Notre Dame transfer says biggest adjustment is actually going to class originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
There was a time when an Ohio State quarterback famously declared, “We ain’t come to play school.”
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That quarterback, of course, was Cardale Jones, who later led the Ohio State Buckeyes to the 2014 national championship and turned one tweet into college football folklore. He also went on to graduate and pursue a Master’s degree.
Fast forward.
Notre Dame transfer wide receiver Mylan Graham was asked about the biggest difference between Columbus and South Bend.
His answer? He has to actually go to class.
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“Not too different,” Graham said of the transition. “Just have to actually go in person, just stuff like that. And at Notre Dame, obviously, everybody knows how it is with academics, so just being able to lock in with stuff like that.”
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It wasn’t a shot. It wasn’t dramatic. It was just refreshingly blunt.
At some places, flexibility is part of the modern college football machine. At University of Notre Dame, academics are part of the brand.
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Graham said the football side feels natural.
“I kind of attack with the same mindset I did at Ohio State, just coming to work every day.”
But the classroom piece? Smaller campus. In-person expectations. A culture that does not exactly scream optional attendance.
For the Fort Wayne native, though, that challenge was part of the draw. “When I got in the portal, it just felt home. It felt natural.”
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At Notre Dame, football may fill the stadium, but attendance still gets taken in the classroom.
