Carufel rates Notre Dame official an 11
Last weekend Notre Dame had numerous Rivals100 prospects on campus for their big game against Southern Cal. One of those prospects was the No. 56 player in the country, offensive guard Matt Carufel from St. Paul (Minn.) Cretin-Derham Hall. The 6-foot-5, 280-pounder enjoyed his trip to South Bend and discussed what stood out about his visit.
"It was obviously pretty exciting there and I can say that was the best college football game I have ever seen," he said. "I got there on Saturday about an hour before the game and walked around the campus where I saw the Basilica and College Gameday. Afterwards I went into the locker room and then hung out with my host Ryan Harris and had a good night with him.
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"On Sunday I took an academics tour where I saw the biology and other science buildings which is what I plan to major in. I also got to talk to my position coach and coach Weis. They put on a happy face and pretended the loss was fine. They were very upfront with me showing what I get if I go there."
What did the four-star prospect think of perhaps the best game of the college football season between Southern Cal and Notre Dame?
"Oh man, it's the best game I've watched in any sport on any level, it was a lot of fun," he said. "The fans were crazy there. Many of the loyal Notre Dame fans said this was the loudest they had ever seen it there. It was really loud, but to be honest I thought Iowa was just as loud and the fans at Iowa were a little more rowdy too, but that's probably because the Iowa fans had been tailgating since 6 a.m.
"As far as my position on the field, I felt Notre Dame's line played very well. They were pretty instrumental in keeping the Irish in the game and giving them a chance to possibly win. Everybody knows you have to keep USC's offense off the field and that line had a lot to do with it."
Out of a rating from one through 10, Carufel gave his official visit to South Bend an 11.
"You can't beat that. It was a lot of fun and they rolled out the red carpet for us and made it really classy," he said. "When you have a gem for a game like that on an official visit, it wouldn't have mattered if they fed me macaroni and cheese and had me walk 10 miles, it was beautiful.
"I'd still say they are in my top five. I obviously have favorites, but I've got to play the political game and keep it close to the vest until I decide."