Why 4-Star TE Thomas Duarte's Indecision Helps Notre Dame in the Long Run

The tight end is becoming one of the most explosive and important positions in the game of football, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish appear to be on the radar for yet another very good one in 4-star tight end Thomas Duarte from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif.

The kicker is, the Irish may want to be a bit more conservative in the way they go after Duarte.

According to Annabel Stephan of Scout.com, the tight end isn't focusing on his recruitment just yet:

"

Though the 6'4", 225 lb. prospect has a collection of offers which include Notre Dame, Oregon, Washington, Utah, UCLA, Oregon State, California, Colorado, and Arizona State, he's really putting recruiting on the back burner.

"I just put it off to the side. I'm really focusing on Mater Dei football first. College comes second. These fans, these coaches...the support system here is just so great and I feel like I kind of owe them the best senior year I can give," he said.

"

The good news is, according to Stephan's report, Duarte does have an interest in Notre Dame:

"

"

After the game, he said of Notre Dame, "it's a school I've been looking at, it's always been a dream."

"

"

With Duarte's focus obviously on the football season before him, Notre Dame is going to have to change the way it approaches recruiting him, as will other schools. It's already made an offer, and for now, it should just keep it at that.

If Brian Kelly and staff constantly barrage him with phone calls, emails, Facebook messages and so forth about recruiting him, there is a chance that his interest in the Irish could wane, especially since he made it so obvious in his quotes that he isn't focusing on recruiting right now.

It's a tough spot to be in for a coach, but recruiting oftentimes comes down to mutual respect. I'm sure Kelly and the Irish would love to lock down a player of his caliber—he's 6'4'', 225 pounds and can play tight end or wideout—but patience is going to be key here.

Notre Dame also benefits from the fact that it already has two other tight ends committed for 2013 in 4-stars Jacob Matuska and Mike Heuerman. This allows the Irish to be patient with Duarte and view him more as a luxury player, rather than a necessity.

To be clear, bringing in another tight end that can be comfortable in space would be a huge addition, as you can never have enough big talent at the receiver/tight end position in today's football world, but Notre Dame can afford to be patient with Duarte.

They can focus their full attention on a few other recruits in the meantime without having to worry about losing out on Duarte, and when he's ready, their patience may just pay off. One on hand, they can focus elsewhere without worrying about losing him to another school, and on the other hand, they aren't pushing their recruiting agenda with him, which is something that he doesn't want just yet.

Either way, they are being productive on both fronts.

It just so happens that patience in recruiting appears to be what he is looking for, so this passive approach to recruiting will work out for both parties.