Offensive Lineman Joe Otting's Recruitment Is Starting To Heat Up
When Notre Dame extended a scholarship offer to Topeka (Kan.) Hayden offensive lineman Joe Otting earlier this month, it took many fans off guard, wondering if this was a precursor for a recruiting loss or a backup plan. It seemed, for most, to pop up out of nowhere.
In reality, this was a target who the Notre Dame staff had been doing their homework on for some time now. According to Hayden football coach Bill Arnold, Notre Dame first reached out to him last Thanksgiving about Otting.
“The initial conversation was basically that the staff liked him but also wanted to see if he could keep his commitment open until they had a chance to see him in person,” Coach Arnold explained.
The gist of the delay was that the staff wanted a chance to see assess his body type, check the other boxes and put him through a bit of “the eye test.” While an offer was not extended immediately, that groundwork began after that initial conversation with Arnold.
“From that initial conversation, Notre Dame has kept contact with Joe and that has heated up since Coach Harry Hiestand was out to see him,” Arnold explained. “Coach Tommy Rees was also out to see Otting last week. He did a fantastic job during that visit selling the vision for Joe.”
Otting obviously passed the eye test and was extended an offer from Hiestand. That is why Rees followed up with a visit to check in on Otting. There is clear interest in him from the Notre Dame offensive staff.
Arnold believes that Iowa is the other major competitor for Otting currently. When the Hawkeyes extended the offer to the Kansas standout, it was one that meant a lot to him. From that moment, things have begun heating up a bit from a recruiting perspective.
“A lot of schools have done a great job,” Otting explained. “I'd say Kansas State, Iowa and Iowa State have done a good job as well as Notre Dame. I’m hoping to be done with (the recruiting process) in the summer.”
As for Joe, he has really enjoyed getting to know Hiestand. He is excited to continue to develop a deeper relationship and already has plans to get back to South Bend in the future.
“I went up to a game day visit last year when they played Georgia Tech,” said Otting. “I plan on going back up there and visiting them on June 4th for camp and definitely an official.”
The attraction to Notre Dame makes a lot of sense from varying viewpoints. Arnold himself was very complimentary of what the Irish program stands for. He even said that he tries to emulate the “blue and gold” with his own program.
As for Otting’s overall interest in the Notre Dame program, Coach Arnold left us with a fascinating question, “What Catholic school kid doesn’t want to play for Notre Dame?”
Otting doesn’t boast a massive offer list but the quality of prospective schools is what stands out. Aside from the recent offer from the Irish, Iowa, Baylor, Iowa State, Minnesota, Kansas State, Nebraska and Kansas are a few of the notable offers currently.
He remains extremely underrated from a recruiting ranking perspective. Otting sits as a consensus three-star across the board.
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