre Dame scholarship offer is not yet in the fold for Hounshell, but one could be in the works. Currently, the Irish coaches are reviewing the junior’s tape.
“I know that they've been looking at my highlight film,” Hounshell said. I don't know if they want to see more film or not. So I have to get in contact with my coach very soon.”
Come March 20th, the defensive end will be one of the many prospects expected to make it into South Bend for the biggest recruiting weekend of the new staff’s tenure at Notre Dame thus far.
“This is going to be my first time at Notre Dame,” Hounshell said.
Hounshell does hold seven offers, including ones from Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Ohio, Toledo, UCF and Vanderbilt.
If the Irish do eventually offer, they would quickly move up his list of favorites.
“They would definitely be at the top for sure,” Hounshell said. “I'm a big Notre Dame fan, so they would definitely be in the top three.”
Although the defensive end only holds one offer from a BCS conference program, many more are starting to show interest in Hounshell’s services.
In particular, two Big Ten teams are catching the junior’s eye.
“I also like Ohio State,” Hounshell said. “I just went there yesterday so I'm a big fan of Ohio State. And Penn State, I'm planning on going to their camp and I'm going to their Junior Day, so I'm a big fan of Penn State as well.”
In terms of the Irish program, there are a number of aspects working in Notre Dame’s favor. Besides Brian Kelly’s recent track record of success, Hounshell is aware of the program’s prestige and history.
“I think number one is tradition,” he said. “Everything about the tradition at Notre Dame is huge. Also, the new coaching staff they brought with Brian Kelly from Cincinnati so that's going to be good.”
One issue that Kelly has not shied away from in his first full recruiting effort is the need at defensive end. With a number of offers already out to other potential targets at the position, Hounshell feels that he can provide certain unique features to the defense that he ends up picking.
“I think my size is a big deal,” he said. “I'm not your average defensive end. I'm more of a bigger guy. 6-6, 255, and still gaining weight, so I think I'm strong and I'll be able to stop the run pretty well.”
In the end, Hounshell is well aware of what he wants in his future college. Before deciding, the junior defensive end wants to analyze the other players in the program that may be ahead of him in experience.
Most of all, Chase Hounshell just wants to be involved.
“A big thing is going to be playing time,” he said. “Who is graduating? Who is in front of me? Who else are they recruiting that's coming in with me? And whether they see me as a playmaker and a role maker on the team.”
