2019 Episcopal (Va.) safety Litchfield Ajavon‍ hadn’t been to South Bend for a few months, but the four-star prospect was back at Notre Dame over the weekend for his official visit.

Ajavon was in South Bend last year for the Miami (OH) game, but he knew this weekend was going to be entirely different.

“It was great to be there for a big game,” Ajavon told Irish Sports Daily. “The atmosphere was a lot more electric with it being a top 10 game. You could see the difference in the fans, players and coaches. I’m glad I picked that day for my official visit.

“I was expecting a great environment for a top 10 game and a rivalry game. It was the ‘Nerd Bowl.’ It definitely delivered.”

As with any big game, several of Notre Dame commits were in town, and Ajavon enjoyed meeting his future teammates.

“It was nice,” explained Ajavon. “Myself, Zeke (Correll), Kyle (Hamilton) and Andrew (Kristofic) linked up right away and started talking. It was like we knew each other before we met each other. I spent most of the day with Andrew and Zeke.

“Andrew is a Steelers fan, Zeke is a Bengals fan, and I’m a Ravens fan. There’s a big rivalry there, and my Ravens picked up a dub over the Steelers this weekend. It was just good to meet up with the guys and catch up with each other.”

Clark Lea was a significant reason why Ajavon chose the Irish and the two were able to reconnect over the weekend along with several members of the Irish staff.

“We usually talk, and we’re up to date on everything, but the overall theme with my meeting with the coaches was the excitement to have Kyle and I on campus,” said Ajavon. “They want us to bring depth to the safety position, and we have our own destiny once we get on campus.

“We have to be ready to play once we get on campus because anything can happen. The coaches said they will give us the tools to be successful when we get there.”

Irish Sports Daily S Litchfield Ajavon

It’s not uncommon for Ajavon to think a little deeper than most recruits, so it wasn’t surprising to hear he was fired up for the chance to be taught how to play safety once he gets to Notre Dame.

“I can’t wait to get taught how to play the safety position,” stated Ajavon. “I’ve been coached how to play safety, but they will teach me the position. That excites me the most.

“I’ve been playing the safety position for three years, and I know there’s a lot more for me to learn. I can’t wait for that to get started.”

Over a year ago, Ajavon stated he wanted to find a school where playing football was fun. It wasn’t about jokes or laughing, but more a place where the players cared and playing football didn’t seem like a chore.

“It looked like a lot of fun,” laughed Ajavon when asked about the defensive performance against Stanford.”Even over the last few weeks, you can see it. If you check Twitter after the game, you see the guys talking about how they can’t wait to get back to work with their brothers or how much fun they had working with their brothers.

“They are truly enjoying themselves. It’s great to see what the coaches and players have created. It’s contagious. When I say I want to have fun, I don’t mean laughing because there needs to be structure, but I want to enjoy playing football, and I see that.”

Irish Sports Daily S Litchfield Ajavon

Notre Dame’s academics were also a significant reason in Ajavon’s decision, and he got an in-depth look at what he'll experience over the weekend.

Chris Stevens, a professor in the Mendoza School of Business, made a significant impact on Ajavon’s visit, including a presentation the Episcopal standout won’t soon forget.

“He had a presentation for me when I got there, and that was probably the most surprising thing for me,” Ajavon explained. “He was very personable.

“I want to study Finance. He had this book that’s called ‘Where will you be five years from today?’ He said he gives the book to all of his freshmen students when they start class. He wanted me to read the book and kind of welcome me to the school. That was really cool.”

Ajavon related to Steven in several ways as they were from the East Coast and student-athletes.

“He was from D.C. and went to St. John’s College,” recalled Ajavon. “He told me how played basketball overseas and was part of Keurig. It was fun. That was one of my most memorable meetings. I can’t wait until I’m on campus officially to be in his class.

“There were pictures of me in the presentation, my school and he knew a lot of information about me. He knew about my old football coach and my new coaches. It was a unique presentation and unique to me specifically.”

Ajavon hasn’t wavered in his commitment to Notre Dame and the weekend visit only made him see it was the perfect school for him.

“I’ve been strong on Notre Dame since I committed and even way before that,” said Ajavon. “The weekend was reassuring that going to Notre Dame was the right choice for me.”