Recruiting Profile
Notre Dame was Always 'Dream School' for Blue Chip Patrick
by Rhiannon Potkey, 6 September 2024
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Nicholas Patrick (WTN: 11.5) remembers the exact moment the University of Notre Dame became his dream school.
Patrick attended a Notre Dame football game with his grandfather and father when he was a child. The Fighting Irish players came out of the locker room before the game and high-fived fans along the way. The Notre Dame punter dropped his glove and let Patrick keep it.
Blue Chip Nicholas Patrick Has Committed to Notre Dame
© Contributed Photo
“It just kind of started something for me,” Patrick said. “It was just like a chain reaction after that. I started following every sport. It was really special.”
Once his own recruitment opened, Patrick made sure Notre Dame was high on the list. The blue chip senior from Coal Valley, Illinois felt comfortable talking with the coaches right from the start. He took a visit to the South Bend campus last year when Notre Dame played USC in football.
“Right at the beginning, I knew it was the place for me,” said Patrick, who has committed to Notre Dame. “I knew I could see myself playing tennis and growing the next four years with the coaches and the players on the team.”
Patrick’s rise to blue chip status wasn’t easy. He comes from a small town on the Illinois-Iowa border and doesn’t have many high-level players to train with on a regular basis. He’s attended public school throughout his career and didn’t travel as much as other players of his status.
His dad, a teaching professional, got Patrick interested in tennis. They train at a small three-court park and recreation facility in his hometown.
“He’s obviously been a monumental part of my career, but he never forced tennis on me. I played other sports like baseball and basketball when I was younger,” Patrick said. “But it was one of those things where I fell in love with tennis through him and spending all my time at the club.”
Patrick spends his spring breaks, winter breaks and parts of the summer in North Carolina training with coaches. During the Covid pandemic, he went to live with Calvin Baierl in Florida so they could practice together.
“That was a huge turning point in my career,” he said. “Training with him down there was amazing. They are like family now, and it's brought about so many other opportunities. There are so many people who have worked to help me around where I live here too. Local college players and local adults hit with me or help out.”
