Even after he led his Omaha Creighton Prep football squad to the state championship last fall, Dan Gorski's teammates are making fun of him.
"[Nebraska tight end recruit] Zach Potter is calling me' Leprechaun'," Gorski said. "A lot of them wanted me to go to Nebraska."
Instead of choosing the in-state Huskers, Gorski accepted an offer to walk on as a quarterback at Notre Dame next fall. He joins scholarship recruit Evan Sharpley as one of two quarterbacks added to the Irish roster this off-season.
Gorski's mother is a Saint Mary's graduate while his father is a Notre Dame Law School alum. One of his sisters is a current junior at Notre Dame, and another graduated from the University last year.
"It's a dream come true," Gorski said. "I've been a lifelong fan and my family was really excited. My sister was screaming."
Irish quarterbacks coach David Cutcliffe was also happy with the decision that the first-team all-state quarterback made last Saturday.
"When I told him I was coming he jumped up with a big smile on his face and shook my hand," Gorski said.
Irish head coach Charlie Weis was not around for Gorski's announcement, but before he left to catch a flight he gave the 4.0 student some advice.
"He said that if I didn't know within half an hour if this was the place, then it wasn't the place for me," Gorski said. "He's a big ND guy and I'm the type of guy he's looking for."
Gorski will be on campus starting June 18 and will train with his new teammates this summer. He hopes to win one of four available scholarships when practice starts in August.
"The coaches said I have a shot at earning a scholarship," Gorski said. "I just have to prove I can be in the mix."
Weis made it clear that Brady Quinn will be the starter. But the backup job is up for grabs with David Wolke, Darrin Bragg, Sharpley and Gorski all competing.
Gorski, who scored a 32 on his ACT, drew recruiting interest from Notre Dame and Nebraska as well as various Division I-AA and Division II schools.
"I had my list narrowed down to Notre Dame, Nebraska and Princeton," Gorski said. He mentioned that the recent coaching change at Notre Dame made his decision more difficult.
"I really had no idea if the new coaching staff would be interested in me," Gorski said. "But my dad sent in my film and coach Cutcliffe liked what he saw."
A member of the varsity at Creighton Prep since his sophomore year, Gorski split time with other quarterbacks until gaining sole possession of the starting job as a senior. He threw for 1,203 yards, eight touchdowns and nine interceptions while winning a state championship.
