During this past week, the Notre Dame coaches were on the road to visit schools of some of the top recruits in the 2025 recruiting class. They also stopped in to check out Newbury Park (Calif.) High School star 2026 quarterback Brady Smigiel, who was throwing in front of several schools.
Over the weekend, Smigiel made his first trip to South Bend for Junior Day. It was a tremendous first impression, which is usually the vibe players get when they finally make it to campus.
“The visit was great,” Smigiel told Irish Breakdown. “I had never been there and wasn’t sure what to expect. My dad tried to explain the tradition but you can never really understand it unless you come in person.”
It was a snowy weekend in South Bend, which made traveling very tough for several recruits. That weather did not ruin the weekend for Smigiel, whose family was a little ahead of the curve for traveling.
“We ended up going out on Thursday night,” he said. “We were able to beat the weather and get in pretty easily. The snow wasn’t bad. It was actually kind of cool.”
One big part of the visit was Smigiel getting to sit down with the Notre Dame coaches. That communication is limited when they come by the school, but campus visits are a completely different vibe. Smigiel is excited to get to know them further.
“The coaches seem great,” Smigiel explained. “They came by my school this week and it was cool to be able to really talk to him on the visit. I’m excited to develop a deeper relationship with them moving forward.”
As a 2026 recruit, things are very early in the process. This timing is about making good early impressions. That is exactly what they have done with Smigiel. Early conversation, on top of the visit, have put them in good early standing.
“Notre Dame is a special place,” he stated. “There is just something about it. You feel it quickly when you get on campus.”
The 6-4, 205-pound signal caller put together an outstanding season as a sophomore in 2023. In 14 games, Smigiel threw for 4.222 yards and 52 touchdowns. He also added two more scores on the ground, helping lead the Panthers to a 10-4 overall record.
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