EDWARDSVILLE – Back in October, Edwardsville High football quarterback Kendall Abdur-Rahman announced that he would be committing to play at Notre Dame.
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On the opening day of the NCAA early signing period, he made it official, signing his letter of intent to play for the Fighting Irish, starting in 2019, in a ceremony Wednesday evening in the auditorium of the Jon Davis Wrestling Center in Edwardsville.
Abdur-Rahman sent in his paperwork to Notre Dame shortly after 7 a.m. on Wednesday, and had somewhat of a sleepless night before in anticipation.
“Not really, actually,” Abdur-Rahman said. “I stayed up for a while, watching Netflix, my final was pretty easy today, so I wasn’t really stressing over anything. I woke up around 6:30, and my mom actually just phoned back in from (Las) Vegas.”
Abdur-Rahman was very excited to get his paperwork back into the school to officially become a member of the team, getting a call from receivers coach Del Alexander as he was turning everything in.
“Super excited,” Abdur-Rahman said. “Coach called me right as I was doing it. Definitely put a big smile on my face. Asked me how everything was going, and I said fantastic.”
Abdur-Rahman had offers from many Football Bowl Subdivision schools, but chose Notre Dame in part because of its high academic standards.
“Just because if I don’t continue my football career, like if I don’t go further like NFL-wise, Notre Dame sets me up, like, perfectly,” Abdur-Rahman said. “Just having a degree from there. It’s overall a great school.”
And the football tradition of the Irish also played a factor.
“Great atmosphere, exactly,” Abdur-Rahman said. “One of the biggest fanbases in the country, and then you go to school the next week, and it’s like only a few amount of students, you know, and everyone interacts. It’s just like a great vibe. And the coaches are all super-cool and super-smart. And they like me a lot, so that definitely helped.”
Tigers coach Matt Martin is very happy for and proud of Abdur-Rahman.
“It’s an exciting time for Kendall and his family,” Martin said. “And as the head Tiger football coach, we’re excited for him. It’s a wonderful opportunity.”
Abdur-Rahman is looking at a possible position change from quarterback when he gets to South Bend, Ind., but still brings a lot to his new team.
“What they have him do, I mean, they know their team better than I do,” Martin said, ‘but as I said before, the best kid I’ve ever coached with the ball in his hands. I think he has tremendous big-play potential. And I’m sure they’ll utilize him as they see fit.”
Martin’s favorite memory of Abdur-Rahman is a 2017 IHSA Class 8A playoff game at top-seeded Huntley, where the Tigers rallied from 17 points down to win 42-38.
“I think two years ago, the Huntley game,” Martin said. “We were down by 17 in the second half, and they were the number-one seed, and we came back and won that game. He had a big game for us, and that was pretty special. He just gave us big-play potential all the time. So anytime he had the ball in his hands, you know you had an opportunity for good things to happen for our team.”
Abdur-Rahman’s greatest asset is his ability to strike from anywhere on the field, either as a runner or passer. And he improved greatly on his passing skills as well.
“Absolutely,” Martin said. “And his passing game improved this year; he threw for more passing touchdowns this year. So I thought he worked as his craft and got better in the off-season, and he continued to get better throughout the season. So I was proud of his maturation as a player.”
And not only is Abdur-Rahman a great player, but he’s also a great person who works hard in the classroom as well.
“He’s a very good kid; he’s a great student,” Martin said. “Obviously, you have to be to go to a Notre Dame, and a heck of a football player.”
Abdur-Rahman is also a runner on the Tigers’ track and field team, and Martin, who coaches the throwing events, is anxious to see what kind of season he’ll have.
“I’m curious to see what kind of track season he’s going to have,” Martin said. “I hope his times improve, and he continues to be a great competitor.”
Abdur-Rahman knew that he wanted to go to Notre Dame during his official visit, making his decision while at dinner in the home of head coach Brian Kelly.
“Definitely,” Abdur-Rahman said. “After a few meetings with the coaches, I talked to my Mom (Danette), and we talked in the hotel when we got back. And right before we went to dinner at Kelly’s house, and that’s when I told her that I wanted to make my decision, and she felt the same way.”
Kelly was very excited when Abdur-Rahman told him of his decision to go to Notre Dame, and his experience at Kelly’s home was very good.
“It’s unreal,” Abdur-Rahman said. “I don’t know, I dreamed about this as a kid, you know, going to a big school. My dream school has always been Ohio State, but you know, Notre Dame is a great school. I never saw myself doing this; it just felt great. It’s like unreal just to see how proud my mom is.”
Abdur-Rahman is open to a position change and will do anything to help the team.
“Just to get on the field and play,” Abdur-Rahman said.
Abdur-Rahman isn’t sure about a major as of now, but is leaning towards sports psychology, and does have plans in case a pro career doesn’t work out.
“I want to be like an athletic trainer, like at a high level,” Abdur-Rahman said. “Football, at D-I or NFL.”
Looking back at his career at Edwardsville, Abdur-Rahman wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
“There’s no other school I’d rather go to than Edwardsville,” Abdur-Rahman said. “it was a great experience. All the coaches, like, there’s no program like the coaches like that. The relationships, they put into everything. You can’t ask for better, and they really helped me a lot throughout my four years.”
Asked about a favorite memory of playing for the Tigers, Abdur-Rahman thought about it for a few moments.
“Oh, that’s hard,” Abdur-Rahman said with a smile. “I would say junior season, just the season we had junior season, going to the semifinals.”
But the day belonged to Abdur-Rahman and his family, and Martin couldn’t be any prouder of his player.
“Excited for Kendal. It’s about him today,” Martin said, “and we get to celebrate. We’re pretty team-oriented, but this is an opportunity to celebrate the individual.”
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