Marist’s Pat Coogan decided to follow his heart.
The 6-foot-5, 290-pound junior offensive lineman was being recruited by more than two dozen college football programs.
Big Ten powerhouses Ohio State and Michigan, along with 2019 NCAA national champion LSU, were among the 28 schools that offered him scholarships.
Coogan, however, has ended that pursuit by verbally committing to Notre Dame.
“The opportunities Notre Dame offers on and off the field, I wanted to be a part of that,” Coogan said. “Making the decision now is a big weight off my shoulders.”
Rivals.com ranks him the sixth-best prospect in the state in the 2021 class. 247Sports.com has him at No. 14.
Notre Dame, however, ranked No. 1 to Coogan.
Ever since he was a child, Coogan’s dream was to go to there. By his count, he has attended at least 10 games.
“I’ve been a fan ever since I started watching football,” he said. “The crowd and the atmosphere is electric.”
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Choosing Notre Dame certainly pleased his family, which includes three siblings. Each is a die-hard Irish fan.
“My whole family are fans,” Coogan said. “I had long, deep conversations with a lot of people in my corner. Notre Dame was the right fit for me.”
That’s why, after initially planning to set up official visits in June, Coogan decided to put the madness of recruiting to an end.
After informing Notre Dame of his commitment, Coogan contacted the other schools that were recruiting him. He listed Ohio State, Michigan, Stanford and Duke in his top five.
He admitted some of those phone calls were difficult to make.
“It was pretty hard,” Coogan said. “They (coaches) invested a lot of time in me and I invested a lot of time in them.
“They all wished me the best, and I’m still going to have relationship with the coaches who aren’t at Notre Dame.”
The daily phone calls and text messages are part of the recruiting process Coogan said he isn’t going to miss.
“I’m grateful to be in the position I’m in,” Coogan said. “To have all of these schools interested in me is a blessing. But at times it gets a little crazy.”
It’s one of the reason why, after Coogan committed, the Notre Dame coaches told him to “go back to being a 17-year-old again.”
Marist coach Ron Dawczak is confident Notre Dame and its fans are going to embrace Coogan.
“They’re getting a kid who brings so much more than football to the program,” Dawczak said. “He’s a leader by example and a vocal leader.
“He’s going to do things the right way and cherish the hard work. He’s a kid who loves to compete. Notre Dame is getting the complete package.”
The Irish are also getting a kid who intends to live up to his word.
Coogan confirmed he’s aware some schools will continue to contact him up until he signs his national letter of intent.
“I’ll probably get a few texts here and there from other schools,” he said. “But I think they all get the picture. I’m going to Notre Dame.”