Notre Dame Football: Blue-Gold Game Surprise Player
In a game that often features many unknown names yet to Notre Dame football fans, one particular freshman stood out — Bo Bauer.
Bo Bauer, a freshman linebacker for Notre Dame football out of Harborcreek, Pennsylvania, had 7 tackles (4 solo), and a tackle for loss. Bauer is a 4-star recruit, and the 16th ranked inside-linebacker in the country according to 247sports.com.
Bauer — an early enrollee at Notre Dame — may have proven himself worthy of serious playing to Coach Kelly in a great Spring Game performance. He was 2nd on the team in tackles behind Drue Tranquill (9), and was also second behind Tranquill in solo tackles.
What many Notre Dame fans may not know incoming freshman Bo Bauer is that he was a talented two-way player in high school. He played running back and receiver at Cathedral Prep in Erie, Pennsylvania. Standing at 6’3, 220 pounds, Bauer was used by Cathedral as a goal-line back and was very effective. In a small amount of carries, Bauer scored five touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, he is even more impressive. In his senior season Bauer notched 106 tackles and nine sacks. For a middle linebacker, those numbers are outstanding and will surely have Coach Clark Lea excited to see more.
Bo Bauer was a priority for Notre Dame in recruiting this past year, as the team lost a great deal of talent at the linebacker position. Bauer will have a great opportunity to learn from — and possibly play alongside — senior leaders Te’Von Coney and Drue Tranquill.
Assistant Head Coach Mike Elston was sure to make Bauer feel at home when he visited South Bend. He was being recruited heavily by many rivals of Notre Dame. Bauer was offered by big-time schools such as Michigan State and Penn State. Other B1G 10 schools such as Ohio State and Michigan showed interest in Bauer, but never offered him.
Considering the talent that Notre Dame has put into the NFL in recently — especially at the linebacker position — it seems as though South Bend was the right place for Bauer. Top notch NFL talents such as Jaylon Smith and Manti Te’o have come through the Notre Dame program in recent years. Bauer would love nothing more than to follow in their footsteps.