(UHND) — Kallen Wade was not the only recruit to commit to Notre Dame this weekend. Tight End Paddy Mullen from St. Louis , Missouri committed to the Irish on his third visit to Notre Dame while he was on campus this weekend for the Blue-Gold Game.
Mullen (6-5, 265), a high school teammate of running back commit Munir Prince, was one of the top targets at tight end for the Irish this recruiting season. Mullen has some good size for a high school tight at 265 heading into his senior season.
A broken hand prevented Mullen from playing tight end this past season, but he was still able to play on the defensive side of the ball. As a defensive end, Mullen collected 50 tackles (16 for loss) and had 8 sacks. Most schools however were recruiting Paddy as a tight end like the Irish.
Other schools that were in the mix were Nebraska , LSU, Illinois , Missouri , Kansas , and Oklahoma State all of which offered a scholarship. Nebraska was the biggest competition for Mullen, but it was apparent early on that Mullen was Notre Dame’s to lose.
Mullen, an Irish Catholic, grew up a Notre Dame fan and made three separate visits to the Irish. Some believe that Munir Prince’s interests in Notre Dame grew from Mullen’s after Prince committed to Iowa very early on.
Paddy Mullen is the 5 th commitment in a class that is starting to take shape as a very good class. Notre Dame is off to a great start and the commitment of Mullen, one of theirh top targets at tight end keeps the momentum going.
Of the 5 commitments to Notre Dame so far, 2 are from Missouri , 1 from Pennsylvania , 1 from, 1 from Massachusetts , and 1 is from Ohio giving the Irish a very strong early return in the Mid West. Charlie Weis said that Notre Dame would reclaim the Mid West as a hotbed for recruiting at Notre Dame and so far he is backing it up.
The commitment of Mullen gives Notre Dame 4 offensive commitments and just 1 on defense. One thing to note is the versatility of the recruits that have been brought in as seen with Mullen.
At 265 heading into his senior year, it’s possible that Mullen can be used at tight end or move to an offensive line position. Throw into the mix that he has played a lot of defensive end in high school and you have a pretty versatile recruit.
