One of the things about the Notre Dame football staff, recruiting-wise, is that they're not just pulling in great athletes, but they're pulling in great kids. Their latest quarterback commit, Teddy Jarrard, certainly fits that bill, and he made that very clear when he recently talked about why he chose the Fighting Irish in the first place.
Not long after his commitment, Jarrard talked about what he saw in Marcus Freeman and Co. that made him pull the trigger. He's far from the only person who has recently talked about "culture" being one of those things that swung him to South Bend.
Teddy Jarrard cites Freeman’s culture and academics in Notre Dame football choice
"What Coach Gino's done with the quarterbacks and what Notre Dame is as a program and culture-wise," Jarrard said of what convinced him Notre Dame football was the team he wanted to play for in college.
"I think it's important for me to go into a good culture and I think Notre Dame is a great culture for quarterbacks and all players in general."
Jarrard also singled out something that more and more recruits are talking about, especially those who are getting exposed to the business world sooner than they used to, because of the NIL issues that are all over the sport. He said he understands the Fighting Irish will uniquely prepare him for when his playing days are done.
"Notre Dame has huge academics and that's a big part of my recruitment. I think that's always a bump."
Teddy Jarrard is officially the third commitment to the Notre Dame football team's 2027 class, joining linebacker Ellis McGaskin and long-snapper Sean Kraft.