May has been a whirlwind for Archbishop Bergan athlete Kade McIntyre. Offers from Minnesota, North Dakota State, Iowa, Tennessee and Nebraska came his way. It’s been a fun but humbling ride for the multi-sport athlete but the level of activity in his recruitment has him on alert at all times.
“It’s been a little bit of a wild ride with all the offers kind of springing up right now in the spring,” McIntyre said. “It’s very exciting and I’m very grateful for all the stuff and all the offers that are coming to me. It’s a little bit stressful too with everything coming up so fast. Having to make sure I’m always by my phone at all times just to see if someone’s gonna shoot me a phone call or something and be ready for it and everything.”
McIntyre (6-4, 205) thinks the behind the scenes stress of the recruiting process is often overlooked. It’s also different being recruited by many schools as everyone has a different style. There are different levels of relationships built with each individual school before an offer is dropped.
“I’d say the Tennessee one kind of caught me off guard a little bit just because it kind of sprung on the scene, like really quickly,” McIntyre said. “They started talking to me a week in advance, and I kind of talked to him a little bit. Then it was kind of like, ‘Yep, you’re the guy.’ They ended up giving me an offer. I was like, ‘Whoa, that’s a big one.’”
Most schools seeing the Bergan standout as a defensive player at the college level. Linebacker is where a lot of schools are offering him and Tennessee sees him as an athlete. He thinks that he’ll have a better idea if the Vols like him at tight end, receiver or outside linebacker after they can see him in person. That will let them see how much weight his frame can handle. The question of where he’d like to play in college comes up a lot but it’s all about where he can get on the field the fastest.
Coach Seth Mruz has coached McIntyre since youth football so he’s seen his development over the years. Mruz has seen a lot of growth on and off the field for McIntyre.
“He’s become a higher football IQ kid. The athletic ability was always there,” Mruz said. “I’d say his tenacity in terms of how he competes, he’s just a football player. That’s kind of the main description I have for him. He’s worked hard to become a better athlete, he’s watched a bunch of film. He loves the game of football so he just kind of soaks all that in.
“He’s just became a smarter football player plus combine that with his length and athleticism you get a pretty special player, so I’m not surprised how it’s unfolded. That kid along with his brother, they work they work about as hard as anybody you’ll ever come around.”
McIntyre’s recruitment took another turn on May 26 when Nebraska came through with an offer. The defender had been in contact with inside linebackers coach Barrett Ruud and the Huskers set a specific time for a phone call. That tipped him off that an offer might be coming and it did come from Ruud. He was grateful for the offer from Nebraska but is taking it in stride with the other offers on the table.
“Obviously, my family was proud. I think it was more like all the other schools and they’re really proud of me,” McIntyre said. “I know, it’s an in-state school and everything but no matter where the school is, I’m going to make sure it’s the right fit for me. It’s not like it’s an in-state school so that’s automatically got my heart and soul into it. No, it’s going to be my heart and soul is gonna be where the best school is for me. That’s just gonna come through evaluating the schools and everything. So my parents are proud and just open to hear my thoughts and everything on the schools through this evaluation and how everything kind of unfolds.”
The biggest thing McIntyre is looking for is a relationship with coaches and how much they are willing to do for players because that goes along with the family feel of a school. The second important factor is development since his goal is to go to the NFL. It’s going to be about what school can develop him and make me into that NFL-caliber player.
Now that his offer list has grown, it is time to hit the road and see some schools. There is an official visit set to Iowa June 10, one to Minnesota on June 17 and a trip to Kansas State set for June 24. McIntyre is setting a visit to Tennessee too. Prospects are allotted five official visits so he’s keeping the fifth one open for now. Nebraska is missing from that list but he may come to Lincoln the weekend of June 3 for an unofficial visit. He doesn’t think he will take an official to Nebraska since it’s so close.
“It comes down to what’s going to be the best fit for me because it doesn’t matter if I’m an hour away or eight hours away from home,” he said. “That hour away if it’s not the right college is going to feel like forever. It’s just gonna be what’s the best fit for me and if that best fit is eight hours away, then it’s eight hours away. If that best fit is an hour away then it’s an hour away. That’s just how I see it.”
