Andrew Trumbetti camped at Notre Dame last week with a purpose and the 2014 New Jersey defensive end accomplished his goal of earning an offer from the Irish before he left.
“It's awesome,” said the 6-foot-4, 250-pounder from Demarest High School in Demarest, N.J.
“I knew I could do it. I'm not going to let it get to my head, but I know that I can compete at that level. I'm excited to get on the field and show it during the season. I’m going to have to get out there and give it everything I have.”
Even though Trumbetti, a lifelong Notre Dame fan, knew he was capable of it, he was still stunned to learn the news from Brian Kelly.
“I really didn't expect it,” he said. “When I was with Coach Kelly, it was awesome because I watch him on Saturdays and finally being in the same room as him and having a conversation with him was almost unreal. It was a great day.”
Trumbetti, who also has offers from programs like Boston College, Maryland and Rutgers among others, isn’t ready to make a decision yet, but does have Notre Dame as his firm leader.
“Definitely,” he said. “As of now, they are my number one.”
Tradition is the main reason why the Irish are ahead at this point.
“You don't really realize how much tradition they have until someone explains it to you and you really go there and see it for yourself,” he said.
Trumbetti may have been shocked to see the offer come to fruition, but he did have an idea of what was coming as conversations with Notre Dame defensive line coach Mike Elston seemed to be pointing in that direction.
“The coach kept hinting it to me,” said Trumbetti. “He would say little things that were hinting at it. He started saying those things within the first couple of days and the third day was when I finally got the offer.
“I went on a personal tour of the whole campus with Coach Elston and finally got into Coach Kelly’s office and he formally offered me. He said that they had a scholarship set aside for me. He said all of the coaches were excited and saw what I could do.”
Going into the camp, Trumbetti was excited for the chance to show the Irish staff what he could do and took advantage of the opportunity.
“I was able to go against a couple of offensive linemen in the Class of 2013,” he said. “I did really well against them and really showed them that I could compete with kids at that level. I definitely showed them how I can get off the ball because that was the first thing they noticed about me.”
Trumbetti doesn’t have a timeline for a potential decision.
“I haven't really decided yet,” he said. “When I feel like I'm 100 percent sure where I want to go, that's when I'll make my decision.
“Right now, I want to focus on my team and my team’s goals.”
