Lifka Is Family

Nick Lifka has been to Notre Dame enough that he could probably get there blindfolded. The linebacker from Naperville North High School (Ill.) recently had a chance to come to South Bend to meet the new coaching staff and see the changes they’ve made to the Notre Dame football program.

At this point in the recruiting process it’s difficult to tell how many linebacker the Irish staff plans to take in the 2011 recruiting class, but they’re keeping tabs on several top prospects. Nick Lifka (6-foot-2, 230-pounds) is one of them and he was at Notre Dame for the junior day on March 20.

“I went to the junior day to meet the new staff,” Lifka said. “The junior day went well. I wanted to get in and see the changes that they made and meet the coaches face-to-face. They seemed very excited about being at Notre Dame. They were very enthusiastic and very confident. They seemed young and ready to get at it next season. I kind of felt excited about it and I’m looking forward to seeing them play next year.”

Lifka had been recruited by the former Notre Dame staff, but it appeared their interest waned. With the new staff in place, Lifka feels like he’s got another chance to land a scholarship offer from the Irish.

“Through the recruiting process, I think the old staff had ruled me out, so I kind of figured that I had gotten lost,” he explained. “With the coaching change I’ve had to start over. I actually think the new coaching staff likes me more than the old one, and they seem like a good group of guys. So I’m pretty excited about everything.

“My next step is to get to know the coaches a little bit better. I’ll try to call them once a week just to stay in touch. I really don’t know where I’m at with an offer from Notre Dame. Hopefully they’re planning on it, but I can’t really say at this time.”

The 2011 recruiting class seems to be littered with prospects that have a connection to Notre Dame and you can add Nick to that list.

“I had two uncles that played at Notre Dame, Matt (’85-’86) and Greg Dingens (’82-’85),” he said. “I went to a number of games when I was little. I’ve been over there a lot. I went to the spring game last year, and I went to the Boston College game last year, I’ve been to their summer camp as well. So I’ve actually been to Notre Dame a number of times, and I know it pretty well.”

Nick currently holds scholarship offers from LSU, Indiana, Western Michigan, Eastern Illinois, and Ball State.