Illinois guard Cole Certa is Notre Dame’s first 2024 commitment
Micah Shrewsberry has approached his new job by leaning on what he did at his old one. All three of the recruits who signed last fall to play for him at Penn State have followed him to Notre Dame. Several members of his Nittany Lions staff have done the same, including assistant coach Mike Farrelly. He’s hoping transferring Penn State center Kebba Njie will do the same.
Shrewsberry’s first few 2024 offers, naturally, were players he pursued at Penn State. One of them is now the first addition to his 2024 recruiting class.
Bloomington (Ill.) Central Catholic guard Cole Certa committed to Notre Dame Thursday, he announced. He’s a three-star prospect and the No. 178 player in the 2024 On3 Industry Ranking. He picked the Irish over in-state schools Illinois and Northwestern. He was in South Bend for an unofficial visit in April.
“I chose Notre Dame because of the relationships I built with the coaching staff,” Certa told On3 national recruiting analyst Joe Tipton. “I felt like a priority and I love the way they believe in me. It felt like home when I was on campus and I knew right away this is where I wanted to be.”
Shrewsberry offered Certa at Penn State in December. His offer list also included Butler, Nebraska, Rice, Loyola, Eastern Michigan, Southern Illinois, Drake, Bradley, Illinois State and Toledo.
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The 6-foot-5 Certa helped Central Catholic reach the Illinois Class 2A state title game as a junior. He plays AAU for the Under Armour-sponsored Illinois Wolves and is averaging 18.8 points per game this season. He’s regarded as a high-end three-point shooter. He told On3’s Jamie Shaw that he studies Steph Curry and JJ Redick not only for their shooting proficiently, but to watch how they move without the ball and set themselves up.
How he made it translate to his own game caught Shrewsberry’s attention long ago.
“He really likes guys who are skilled, guys who can pass, dribble, and shoot,” Certa told Shaw.
Certa is the fourth high school prospect to commit to Notre Dame in as many days. Penn State’s three former 2023 signees each took a day to announce their pledge. Three-star State College Area (Pa.) guard Braeden Shrewsberry began the run Monday. Four-star Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Academy forward Carey Booth followed Tuesday, and three-star Zionsville (Ind.) guard Logan Imes went Wednesday.
Certa was the second 2024 recruit to announce a Notre Dame offer from Shrewsberry. He tweeted the news April 9, about an hour after the Irish offered Baltimore St. John’s College three-star guard Daquan Davis. Shrewsberry also offered Davis when he was Penn State’s head coach.
