Andrew Trumbetti has already picked up offers from Boston College, Rutgers and Florida International.
“It’s pretty awesome,” said the 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive end/tight end from Demarest High School (Demarest, N.J.)
“I try not to let it get to my head because I still have to play my junior season and work hard. It’s pretty exciting though.”
Trumbetti is also receiving interest from schools like Stanford, Penn State, Virginia, Maryland and Notre Dame.
“Stanford came in the other day and there’s a bunch of schools,” he said. “It’s pretty awesome to know that I’m getting attention from them.”
Irish defensive coordinator Bob Diaco recruits New Jersey for Notre Dame and has been in touch.
“He’s talked to a coach of mine,” Trumbetti said. “He just told me to come up to the camp and he’s going to be watching me and he’ll know I’m there.”
Trumbetti camped at Notre Dame last summer and says, “I’m definitely going back. It was awesome. It was amazing.”
Trumbetti’s affection for Notre Dame goes back a long way.
“I’ve been a Notre Dame fan my whole life,” he said. “I basically know all of the history and everything about it. It’s a great football school and it’s just a great school in general.”
He’s ready to return to South Bend this summer with something to prove.
“I just know I have to work because if I want to go there, I have to show them that I can play,” he said.
An offer from the Irish would make a major impact on his recruitment.
“That would probably be the best day of my whole life,” he admitted. “I’ve been a Notre Dame my whole life and I’ve dreamed of playing for them.”
That doesn’t necessarily mean a commitment would immediately follow.
“I’m not really sure,” he said. “It all depends. They’d definitely be my number one school, but I wouldn’t want to burn any bridges.”
Trumbetti will be looking for a couple of things when evaluating colleges.
“Academics and definitely a team that could hopefully win a national championship, which is probably my biggest goal,” he said.
Trumbetti likes getting after it on defense, but some schools see him as an offensive player.
“Some are recruiting me as a tight end, some as an athlete and some as defensive end,” he said. “I’m not really sure what each school wants me to play.”
Trumbetti believes his attitude is one of his biggest strengths.
“How bad I want,” he said. “I want to be one of the best players in the country if not the best defensive end in the country. I’ve always been a hard worker.”
