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Photo by: VINDICATOR FILE PHOTO, OCT. 28, 2011

Fitch running back Will Mahone (13) officially became a member of the 2012 Fighting Irish recruiting class for Notre Dame University on Wednesday when he signed his letter of intent.

By Matthew Peaslee

mpeaslee@vindy.com

AUSTINTOWN

Fitch running back Will Mahone loves everything about Notre Dame.

“The campus, the history, the tradition — it’s amazing,” he said.

By signing his letter of intent Wednesday morning, he officially becomes part of the 2012 Fighting Irish recruiting class. Although, there is one small order of business left before he makes his way to South Bend.

“I’m ashamed to say I haven’t watched Rudy yet,” Mahone admitted about the 1993 film documenting Rudy Ruettiger’s walk-on tale at Notre Dame. “I think I’ll have to watch it this weekend. I hear it’s a great story and I want to add my own story.”

Rivals.com named him the 11th-best high school RB in the country and Tom Lemming of MaxPreps.com tabbed him at No. 4. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound Mahone chose Notre Dame over Michigan State and Penn State, among other top FBS programs.

Fighting Irish coach Brian Kelly played a large part in that decision.

“Coach Kelly is a fired-up coach and that’s what I really like about him,” Mahone said.

His mother, Cecelia, added, “He’s really going to push him.”

Her son agreed.

“It’s a trait I need in my life,” he said. “It’s not a bad thing to be yelled at because I know he’s just trying to make me better.”

Joining Mahone in the Fitch main office were Chris and Demetrious Davis. The twin tandem are continuing to play together at the University of Pittsburgh.

“I wanted to stay close to home and be in a good atmosphere,” Demetrious said. “I’ve always liked their program.”

It’s a program in transition, too. Former coach Todd Graham bolted for Arizona State after just one year at Pitt. Paul Chryst, the offensive coordinator at Wisconsin from 2005 to 2011, was hired to lead the Panthers in December. Both brothers said they opened their college search back up after committing to Pitt in July. Ultimately, Chryst helped reinforce their decision.

“I like him a lot,” Demetrious said. “I think it’s a good thing being in his first class. It’s a chance to maybe get a closer look and get some more opportunities than some other guys.”

By 2014, the program will be changing conferences, from the Big East to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“The ACC is a big conference,” Chris said. “There’s a lot of speed in that conference and it’s just a closer thing to the level of play in the NFL. It’ll be great competition.”

The brothers shared nearly two dozen offers from colleges around the country.

“We competed with offers and we’ll be competing for playing time and yards at Pitt,” Demetrious said.