wait, kizer was at the draft last night? was he expected to go at some point in the first round heading into the night?
Spoiler As we reported earlier this week, UConn transfer Juwan Durham is scheduled to take an official visit to Notre Dame next weekend. Irish assistant coaches Rod Balanis and Ryan Humphrey obviously made strong impressions on the 6-foot-10 power forward when they made the trip up to Storrs to meet with him earlier this month. "It went great," a source told us of the meeting. "I think the fact that they showed the initiative to go up to Connecticut to start forming the relationship with him is going to be very beneficial in the overall decision making." Humphrey's personal story, having started his college career at Oklahoma before finishing with the Irish, also caught Durham's attention. "The opportunity he had with Coach Humphrey helped as well," we heard. "He's a young man who also had some injuries, transferred into Notre Dame and had a phenomenal experience. That's another thing he talks about." Durham is excited to see Notre Dame and South Bend. "He's looking forward to go up there next weekend as are his mother and father," we were told. "Juwan has been a Southern kid, except for last year, his entire life. It's going to be interesting for him to see the Midwest." But he does have some people close to him with Midwestern roots who have given him an idea of what to expect, plus the Irish basketball program is a strong lure. "Obviously, the success the Irish have had over the years and Coach (Mike) Brey's track record speaks for itself," the source said. "It's not like he's going into unchartered waters. He feels comfortable about it. "He's a very thought-provoking kid. Yes, he's a great basketball player, but he's a really intelligent kid who is going to really sort out a lot of different things when he makes this decision." The visit to South Bend will be Durham's first official in the transfer process and he's looking at two others. "He is most likely going to visit Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech," we were told. "At the moment, those are the only three he's contemplating." What about Louisville, a school that was considered to be a serious contender for Durham? "They're out." IRISH SURVIVE HUBB'S SECOND CUT: As we reported yesterday, the Notre Dame men's basketball program is on the verge of getting one of its top 2018 targets on campus for an official visit this weekend. We still aren't sure all of the details of that visit have been ironed out yet, but we haven't heard of any specific roadblocks that would prevent the trip from happening either. The Washington, D.C. point guard cut his list to six schools last month, but this week we were told the list has been trimmed even more. "It's down to four now," a source told us. "It's down to Notre Dame, Villanova, Maryland and Virginia." Syracuse and Kansas are the two schools that are no longer under consideration. The 6-foot-3 guard doesn't have a firm timeline for a decision, but our source didn't believe it would play out too long. "I think he'd like to get it over sooner rather than later, but we haven't set a date yet." IRISH IMPRESS MUHAMMAD: While Notre Dame hopes to get Hubb on campus this weekend, the Irish did host New Jersey guard Luther Muhammad for an unofficial visit yesterday. The 6-foot-3 guard from Jersey City told Irish Sports Daily late last night that he liked the visit more than he thought he would and that his interest in Notre Dame increased with the stop. Notre Dame will still have to beat out some East Coast schools like St. John's and Seton Hall among others, but Muhammad told us he's intrigued enough in the Irish at this point that he's leaning toward taking a return visit to South Bend. EARLY ENROLLEES MAKE MOST OF HEADSTARTS:The interesting thing about early enrollees, especially at Notre Dame, is that many times the prospects who take advantage of the opportunity to get a jump on getting accustomed to college life are the prospects who need the least time making the adjustment. That was pretty much the case with Notre Dame's batch of early enrollees this year. Running back C.J. Holmes, tight end Brock Wright, safety Isaiah Robertson and offensive linemen Robert Hainsey and Aaron Banks all arrived in South Bend in January ready to work on the field and in the classroom. There were some bumps in the road, most notably Holmes being sidelined midway through spring practice with a shoulder injury, but the experience was beneficial to all, according to multiple sources. Even in Holmes' case, while it was disappointing for him to go down right when he started to feel like he was catching the attention of the coaches, he was able to use his limited time on the field in the spring to do just that. The hope is that he'll be ready for action come fall. For each of the others, last week provided their first chance to suit up in front of a crowd inside Notre Dame Stadium, but the benefits of enrolling early extend far beyond playing in the spring game. "I think it's been outstanding," one source said. "Number one, all of the