MOUNT GREENWOOD — Aside from South Bend, Ind., Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly said that he feels most at home on the Southwest Side.
The bastion for Fighting Irish fans played host to the Under Armour Brian Kelly Football ProCamp on Tuesday, as some 250 grade school students took the field at Marist High School in Mount Greenwood.
"We are here for a reason," Kelly said. "There are so many Notre Dame fans here and so many kids who follow Notre Dame football."
As he looked out over a sea of young players at 4200 W. 115th St. in Mount Greenwood, Kelly said the opportunity to interact with the next generation of diehard Notre Dame fans is key to maintaining the bedrock of support that his program has long enjoyed.
"The tradition that we have is great, but a lot of these kids don't know who Paul Hornung is or even Rocket Ismail," Kelly said.
He also spoke a bit on homegrown talent Nic Weishar, who graduated from Marist in 2013.
"He hasn't lost any of his ball catching skills," said Kelly of the tight end who spent last year as a redshirt freshman.
Kelly said the 235-pound Weishar will play special teams this year and will likely see some action along the goal line.
Quinn Botta, 9, of suburban Oak Lawn said Tuesday he hopes to be the next Weishar. The fourth-grade student at St. Catherine's of Alexandria also said he picked up some valuable tips from the coaches at the camp.
"I learned how to tackle. You always keep your head up so you don't break your neck," Botta said.
Marquise Williamson, 9, of Calumet Park said he learned how to "swim the ball" on Tuesday. He said Notre Dame is his favorite collegiate team, and the Seattle Seahawks are his favorite NFL football squad.
Kelly wouldn't tip his hand at any potential players in the crowd. He did say that it seemed like some of the coaches straightened up when he came around. He even caught a few of them running the 40-yard dash in his sight line.
"I think a couple of the prospects are over 30 years old," he said.
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