Mattingly commits to Irish

Danny Mattingly made a long haul from Spokane, Wash., for his first
campus visit to Notre Dame, so before he left South Bend he wanted to
make his thoughts known.

At the end of his tour, the rising senior linebacker and tight end was
staring at the coaching staff's recruiting board with targeted players
and commits listed.

Mattingly erased his name from the list under the state of Washington
and marked his name under the list of the commits. With that,
Mattingly became the 15th commitment of the class.

The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder from Mead Senior High, announced his
decision on his Facebook page shortly after 7 p.m. EDT Tuesday while
on his visit.

The post read: “Goin to notre dame! Couldn't be happier with the
opportunities I've been blessed with! South bends gonna be my new
home! Go irish!”

Later in a phone interview, Mattingly said the visit surpassed his expectations.

“It was just something else,” he said. “It blew my mind.”

Mattingly made the trip with his uncle Dan and cousin Stan, who live
just outside of Indianapolis and returned to their home Tuesday night
with a verbal commitment to the Irish. Mattingly is the nephew of Los
Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly.

Mattingly is projected to play linebacker at Notre Dame, making him
the second linebacker in the 2013 class alongside Fort Wayne's Jaylon
Smith.

A combination of facilities and the Notre Dame coaching staff sold
Mattingly on the football program.

“All the coaches are great guys,” Mattingly said. “I could really see
myself playing for them. They're really great players' coaches.”

“The facilities were awesome. There's a lot of pride in their tradition.”

Mattingly also found importance in the school's academic prowess.

“I feel like there's nothing else in the country that's as good in
their academics,” he said. “That really means a lot to me.”

Mattingly said he knew he was ready to commit when he was allowed to
try on the Irish jersey and helmet at Notre Dame Stadium.

Rivals.com ranks Mattingly as the No. 12 tight end while 247Sports.com
ranks him as the No. 36 outside linebacker in the country.

The three-star prospect holds plenty of big-time offers, including
ones from Alabama, Oklahoma and Oregon, according to 247Sports.com.