early enrollees were capable of getting snaps and getting playing time out there. That's what I think is remarkable, because of the skill levels, I think they got the most out of it because they were involved." That same source said he felt each of the freshmen fit in with their teammates and classmates easily. "From my interaction with the guys, it appears to me that all of them, from a maturity standpoint, are definitely able to handle enrolling early and it appears to be going good," we were told. "I haven't heard any horror stories. "I think they're all doing well. My interactions with Brock and with Rob, with Banks of America, with CJ and Isaiah is that they're all having good experiences and acclimating well." A separate source pointed out the fact that at least a couple of the early enrollees had excelled in the classroom during their first college semesters. "They've made that adjustment very easily and very well," we were told. And while the other four may have received more fanfare during the recruiting process, Robertson certainly made his presence felt during the Blue-Gold Game. "Right from the beginning of the game, he was out there," one source said. "He likes to hit. I think with a little more size and experience, knowing what he's doing out there, I think he's going to be scary." NOTES FROM UNDER ARMOUR CHICAGO: As we reported immediately after the visit on Saturday and in the days to follow in our full interview with Jalen Mayfield, the 2018 Michigan offensive lineman was a little disappointed with the lack of communication he had with Irish coaches during his visit. Mayfield, who has offers from schools like Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa, Arizona and Cincinnati among several others, expected to get a bit more time with members of the Notre Dame staff while on campus, especially with head coach Brian Kelly and offensive line coach Harry Hiestand. Ironically, what probably made it a little more disappointing was the fact that he enjoyed virtually every other part of the visit so much. But that's also the good news. We've been assured multiple times since the visit, that the disappointment doesn't nearly rise to the level that would cause Notre Dame to be eliminated or anything like that. We get the sense Mayfield was puzzled more than angered. And, again, he remains interested in Notre Dame. In fact, we believe if the Irish do decide to pursue Mayfield seriously and were to offer, they would immediately jump inside Mayfield's current top three of Michigan, Michigan State and Iowa. At the moment, the Wolverines have a solid lead, but he has family close to South Bend and the coaching staff at his high school has some pretty strong connections to the staff at Notre Dame. There have been some signs that the Irish could indeed decide to jump in the race, but there have been some mixed signals, so we'll see. Notre Dame talked about coming down to evaluate Mayfield in person in late-May, but that'll likely be too late as we expect him to really narrow his focus well before that. 2019 Michigan athlete Julian Barnett was a bright spot at wide receiver on Sunday and certainly didn't look like an underclassman on the field multiple top 2018 players. The 6-foot-2, 186-pounder from Belleville High School has early offers from schools like Michigan State, Iowa, Georgia, Auburn, Arkansas, Arizona and Missouri among others. He's listed by most outlets, including Irish Sports Daily, as a wide receiver, but we're told he'd be perfectly happy being recruited by Notre Dame as a defensive back. He's already been to South Bend and is looking forward to returning in the future. He's also looking forward to an anticipated stop by Irish assistant Todd Lyght during the Evaluation Period. Ohio State hasn't offered yet, but the Buckeyes seem to have his attention. We don't know for sure, but we get the sense Michigan might not be a factor here even if it wanted to be. Notre Dame is a different story. 2018 Detroit prospect Eli Collins is another versatile athlete. He's listed as a running back and that's where he performed during Sunday's camp. The 6-foot, 195-pounder from University of Detroit Jesuit High School visited Notre Dame earlier this month and a source tells us he really enjoyed the visit and would like to come back. He's expecting the Irish to drop in on him in the coming weeks. Notre Dame is recruiting him as a Rover candidate, though, instead of a running back, but that's completely fine with Collins. In fact, he'll be at camp this summer looking to prove to the staff that he has the coverage ability to play that position. KEEP AN EYE ON THE COLORADO QBs: Earlier this week, we had stories on a pair of 2019 Colorado quarterbacks. Luke McCaffrey is the latest in a long line of football standouts in his family and his name has been known by many for some time. On the other hand, Ty Evanswas a new name for us this week and a prospect waiting on his first offer. Still, we think it's worth it for Irish fans to keep an eye on both. With McCaffrey, he's seen brothers go to Duke, Stanford and Michigan. While he's close with his