Notre Dame Commit Ashton Craig Is More Than A Talented Football Player
Notre Dame had a strong month of June that was capped off by Lawrenceburg (Ind.) High School offensive lineman Ashton Craig committed to the Fighting Irish. It was a whirlwind month for Craig, who was on campus twice prior to his commitment, including a workout during camp that resulted in him getting an offer.
During the offseason, Craig has put on over 20 pounds and now checks in at 283. With some recent dips in the offensive line recruiting trends, Craig displayed that he was able to maintain his athleticism at his size and the staff saw that it would be smart to push for him.
Craig certainly built himself up during the offseason and performed at a high level during camp, but that doesn't really dive into why he is so important to his Lawrenceburg squad.
“I think the first thing you have to talk about in leadership is your guys, your teammates. They have to respect you,” said Ryan Knigga, Craig's head coach. “They have to see you doing the stuff you talk about wanting them to do; Ashton does that. He’s one of the first guys here, daily, and one of the last ones to leave.
“His leadership style, I would say, is a little bit of both. He definitely leads by example, he’s not that big of a ‘rah rah’ guy,” continued Knigga. “When he talks, people listen just because he’s not that kind of guy that’s going to scream and yell and get on you. When he sees something that needs to be fixed, he addresses it.”
Knigga explained how Craig handles private matters on the team and how he is the bridge between the coaches and the players.
“He’s a great locker room guy, he takes care of the things that may be going on in the locker room,” explained Knigga. “He’s a great communicator, he can communicate with us and we have a great pulse of the team because of his leadership and communication skills.
Craig's added weight and strength shouldn't surprise anyone who sees the work the Notre Dame commit puts in the weight room.
“In the weight room, unbelievable. He’s a technician and he wants to master that,” raved Knigga. “And when you’re as athletic as him, when you see him doing the things in the weight room and he’s doing them the right way, coach uses him as an example to demonstrate the things and the way we want them done. When we condition, he’s that guy that’s pushing the tempo and cheering guys on. On the field on Friday nights, his head is down and he’s grinding.”
Craig displays tremendous character and exemplary behavior towards his teammates, which shows his character.
“We have a kid that is autistic on our team and he’s taken that kid underneath his wing,” explained Knigga. “His locker is right by [Ashton's] and as I said, he’s giving him rides home and making sure he has everything he needs. He takes care of him as well.”
Craig earned scholarship offers from Notre Dame and Northwestern, but he also earned offers from Columbia, Dartmouth, Penn and Yale, which speaks to his prowess in the classroom.
“I think that’s the biggest part of this, you’re not making a four year decision here,” emphasized Knigga. “You want to be able to set yourself up for after when you walk across that stage and have a diploma in your hand. He understands that academics are a high priority for him. He wants to go somewhere where academics are a priority and he wants to get a degree and see where that takes him afterward.
“At Lawrenceburg, we have college courses that our students can take and he’s taking all of those," continued Knigga. "And last year with COVID, we had some virtual opportunities and I think that’s going to prepare him for the college lifestyle. The way that some of the college courses work these days, it may be an online class. He’s set up to graduate from Lawrenceburg in December.”
There is a trend with the prospects that Notre Dame has landed in the 2022 cycle, and it is a trend that the staff and the program can take great pride in. These players know just how important school is and what it will do for them after football. Craig certainly understands that and he cannot wait to apply all of his off the field strengths to every aspect of what it means to be a Notre Dame student-athlete.
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