Al Washington Is A Perfect Fit For Notre Dame
Defensive line coach Al Washington played at Boston College, which is somewhat of a rival to Notre Dame, and his last two stops were at Ohio State and Michigan, which are also rivals to some degree with the Irish.
Despite those past stops, there is no doubt that Washington is the perfect for Notre Dame, and his transition should be quite smooth. I mean, ultimately it's in his blood.
"I have always had a respect for Notre Dame going back to even when I was in school. I went to Boston College, Notre Dame was always like that standard," Washington explained before diving into his familial connection to South Bend. "I have family ties here, so I’ve always .... held it in high regard.
"My great uncle Dick Arrington was the first African-American All-American (at Notre Dame)," continued Washington. "I have family in town. I’ve always felt Notre Dame was the tip of the spear."
When Washington interviewed and then arrived at Notre Dame he felt right at home and was treated like family, which certainly played a role in his decision.
"The biggest thing for me was the people," Washington noted. "The people – how everybody took time to really inquire about who you were as a person, that was big. I think that’s something that stands out to me in my short time being here and even through the process of evaluating where I am going next. That was a big factor, the people that are here. They’ve left a great impression. It has been good."
Of course, there is one person who had the greatest impact on Washington's decision. That would be head coach Marcus Freeman.
"I think that was huge," Washington said of Freeman's role in his decision to come to Notre Dame. "Listen, Marcus, outside of football and how talented he is as a leader, he’s a good human being, he’s a good person. Like I said, I’ve been fortunate to be around a lot of good human beings and people, but for a guy like Marcus who I know and respect well, that definitely was a big factor in it. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t. He’s a person that played a major role."
Washington's comments and the fact Freeman put together such an outstanding first staff shows the first-year Notre Dame head coach is as good at recruiting coaches as he is at recruiting student-athletes.
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