brother, Dylan, who enrolled at Michigan a couple months ago, the feeling among many is that each brother is trying to do their own thing. Given the family's obvious preference for academic schools, Notre Dame is definitely going to have a legit shot at the youngest McCaffrey brother, who is looking forward to getting back to South Bend this summer. Evans may not have McCaffrey's pedigree and certainly doesn't have his offer list, but he's a kid the Irish have been impressed with on film and believe he still has plenty of time to continue developing. Evans grew up an Irish fan, but it's still good for Notre Dame to show such an interest so early in the process. That should keep his attention moving forward. He too will be in South Bend for a camp this summer. SPEAKING OF EVANS: We heard from Evans' head coach and offensive coordinator on Wednesday. Irish Sports Daily also had the chance to speak with his personal quarterback coach, Tim Jenkins, who spent time with the St. Louis Rams and Calgary Stampeders before getting into the business of training quarterbacks. Jenkins echoed many of the thoughts from Evans' high school coaches. "Ty's an unbelievable kid," said Jenkins. "For me, we try to compare him across all of the guys we work with. I always joke when I talk to people about him, he's the Peyton Manning guy. You're either going to pick him up and he's going to win a bunch of games for you or you're going to play against him and he's going to kick your butt for four years straight. That's kind of the Peyton Manning talk he gave the Colts." According to Jenkins, Evans is "extremely humble and an extremely hard worker." "But he's got a massive competitive chip on his shoulder," he added. "I think the longer and longer this process gets, the more and more I've seen his drive increase to prove he belongs in the conversation with all of the top kids in 2019." Jenkins described Evans' arm talent as "elite." "You could legitimately stack him up against some of our pro prospects this year; the PJ Walker kid at Temple, Austin Apodaca (from New Mexico)," said Jenkins. "If you put them all in black hoodies with the hood up and they went through a pro-style workout, Ty would look the same. We don't have a lot of high school kids I can say that about. From a physical standpoint, Notre Dame would be getting everything they need to be successful in that offense. Jenkins is currently working to help Evans increase his football IQ to prepare him for the next level, but believes the sophomore is already ahead of the game in that aspect as well. "We're working our butts off to make sure he's ready for that level when it comes," he said. "I think that's the number one thing and to be honest, I think he's a victim of his circumstances. He can only go against what defenses are going to run against him. At the high school level, it's always tough for these guys. "They see Cover 3, they see Quarters and they see Man. To have to decipher a ton of it, I think it's more he hasn't had a chance to prove that he can. I'll tell you what, the second he starts to face multiple defenses, it's going to be no issue because of all of the film work and everything else he's doing." Evans, himself, is quick to pass out credit to those who've helped him. "I've been blessed to be surrounded by such a supportive group of coaches," he told ISD. He also gave us an idea of why he was so fired up about Irish assistant Todd Lyght stopping by his school on Tuesday. "I plan on coming to campus in June," he said. "I love the Irish and I will keep grinding and outwork anyone to get there. I really appreciate Coach Lyght coming out. "I've heard from schools like USC, Florida State, Washington and Georgia came by my school as well. But it's always been my dream to play for the Irish." BETWEEN THE HASHES: Not surprisingly, we're already starting to hear rumblings on the trail of the recent sexual assault accusations at Michigan State causing recruits to look elsewhere. It's not a thing that is going to turn every recruit off, but it's certainly going to be a challenge the Spartan staff is going to have to acknowledge and address with just about every family moving forward. And there will certainly be some who cut the Spartans out of consideration altogether. In fact, we spoke with the father of one such prospect this weekend and this prospect is one who had Michigan State included in his top group of schools before the recent news. "Nah, he's not going to State," the father said. "Not with all of that mess going on up there." If it seemed like St. Peter's Prep head coach Rich Hansen wouldn't have a problem with 2018 New Jersey safety/linebacker Shayne Simon heading to Notre Dame, that's because he wouldn't. A source close to the situation tells us Hansen has to remain partial and he's certainly done so, but it's pretty obvious he believes Notre Dame's defensive scheme under Mike Elko would fit Simon "perfectly." Now, Michigan is pitching a similar role, so it'll still be hard to beat the Wolverines, but the feeling is that the Irish's system would probably be the more natural fit for Simon.
