Notre Dame lands four-star tight end

Mike Heuerman received a visit from Notre Dame on Thursday and must have heard exactly what he needed to hear to make a verbal pledge to the school, as the tight end from Naples, Fla., announced his commitment to the Fighting Irish on his Twitter page.

"Officially committed to play football for the University of Notre Dame," Heuerman wrote Thursday. "I hope all will respect my decision as I went thru this process and will see life in my eyes!"

The Rivals.com four-star recruit becomes the 12th pledge in head coach Brian Kelly's 2013 recruiting class.

The 6-4, 220-pounder from Barron Collier High School is one of the top tight ends in the nation, and he held offers from LSU, Alabama, Oregon, Miami, Florida State and Ohio State, among many other major programs. His older brother, Jeff, is currently a tight end at Ohio State.

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