Football: 2019 TE Austin Stogner Talks Notre Dame Offer

6’6″, 235-pound Austin Stogner is the third impressive 2019 tight end to be offered by the Notre Dame football program.

Must Read: Top 20 Notre Dame Players Going Into 2017

Tight End U has been losing its luster since current Arizona Cardinal Troy Niklas opted to forego his senior year to enter the NFL draft. Since then, there hasn’t been a lot to brag about regarding tight end prominence in South Bend.

During a major offseason staff shake-up, Brian Kelly hired Chip Long to take the reigns of the Irish offense.

Long had his own career at the tight end position at North Alabama before moving on to a coaching career where he held a position as tight ends coach at Arizona State before moving on to offensive coordinator positions.

After arriving in South Bend to take the keys of the Irish offense, Long went straight to work on the future of the tight end position in both the 2018 and 2019 classes. On Tuesday, Austin Stogner of Plano, Texas reported an offer from Notre dame via Twitter.

Stogner plays at Prestwood Christian which competes in Texas Class Tapp 6A, the highest division of private school football in the state. The lengthy athlete has reached 14 offers, including Texas A&M, Oklahoma, TCU, Baylor, Colorado, Duke, Florida State, Houston, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, North Texas and UTSA.

I caught up with the towering sophomore to get his thoughts on his Notre Dame offer.

“Coach Long followed me last week,” explained Stogner. “I got his number from my coach and I called him. We’ve been talking and he said he’d review my film and he did. Then, he offered me.”

“He’s the offensive coordinator and he’s also the tight ends coach so he uses them a lot,” added Stogner.

Often times with highly regarded recruits from Texas, these athletes are geared toward ending up at an in-state college program. I asked Stogner if he’s interested in leaving the longhorn state after high school. “Yessir, for sure. I’m very interested in leaving Texas to go to college,” he replied.

Stogner explained that he understands that he would receive a great education while playing a competitive schedule in South Bend. “It’s a very prestigious university. It’s one of the best educations and best football that you can find, so that’s pretty cool,” gushed Stogner. “I want to study business.”

https://twitter.com/austin_stogner/status/842865777770401793

The rising sophomore brings intriguing versatility to his game which his coaches have been putting to use. “I play defensive end and I play wide-out too,” mentioned Stogner.

In 2016, Stogner made 48 tackles, 8 sacks and an interception (per MaxPreps) on the defensive side of the ball where he sees a lot of action. “I start on defense at my school. I started on offense but I played defense most of the time, so, I was on the field most of the time,” he explained.

After explaining his defensive prowess, Stogner made it clear that he will be lining up on the offensive side of the ball in college. “I think I’ll play tight end in college for sure,” Stogner assured. He explained to me that every college coach reaching out to him have been interested in him playing the tight end position.

“No, sir. I plan on going up there this summer,” stated Stogner when I asked if he had been to the Notre dame campus in the past. I asked him if his stop in South Bend will be a part of a visit tour which would include more than one stop. “I will probably just visit Notre Dame,” he replied.

Stogner is an intriguing tight end prospect for Notre Dame. He has an ideal frame, has impressive length and his height is certainly notable. Stogner also boasts a 3.4 GPA which will certainly help him with admissions should he choose to commit to the Irish during his bright future.

The Texas tight end also has college football bloodlines. He explained to me that his father competed on the gridiron at Baylor and his cousin finished a career in Chapel Hill for the Tar Heels a few years ago. Chip Long is seeking to make Tight End U a more relevant name in South Bend and hopes Austin Stogner will help him make it happen.