slow day but this is some pretty good reading Spoiler In The Film Room…Arrow Up TIM PRISTER 12:18 PM Austin and Franklin are underrated. Austin is way better than the No. 262 overall prospect in the country and Franklin is a four-star performer with a three-star rating. Earlier this week, Irish Illustrated’s Pete Sampson offered Notre Dame’s latest offensive and defensive master lists. On those two lists, there were five prospects with the arrow pointing up toward Notre Dame. Here’s a quick film review of each with recruiting analyst Kevin Sinclair’s take on Notre Dame’s chances. Kevin Austin North Broward PrepCoconut Creek, FL 6'3" / 190 lbs WR RANK49 FL WR RANK9 SOUTH WR RANK21 OFFERS27 262 Analysis The 6-foot-4, 190-pound Austin is a glider that not only utilizes his physical characteristics by high-pointing the ball and out-muscling smaller defensive backs, but also does a nice job of navigating after the catch. This is a big body that creates plenty of mismatches with his frame and playmaking ability. Austin shows good field vision and does a great job of making strong cuts without placing his foot on the brake. He even lines up in the backfield to take handoffs as well, so there's no doubting his ability with the ball in his hands. You just have to love his ability to time his jump and extend out for the football over defenders, but shows some shiftiness to finish off the play as well. CLOSE • Position: WR • Scout Ranking: 4-star – No. 262/No. 49 WR • Ht./Wt.: 6-3, 190 • High School: North Broward Prep • Hometown: Coconut Creek, Fla. • Film Review: Incredibly underrated at No. 262 overall. Long-striding stallion looks like an 800-meter Olympic runner when he’s in full stride. Light on his feet, virtually running on his toes. High points 50-50 balls, landing balanced and ready to break back into full stride. Incredibly elusive in the open field, continuously finding daylight within the same run. Willingly uses a potent stiff arm to keep play alive. A flat-out man among boys on the high school football field. Five-star qualities. • Sinclair On Recruitment: “Kevin Austin Sr. grew up in Michigan and raised his family on the Spartans, who are Notre Dame's main competition. Miami is the other team the Austin family roots for and could also be a factor. At the end of the day, Notre Dame has the academics Austin is looking for and he's bonded well with the current commits. The Irish lead.” George Takacs Gulf Coast HSNaples, FL 6'7" / 236 lbs / 4.87s VERIFIED TE RANK14 FL TE RANK2 SOUTH TE RANK2 OFFERS26 Analysis Takacs is a well-rounded tight end prospect who does a little bit of everything, flashing hand placement and a strong initial punch when assisting as a run blocker. Takacs is not the type of tight end who is going to blow the top off the defense, but finds his spot and provides a big target for the quarterback. Takacs shows good effort after completing the catch, and impresses with the ability to pump his legs and break through wimpy arm tackles. CLOSE • Position: TE • Scout Ranking: 4-star – NR/No. 14 TE • Ht./Wt.: 6-7, 236 • High School: Gulf Coast • Hometown: Naples, Fla. • Film Review: An extremely aggressive blocker. Very quick feet for such a long player. Really keeps his feet active through the block. Will widen his base and drop his pad level. Looks for multiple blocks on same play. Can be stood up when he doesn’t widen his blocking base, causing him to lose leverage. More of a stop-route tight end in a controlled passing game. A short-stepper, which helps him as a blocker but limits his downfield capability. Needs to get stronger to fill out that long body. • Sinclair On Recruitment: “The Irish want one tight end and they want it to be Takacs. Wisconsin and Florida are the competition, but Notre Dame seems to be ahead of the pack.” Ja'mion Franklin North Caroline HSRidgely, MD 6'1.5" / 310 lbs / 5.39s VERIFIED DT RANK42 MD DT RANK3 EAST DT RANK5 OFFERS13 Analysis Franklin uncoils and strikes at the snap with incredible strength, power and explosion. He sinks his hips and is able to explode up and