As the Notre Dame coaching staff evaluated film of 2014 prospects over the past few weeks, the Irish came to the decision that they were going to offer at least one legacy prospect.
On Wednesday, Notre Dame talked to 6-foot-6, 290-pound Tennessee offensive lineman Alex Bars and his coach at Montgomery Bell Academy, Marty Euverard, to extend the offer.
“They just think he’s a great player and wanted to offer him,” Euverard said of the Irish.
Notre Dame is added to an offer list that already included Stanford, Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State, Tennessee, LSU, Florida, Florida State, Vanderbilt, Virginia, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Nebraska and Georgia among several others.
“He had a great year last year,” his coach said. “He’s a big kid. He’s a legit 6-6-plus. He’s got great feet. He’s a really good athlete to be as big as he is, I think that’s the biggest thing.”
Bars' father was a linebacker for Notre Dame in the early 1980s and he has one brother playing at Michigan and another at Penn State right now.
“I’m sure it helps,” Euverard said of Bars’ family history. “He’s got a lot of brothers that play and his dad played, so I’m sure it helps.”
He also thinks the Notre Dame offer may be a little different than the others considering it’s his father’s alma mater.
“He’s excited,” Euverard said. “He’s excited about Notre Dame and of course all of the offers he has.
“He’s pretty quiet about everything. He’s a very humble kid, taking it all in stride. He doesn’t give any indication of where he’s going to school or anything, but I’m sure that means a lot to him.”
Recruiting isn’t Bell’s first focus right now though as he’s playing for the Montgomery Bell basketball squad that’s in the state semifinals this weekend.
“He’s a good kid. He’s a humble kid. He likes sports, likes to compete. He’s a great student, just an all-around kid.”
