Notre Dame Was An "Eye Opening" Experience For Dynamic Wide Receiver Taeshaun Lyons
Notre Dame's board for uncommitted players in the 2023 class is very, very small, and the Irish staff got a chance to impress one of the newest, yet most important targets. That would be Hayward (Calif.) Tennyson star wide receiver Taeshaun Lyons, who watched the Irish take on California this past weekend as part of his official visit to Notre Dame.
Lyons was a relatively unknown not that long ago, which included when Notre Dame offered him in early August. A dominant senior season has caused his stock to rise, from both a rankings standpoint and in regard to offers. He now ranks as the No. 129 overall player in the country according to On3, and he quickly became a very important recruit for the Irish staff.
Things had been trending incredibly well between the two sides prior to the visit, and this recent trip did nothing to compromise that budding relationship.
"It was a really eye opening experience for me,” Lyons said. "I don’t think it could have really gone any better. There wasn’t anything that I wanted to see but didn’t. Academics, the campus, the players, coaches, it really had everything.”
Lyons has a personal connection to the Notre Dame program, being the cousin of current Irish defensive back TaRiq Bracey. With that “early in”, the staff has worked hard to sell the future of the program and Lyons’ potential fit. His bond with one Notre Dame coach in particular has grown into something special.
"Coach (Chansi) Stuckey is a really great guy,” noted Lyons. "He’s really the total package, great leader, great teacher and a family man. He’s just really authentic and real.
"I love how he teaches the position,” Lyons continued. “When I sat in the meeting, it wasn’t just teaching by telling. He would get up and demonstrate exactly what he wanted from the technique. It’s that type of attention to detail.”
With the recent visit and relationship with Stuckey, it’s easy to see why it seems like Notre Dame has distanced themselves as the favorite for Lyons. A cut down is coming, and the Irish faithful should expect for Notre Dame to make the updated list.
"I am probably going to put out a top eight schools list sometime this week,” stated Lyons. "I was planning on doing it last week but with some schools still coming into the picture, I wanted to wait a little bit.”
That new list will be a huge step until making a final decision. It is already dwindling down and the Irish staff is ready to try and close.
"As far as the timeline goes, I was planning on trying to make a decision later in October,” Lyons explained. "There’s always a chance that it could end sooner though. When I know, I will know and I won’t delay it.
“There are some other schools who are coming in late but I don’t want to let things drag on,” he continued. "I’m in the head space that I want to really start narrowing down schools and finding the best fit for me.”
Lyons is a well spoken and respectful young man who seems to have it all together at such a young age. When he laid out the things that he is really looking for, it’s hard to ignore how natural of a fit that Notre Dame would be.
"Football is always going to be there,” said Lyons. "Obviously playing great football is important but academics is really important for me. I want to have a solid base for the future, good education, alumni base, everything that I need to be successful.”
After the decision is finalized, Lyons can get back to football, which has been good to him to start the 2022 season. After hauling in four passes for 125 yards and two scores in the season opener, Lyons sought to have even bigger days, and he certainly accomplished that. In a recent performance against Mt. Eden, Lyons caught eight passes for 303 yards and three touchdowns .... in one game.
It was a historic day that all great wide receivers dream about. It turns out, Lyons also did it fighting through a bit of adversity. It was truly a night to remember.
"What was really crazy is I had actually broken one of my fingers,” noted the four-star wideout. "I also only played the first three quarters of the game. Having that kind of day with only nine digits and not finishing the game was really special.
"I’ve really been enjoying the season so far,” Lyons continued. "I’m trying to prove to everyone what I already know about myself and help my team win. We are undefeated right now and we have big goals this season.”
It’s going to be an eventful couple of months for Lyons. The climax to his recruitment is coming to a close and he has a historic season to finish. Notre Dame hopes the next chapter in his football career will take place in South Bend.
While football is the top priority for Lyons as a part of the Tennyson program, he also has participated in both track and field and basketball for the school. While his track times are not spectacular, explosiveness is evident in his jumps. He long jumped 22’11.25” as a junior, while also posting a personal best of 43’1” in the triple jump.
The 6-2, 170-pound pass catcher is ranked as a three-star recruit by the other services, but that is likely to change as they finally give his film its due.
Lyons offer list continues to expand. Aside from his recent offer from Notre Dame, he also boasts offers from Oregon, Penn State, Utah, Washington, Arizona State, Oregon State, Washington State, Vanderbilt and Arizona among others.
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