If Tommy Mister calls you “crazy” don’t take it as an insult. The 2014 Notre Dame recruit uses his favorite word to describe things that are awesome, cool, astounding, and in this case, his trip to South Bend last weekend to see the Irish battle Michigan.
“I’d have to say the intensity of the fans” Mister said when asked what impressed him the most. “They were going crazy. I also liked meeting Jerome Bettis and Ryan Grant on the sidelines – that was crazy. I was not expecting to meet Jerome Bettis – “The Bus” – that was just crazy.”
The 6-foot, 200-pounder had his expectations exceeded almost every moment of the night, making him wonder if what he was watching was real or pure Hollywood.
“I expected it to be jacked to the nines with people everywhere and loud,” Mister stated. “But I was not expecting it to be like something you’d see in a movie. I was expecting something huge, but not that huge.”
As for the crowd, the Richards High School star was in awe over the number of fans from across the nation who were in attendance to watch the game.
“People from all over were there,” Mister said. “I talked to this one dude from Florida who used to go to Reavis High School (Burbank, Ill.) - they had a huge rivalry with my high school. Everybody from anywhere was at the game – it was crazy. I was also surprised how many ND fans knew who I was.”
One group of fans the Oak Lawn, Ill. native didn’t get to meet was his fellow Irish recruits, who just happened to be located in another section of the stadium.
“Actually I didn’t get to meet any other recruits,” Mister explained. “I got there only an hour before kickoff and stood on the sidelines with my coach and teammate. I talked a little bit to Coach Martin too. Plus my seats weren’t by them for some reason – so I didn’t get the chance to talk to any of them.”
Crazy or not, the game itself impressed the athlete/quarterback recruit, but he was looking for a better effort out of the Wolverines.
“Notre Dame’s defense played crazy,” Mister stated. “I really wanted to see Everett Golson do a good job, but they pulled him and still got the win. I was expecting Michigan to come out and play better than what they showed. I thought it was going to be a last possession type game, but Notre Dame won and I’m happy and proud they got the win.”
The Irish have been Mister’s leader for quite some time and it’s obvious they’re going to be difficult to knock from the top spot.
“Notre Dame is still in the lead,” he said. “I’m pretty sure I’m going there 100 percent, but I still want to weigh my options. But don’t be surprised if I commit there. I’m about an 8.5 or nine out of 10 in terms of committing.”
He was almost ready to sign on the dotted line right there and then on Saturday night, but cooler heads prevailed.
“I was pretty close,” Mister explained about whether he was going to commit. “My parents want me to wait and weigh my options and not rush into it right away. Even though all my mom talks about is Notre Dame.”
