Notre Dame has been recruiting Anaheim (Calif.) Mater Dei five-star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown since he was a freshman in high school.

Now a senior, the 5-11, 191-pounder, who is a U.S. Army All-American, has developed a strong relationship with head coach Brian Kelly. In fact, according to John Brown, the father of Amon-Ra, Notre Dame wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown and Stanford wide receiver Osiris St. Brown, the entire family “loves Kelly.”

“Only thing I can tell you is that there is no other school in the country better than Notre Dame when it comes to recruiting, period,” said John Brown. “To be honest, the gap is very significant. They’re unbelievable. Brian Kelly, Brian Polian, Chip Long. These dudes, wow. If you were there, you’d see it. The way they sit there, the way they talk, the choice of words, they don’t beat around the bush. Every school can learn a lot from them, no question,” said Brown.

John Brown recently went on a Texas-based radio station and shared some thoughts on Notre Dame. There is no denying his displeasure with the passing game. However, when it comes to sending his youngest son to South Bend, he’s completely on board if that’s what Amon-Ra decides to do.

“Hell no. I have no issues at all with Notre Dame,” said John Brown. “Everyone may think I’m joking, but no, I have no issues, especially after this visit. I never ask my son what he wants to do. My son doesn’t tell me what he wants to do. When Kelly left the other night, Amon told me flat-out, 'I may go to Notre Dame.' That was after the in-home with Brian Kelly. I’m telling you, they blew us away. I see this as a tight race between Notre Dame and USC.”

The key in this recruitment for Notre Dame is to make the family comfortable with the passing game and show the youngest St. Brown how he will shine in the offense, particularly alongside Equanimeous, his older brother, if he decides to come back next season.

“Kelly said, ‘Look, I know we were struggling. We’re going to straighten out Wimbush. I guarantee we get it fixed. If I don’t get it fixed, I’ll drive Amon from Indiana to USC and drop him off myself. I promise you that,’ said John Brown, as he thought back on his conversion with Kelly. “This dude is unbelievable. I love that. He’s one of my favorite coaches. I’m not saying he’s the best coach in the country. I don’t know X’s and O’x to make that assessment. I do know that his job is to be a general and control the army and get the others to help him and he’s very good at that. It’s funny, [UCLA head coach] Chip Kelly came in last night and he’s very interesting. He approaches things intellectually. He does that with football and recruiting. He’s very scientific with it. It’s a different approach. Brian Kelly is different. There is no comparison. When he’s here, it’s honestly like the Patriots are in my living room.”

In the end, whatever Amon-Ra decides to do, his father will be fully on board with it. He isn’t going to tell his son which school to choose, he wants him to make that decision for himself. A decision for the nation’s No. 12 overall player and arguably the top wide receiver in the country, will come in San Antonio at the Army All-American Bowl.

In addition, John Brown shared some thoughts on Equanimous and whether or not he’ll return to South Bend to suit up with the Fighting Irish next season or head to the National Football League. Brown says that “EQ” hasn’t made up his mind yet and is considering both options. However, Brown would like to see his son take the next step and head to the league.

“I do,” said John Brown, when asked if he believes his oldest son should leave for the NFL. “Look, if DeShone Kizer was there, he would have had a better year this year and it would have been an even better reason to leave early. Since he’s not there, and all I know is Wimbush, I just know it’s a lot like when he was in high school. Those coaches said it would get better and it didn’t. I don’t want things to get worse or not get better at Notre Dame. It’s difficult and dangerous and it’s a work in process, but the risk outweighs the reward, in terms of coming back. It’s completely up to him though. Seriously. I’m not Lavar Ball. I’m not going to make my kids do anything. I just think it’s wiser to come out now. He’ll test well, they’ll look at his body of work, he’ll be alright. There are no guarantees he goes first round if he stays or if he comes out. The numbers could stay the same next year and then it would be two years of bad numbers instead of one. I get the benefits of staying, too. I totally get that. To be honest, none of this is coach Kelly’s fault. It’s not Chip Long’s fault. The hands are tied a little bit. They just need to get the recruiting better. There is no reason for Notre Dame to not be the No. 1 or 2 school in college football recruiting. That’s how amazing those guys are and then you add the brand, it’s like the Patriots. I do think they’ll get it right, but it’s hard to know for sure. All of this is up to my son though.”

Needless to say, Notre Dame fans will be paying close attention to both Equanimeous’ decision, as well as Amon-Ra’s. Will they play together next season in South Bend? Will one be in the NFL, while the other suits up for the Trojans? We should know the answers to these questions in a few, short weeks.