This off season, Notre Dame University parted with eleven "Pot of Gold" packages designed to entice football recruits, show appreciation for those already committed, and remind the country of the Fighting Irish tradition.
Gold packages contain 477 handwritten, multi Sharpie-colored letters in reference to the number of Irish who've been drafted by the NFL, according to ESPN. The most recent class included first round TE Tyler Eifer; second round Heisman Finalist Manti Te'o; Jamoris Slaughter, Theo Riddick, and Kapron Lewis-Moore in the sixth round; and safety Zeke Motta in the seventh round. Other famous Notre Dame alum are Joe Montana, Tim Brown, Justin Tuck, and the up-and-comer, Golden Tate.
"From my perspective, it makes me feel wanted and shows interest because the letters are handwritten," 3-star commit Kolin Hill told ESPN. "They take the time to write and design all the letters, so recruits realize that and feel special. It's just different from getting letters from every other school, because of the time and effort they put into it."
So far, the tactic has been working, as it usually does. The Irish have the number nine recruiting class in the country so far, according to ESPN, as well as the number one ranked tight end in Tyler Luata. Alabama is number one.
Other schools have been known to send high volume packages, but nowhere near 477. If competitors get close with a potential Irish recruit, the school has been known to step in, as it did when it send one of their targets 200 letters right after Tennessee had just sent 100, according to ESPN.
"I think for most kids, getting something like this would have some impact on their decision," said TE Dalton Schultz, who received a pot but hasn't yet committed. "Only 11 kids got that, so that's pretty humbling. It lets recruits know that they're genuinely interested in getting you there. That buzz [it creates] just gives Notre Dame more positive publicity, which is always helpful for recruiting purposes."
