Notre Dame’s Next Wide Receiver: 2014 Commitment Justin Brent
By Andrew Hall
November 12, 2011; College Park, MD, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Michael Floyd (3) is defended by Maryland Terrapins cornerback Trenton Hughes (21) at FedEx Field. Notre Dame beat Maryland 45-21. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Justin Brent thought he would be a college athlete, however, he was certain it would be as a college basketball player.
“My Freshman year, I was very big into basketball. I was taking visits to IU and Purdue. I was getting a couple of letters from colleges for football but football wasn’t my thing. So I kind of didn’t pay attention to them. I actually threw them away.” said the 6’3”193 Wide Receiver from Indianapolis, Indiana.
But as Brent progressed as a High School football player, it became clear that his future would be on the gridiron and not the hardwood.
“My Sophomore year, I had a good season and all of a sudden letters started coming in from Oregon, Louisville, Michigan, Ohio State, everybody…” said Justin Brent.
Brent began going to camps between his Sophomore and Junior year. This is where he landed offers from Notre Dame and Louisville. He also attended camp at Ohio State who was very interested in Brent. It was after attending the camp at Ohio State that the 4-star Wide Receiver committed to Notre Dame.
“It felt like the school that I go to now,” said Brent who currently attends Speedway High School in Indianapolis, Indiana.
As a player, Brent has the potential to be a big, game breaking Wide Receiver for the Fighting Irish. Staff Writer Nick Combs wrote of Brent saying:
"One of his best attributes would be his adjustments to the ball when it is in the air. Brent’s quarterback would pretty much throw it up for grabs and hope he could make a play on the ball, which most of the time he does. There is one specific play when Brent runs a comeback and the quarterback over throws him and puts it high in the air and since he adjusted to the throw he made the catch in front of the defender. This is what makes the elite wide receivers the best, their ability to adjust on the fly."
Brent committed to Notre Dame before the beginning of this season. When asked if he expected Notre Dame to play in the National Title, he responded, “I couldn’t tell you. When practices started I remember Coach Martin was telling me that the guys were working extremely hard. After awhile, you see the rankings keep going up and up.”
Justin Brent’s first game in Blue and Gold will be against the Rice Owls on August 30, 2014. There is a long time until that happens. Brent will focus on his grades and improving his game until he gets the opportunity to enroll at Notre Dame.
“I’ve already taken the ACT. Once I get those back, I’ll get past the Clearinghouse and I’ll be done with that. Now, all I’m really worried about is just progressing my game.”
Brent added that schools still attempt to call him but he is fully committed to Notre Dame. And as for playing basketball and football at Notre Dame, Brent had this to say, “There is talk about what I want to do when I get there. I’ve talked to some coaches to see if there is a possibility. I haven’t decided what I want to do because I know that’s very very hard.”