When you think of Notre Dame's rich tradition of multi-sport athletes, one name stands out above the rest: Jeff Samardzija. Now, the Fighting Irish faithful have a reason to get excited about a new two-sport star in the making.

Titus Hawk, a dynamic athlete out of Oklahoma, just committed to Notre Dame's class of 2027—and he's bringing both a football and baseball glove with him. While Hawk will undoubtedly carve his own legacy in South Bend, the comparisons to Samardzija are already impossible to ignore.

Let's break down why this is such a compelling storyline. Samardzija was a 6-foot-4 wide receiver who terrorized defenses in the 2000s, racking up over 1,000 receiving yards and double-digit touchdowns in both his junior and senior seasons. He was a deep-ball threat, a red-zone nightmare, and a fan favorite. But he wasn't just a gridiron star—on the baseball diamond, he posted a solid 3.83 ERA over three seasons for the Irish, as noted by Baseball Almanac.

Samardzija ultimately chose baseball professionally, enjoying a 13-year MLB career. But he never forgot what made his Notre Dame experience special. "It keeps you fresh," he once told MLB.com. "You don't get burned out on any one thing. 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 had a brutally honest take on the difference between the two: "Football practice is a slow death. It's the worst. It's repetitive." Baseball, he noted, offered a game every day—a welcome change of pace.

Titus Hawk will have to find his own rhythm balancing football and baseball at Notre Dame. But he's not the first to walk this path. Fellow Fighting Irish tight end Cole Kmet also navigated the dual-sport life, and his connection to Samardzija was detailed by USA TODAY Sports' ND Insider a few years back.

For now, Hawk's routine remains his own. But if he ever needs advice on juggling two sports at one of college athletics' most demanding programs, he knows exactly whose number to call.