York grad Reiff prepares to shake down the thunder with Notre Dame

By Jeff Vorva

Joseph Reiff V had been to college football games before.

His father, Joseph IV, played football for Northwestern, so the two had taken in some games in Evanston over the years.

But THIS?

Joseph V went to a Notre Dame game and was blown away by the experience. It was in 2023, and the Fighting Irish played Ohio State. The No. 7 Buckeyes beat the 16th-ranked Irish, 17-14, in a game that went down to the wire in South Bend.

“I had never been to a college football game like that, where you had two ranked opponents and two storied programs.” Joseph V said.  “The atmosphere was just incredible. It was a night game, and they brought out the green jerseys for the first time, and there was just a lot of hype around the game. I knew in the fourth quarter that Notre Dame was where I wanted to go.”

York’s Joseph Reiff, right, smiles as teammate Jimmy Connors lifts the state second-place state trophy in November.
Photo by Jeff Vorva

Reiff made his mind up then, but the York graduate made it official last Dec. 4 that he would be heading to ND, and the 6-foot-5, 258-pound lineman hopes he can help the Irish in some big-time games in the future.

He helped York make it to the Illinois High School Association Class 8A championship game – the first time the Dukes ever made it that far.

“Notre Dame is an excellent fit for Joe,” York coach Don Gelsomino said. “He knew immediately after one of his first visits that it was the place for him. He is an excellent student and person, above being an incredible football player, and I

think Notre Dame will bring out the best in all three of those areas.”

It took a little time for the ND scouts to convince them that Reiff was Fighting Irish material.

“They gave me a camp invite in 2023,” Reiff said. “But I don’t think they really knew who I was. At that time, I had an offer from Iowa and Purdue. Maybe someone saw it and sent out an invitation. I’m not sure how that got sent out. But I went to camp, and on June 20, 2024, I got my offer. I had a pretty good camp.”

His father was on the 1996 Northwestern Rose Bowl team, and his great-grandfather, Joe II, was a three-time all-American basketball player at NU.

With all of that athletic history in the family, it was a good bet he was going to enjoy some success. He said his parents never pushed him into sports but encouraged him.

Joseph Reiff poses with Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman during Reiff’s recruiting journey.
Photo courtesy of Reiff Family

“They said that you learn the values of teamwork and being around other kids,” he said. “They wanted me to do something. We were living in Oak Park at the time, and I saw an advertisement for the Oak Park Huskies.  I was really young and wanted to play, and they wouldn’t let me until I was six or seven. Once I got to play, I never stopped, even though that first year in Oak Park, I don’t think we won a game.”

It’s a sport he has always loved and still loves, even during hot and humid practices this summer in South Bend, getting ready for this season, scheduled to start Aug. 31 against Miami.

“I like the people that you are around,” he said. “In high school, it becomes a little more serious. Guys take it seriously in high school, and they want to be there. In youth football, sometimes it’s kids whose parents made them show up. But I like being around guys with similar mindsets about football.

“Usually, people who take football seriously take other stuff seriously. They are not the kind of guys who mess around in the classroom. It’s generally good people to be around. I like that. All these guys will be lifelong friends.” 

Joseph Reiff (78) and his teammates high-five York fans during an early-season game in 2024. Photo courtesy of York High