The Notre Dame Fighting Irish secured an important commitment for the class of 2027, landing multi-sport athlete Titus Hawk out of Oklahoma.
Hawk has a little time before he suits up for Notre Dame on the gridiron and on the diamond, and will undoubtedly chart his own path once he gets to campus.
With that said, his athletic skills and frame are similar to those of former Fighting Irish football and baseball star Jeff Samardzija.
Samardzija was an offensive force for Notre Dame in the 2000s, going over 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns in his junior and senior seasons. The 6-foot-4 wide receiver was a downfield threat as well as a priority in the red zone.
He was also a force on the mound as well. As noted by Baseball Almanac, Samardzija pitched to a 3.83 ERA in three years for Notre Dame’s baseball team.
Samardzija ended up choosing a professional baseball career, which ended up lasting 13 years, but he valued his time as a double agent of sorts at Notre Dame.
“It keeps you fresh, too. You don’t get burned out on any one thing,” Samardzija once told MLB.com about his college experience. “I was the type of person that would get burned out if I did the same thing over and over. I always enjoyed a new season in different sports.”
He also cited one major difference about the two sports.
“In college, it was great. I was always missing [spring] football workouts. That was another reason I played baseball, too. It was a game every day. I hated practice. Football practice is a slow death. It’s the worst. It’s repetitive,” he told MLB.com.
Titus Hawk’s routine at Notre Dame will be his business, but he might seek Samardzija’s advice in the future. He wouldn’t be the first Fighting Irish tight end to do so, as Cole Kmet’s dual-sport engagement with Samardzija was detailed by USA TODAY Sports’ ND Insider several years ago.
Congrats son. I know you didn’t take this process lightly. Keep chasing dreams and hitting goals. https://t.co/pMHUNCQJFL
— Shane Hawk (@ShaneHawk41) May 4, 2026
Hawk may be good enough to have a decision similar to Samardzija’s in a few years, and it’ll be fun for fans to track his development as the decade wears on.
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Notre Dame Football: Can Titus Hawk become next Jeff Samardzija?
