Sean Kerr grew up rooting for Notre Dame. But whenever he’d watch the Irish play Navy, something felt different.

“I've been a Notre Dame fan my whole life,” Kerr said. “But I always saw myself rooting for Navy, even as a Notre Dame fan. That rivalry is kind of where it first started, where I first came to figure out what Navy was and what it represented.”

Those games were the start of a long process that ended earlier this month when Kerr, a 6-5 tight end from Rolling Meadows, Illinois, committed to the Naval Academy.