Notre Dame added his second ESPN 300 commitment in as many days on Saturday when attacking lineman Rocco Spindler announced his commitment to the Irish.
Spindler chose Notre Dame over Michigan, LSU, Ohio State and Penn State, and said while all schools provided him with an excellent opportunity, Notre Dame felt differently.
“It felt just like home when I was on campus every time. It’s close to home, everything that goes in there, my parents will root for me every step of the way,” Spindler said. “This was not only my own decision, it was also for my family. I love the coaching staff, they can develop me on the field, get me on Saturdays, bring me to the NFL, for an enormous playing crowd and have that relationship also from the field. “
A 6-foot-4, 260-pound guard from Clarkston High School in Clarkston, Michigan, Spindler is the No. 64 prospect in the ESPN 300 and the No. 3 ranked prospect in the state of Michigan.
His teammate, ESPN 300 attacking lineman Garrett Dellinger, is the no. 2 recruited in the state and chose LSU. The state’s top prospect, defensive tackle Damon Payne, recently assigned to Alabama, leaving Michigan without its top three recruits in the state.
Spindler is the top guard in the class and has football in his blood. His father, Marc Spindler, was once a recreation of the blue chip and was the defensive player of USA Today of the year in 1986. The older Spindler appeared on the cover of the Sports Today section of USA Today with Emmitt Smith, who was the offensive player of the year.
Marc Spindler played for Pitt and eventually in the NFL as a defensive tackle and got the chance to travel his son on a similar path.
“To see how he walks, I do not mean to walk in my footsteps, but to walk in the footsteps I once walked, and to have a better understanding of what it costs, you sit there like a father and it’s a balance of being very proud but also very humble, “said Marc Spindler. “He did not have many questions in our sit-down; I think he may have heard me talk about certain things to look for with education, life after football, networking and then if you are lucky enough to be developed to playing Saturday and a step further than that, got the chance to play past. He took that information and went on his own way with it. “
Marc and his wife, Rochelle, have told all their children that education is important because at some point the ball will stop kicking and their time in athletics will be over. Rocco took that to heart and waited for that in his decision, which is partly why he chose Notre Dame.
“At Notre Dame you can win a national championship on the field, but I believe you can also be in the class and that’s a big part of it,” said Rocco Spindler.
His relationship with offensive line coach Jeff Quinn and head coach Brian Kelly was also taken into account in his decision. While he felt comfortable with the other coaches at the schools on his top list, Notre Dame was where he felt most at home.
“Coach Quinn, he’s one of the top guys to develop boys from small schools, two- and three-star boys now to national NFL boys,” Spindler said. “He really cares about my family and not just me as a footballer, but me as a person. Coach Kelly, I believe he will not go anywhere soon, and I know there are rumors, but I believe he is not.”
Those relationships helped push Notre Dame over the top and Spindler joins linebacker Prince Kollie of Jonesborough, Tennessee, as the two commiters of ESPN 300 this week for the Irish. In total, Notre Dame now has eight ESPN 300 class assurances and 17 total appearances. Before Spindler was assigned, Notre Dame had the No. 15 ranked class overall.
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