Notre Dame’s Mike Sanford Rides Along As A Firefighter To Recruit

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh can have his sleepovers. Notre Dame’s Mike Sanford has his own ideas when it comes to thinking outside of the box on the recruiting trail.

Wednesday, the Irish offensive coordinator spent the morning riding along as a firefighter with Rival100 wide receiver Javon McKinley’s father outside of Los Angeles.

It was a different type of recruiting in-home visit in advance of National Signing Day on Feb. 3, but one that didn’t go unnoticed by the family.

McKinley, who committed to Notre Dame on Jan. 9 at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, has long been a target for the Irish, and Sanford has done everything he can within the NCAA rulebook to ensure that the nation’s No. 59 overall prospect will end up in South Bend.

The 33-year-old assistant coach was able to lure McKinley to campus for an unofficial visit in late March, and then got the 6-2, 196-pound prospect to return three months later on his own dime for the Irish Invasion. He bumped into McKinley’s mother, Estrilla, while she was working a conference in Texas in mid-December, and has also sent out a series of tweets indirectly referencing the wideout.

“He’s just a real funny guy,” McKinley said earlier this month at the Army Bowl when asked about Sanford. “He’s kind of a real bubbly dude. He gets to know you real well and connect to you real well. He’s funny.”