He grew up a die-hard Notre Dame fan.

Heck, he was named after an Irish football player.

So not even falling victim to the flu was stopping Penn's Braxston Cave from officially signing his letter of Intent on Wednesday to play football for the Fighting Irish.

"It's just a big relief," the 6'4," 295 pound Cave said Wednesday morning. "I've waited for it for a long time. And now its a sealed deal. I'm just really excited."

Rivals.com lists Cave as the 4th best center in the country.

The Kingsmen senior has developed a strong bond with his entire recruiting class -- a class that is ranked second in the country by Rivals. He says that's because of the school they will soon be playing for.

"Notre Dame's a special place," Cave explained. "You get on that campus together and you don't want to turn away. It's just Notre Dame."

Irish head coach Charlie Weis credited Cave along with QB recruit Dayne Crist for bringing this class together.

"Every time you turn around -- the only problem with Braxston is I see him too much," Weis said. "He's here all the time. He's done a great job, and not only is he a great player but he's been one of our best recruiters"

Weis even joked that Braxston's mom is the mom of the entire recruiting class.

"I don't know how many pasta dinners she's made, but it seems like every time everyone comes in town, they're all hanging at Braxston's house," Weis explained.

"His parents have been great. They've opened their doors."

To prepare for Notre Dame, Cave is currently working with a personal trainer in order to keep his conditioning at a top level.

"They said 'focus on center,'" Cave said. "I've got some plays from Coach Latina to work on."

"So, I'm just focusing on center. If I have to change positions, that's fine with me. I've got to do whatever I've got to do to help the team."