Notre Dame flips 2024 WR Logan Saldate from Oregon State

Notre Dame worked quietly to pull off a flip in the 2024 class. There was no announcement of an offer. No commitment ceremony. Just a good old-fashioned flip.

On Friday afternoon, Salinas (Calif.) Palma wide receiver Logan Saldate announced that he was switching his commitment from Oregon State to Notre Dame.

The Irish had three receiver commits in the 2024 class, but Warner Robins (Ga.) High’s Isiah Canion flipped to Georgia Tech a few weeks ago. Notre Dame evaluated what to do next, and it landed on pursuing Saldate.

The 5-11, 185-pounder is ranked as the nation’s No. 989 overall prospect and No. 144 wide receiver per the On3 Industry Ranking. While he’s not rated highly — at least for now — he did hold offers from Arizona, California, Oklahoma State, Washington and Washington State.

“I’ll play slot at Notre Dame,” Saldate told Blue & Gold. “They (the Irish coaches) know what they’re getting in me, but I’m excited to show them even more of what I’m capable of.”

And Saldate is looking to show the Irish faithful that he’s far more than what his ranking suggests as well.

“You guys are going to see; I’m a hidden gem,” he said. “They’ll see when I’m on campus, and I’ll show them what I’ve got.”

Saldate becomes the Irish’s third receiver commit in the 2024 class, joining Glen Ellyn (Ill.) Glenbard South’s Cam Williams and Charlotte (N.C.) Christian’s Micah Gilbert. Notre Dame is now at 21 verbals for the 2024 cycle.

Sign up today at Blue & Gold for premium Notre Dame football and recruiting access! Head over to our subscriptions page for more details on our latest offers.

Saldate in depth on how his Notre Dame commitment came together

There were a couple dozen receiver prospects or so that Notre Dame looked at for its receiver opening in the 2024 class, and Saldate is a prospect the staff looked closely at from the jump.

“A couple weeks ago, Coach [Chad] Bowden followed me on Instagram — that was the first point of contact,” Saldate explained. “It all went from there. It was small talk at first, and I didn’t think much of it because I thought my recruiting process was over.

“I was comfortable with Oregon State. But when I got deeper into talking to all the coaches and really considering it, I talked to my parents about it and made the decision.”

There was a turning point where Saldate went from a player the staff was interested in to one they made a top priority. The staff asked Saldate and several other class of 2024 wide receivers to send in video of them running the entire route tree and a 40-yard dash.

“That’s when it really turned,” Saldate said. “They believed I was the guy for them.”

In this short timeframe that Notre Dame has been recruiting Saldate, he’s built a strong connection with the Irish coaches.

“I talked to Coach [Gerad] Parker, Coach [Chansi] Stuckey and Coach [Marcus] Freeman, and they were getting to know me. It was less football and more family talk,” Saldate explained. “They wanted to make sure me and my family are good people. I got on FaceTime with Coach Freeman, and he said I have an offer on the table.

“When it all started, I talked to my parents, and we decided that if it comes through, then we had to take Notre Dame into consideration — just for the simple fact that it’s Notre Dame with the connections after football, education and all that type of stuff.

“They do a great job. They make me feel welcomed. I’m also in contact with the 2024 commits, and I know Cooper [Flanagan] and Rico [Flores Jr.]. My family and I feel comfortable.”

Saldate has yet to visit Notre Dame and, in a perfect world, he would have taken a trip out to campus before making this decision. He’s not able to visit until September at the earliest, and neither Saldate or Notre Dame wanted to wait that long for a commitment to take place.

“On my part, I wanted to get it over with,” Saldate explained. “These past few weeks have been super stressful with flipping and what I’d tell Oregon State. I’ve been losing sleep, so I wanted to get it over with. I’ll take my official for their first home game.”

In 10 games in 2022, Saldate caught 54 passes for 713 yards and 9 touchdowns according to MaxPreps. He added 114 yards and 2 scores on the ground. He plays defense as well and had an interception he returned for a touchdown last year.

In April, Saldate was clocked at 10.82 in the 100-meter dash. He also was recorded at 24.5 inches in the long jump.

He was named to the 2022 Pacific Coast Athletic League Gabilan Division first-team offense and was the Co-Offensive Player of the Year.