into the offensive lineman. He gets a great push and often gets into the backfields because of his strength. He is physical. Franklin has good burst in short space to get to the ball carrier, and a quick change of direction. He has fast hands. He needs to improve on his ability to pursue down the line of scrimmage, and also work on using more than just power and speed to overwhelm offensive linemen. -- Brian Dohn CLOSE • Position: NT • Scout Ranking: 3-star – NR/No. 42 DT • Ht./Wt.: 6-1½, 310 • High School: North Caroline • Hometown: Ridgely, Md. • Film Review: A bull. A wrecking ball. The kind of interior defensive lineman who should require a double-team. Plays full-speed. Strong. Not just a physical player, but someone who can crease gaps and even weave his way through traffic. A nose tackle with three-technique skills. A bit on the short side, but is so strong and plays with such good leverage that his shortcomings are mitigated. This is a four-star player. • Sinclair On Recruitment: “Franklin is being treated as a priority by Notre Dame. The Irish got on him early. Clemson is the only school that looks to be a threat, and they haven't offered.” Jack Lamb Great Oak HSTemecula, CA 6'4" / 220 lbs OLB RANK9 CA OLB RANK3 WEST OLB RANK5 OFFERS23 119 • Position: OLB • Scout Ranking: 4-star -- No. 119/No. 9 OLB • Ht./Wt.: 6-4, 220 • High School: Great Oaks • Hometown: Temecula, Calif. • Film Review: Long, rangy, athletic linebacker with the versatility to play inside or outside. Edge-setting big man or slicing through A/B gaps. Prototypical standup edge presence normally found at Stanford. Gallops all over the field and finds ways to make plays. Uses hands well and has an explosive gear after getting off block. Shows pass-coverage ability with easy hip turn and long strides to the receiver/ball. Tends to be a twister instead of a tackler at times, but that’s a byproduct of his reach. • Sinclair On Recruitment: “Lamb has always wanted an offer from Notre Dame and he got one, right after enjoying visits to Stanford (one of his dream schools, but no offer), Oregon, Washington, Cal and Penn State (his parents are grads). Still, he doesn't have a top group and he'll visit South Bend in June.” Shayne Simon St. Peters Preparatory SchoolJersey City, NJ 6'3" / 210 lbs S RANK17 NJ S RANK1 EAST S RANK3 OFFERS19 149 Analysis Simon is physically gifted and works hard. He comes up in run support and fills the hole well. He is a good tackler and plays physical. When needed, he moves to outside linebacker and can blitz off the edge. In coverage, he has a nice burst and he changes direction well. He is a physical presence and he can cover outside of the numbers when helping over the top. He needs to improve his backpedal a bit when he is matched up in coverage. He drives well on the ball in front of him and he reads plays well. He has good instincts. -- Brian Dohn CLOSE • Position: OLB • Scout Ranking: 4-star – No. 149/No. 17 S • Ht./Wt.: 6-3, 210 • High School: St. Peter’s Prep • Hometown: Jersey City, N.J. • Film Review: Aggressive, physical player listed by some as a safety, but an outside linebacker prospect on the next level. Athletic enough to play an effective wide receiver, but excels lowering the boom on ball carriers. Shows good hip/lower body strength. Really gets into the feet of a runner. Outstanding burst/straight-ahead speed when pursuing the football. Also quick off the edge. Top-notch closing speed. Plays with a fire. Is sometimes too deliberate coming out of breakdown position, but once he gets moving forward, he’s an explosive tackler. • Sinclair On Recruitment: “Simon maintains that Notre Dame, Penn State, Ohio State, Stanford and Michigan all are being considered. Still, many believe this is a Michigan-Notre Dame battle. Both are pushing hard and the connections are hard to miss.” [/spoiler
pretty funny that albert breer lumped him in with guys that have off the field issues like joe mixon and cam robinson.
Have to find lazy ways to defame someone's character. As a Bengal's fan, I'm disgusted to see Mixon drafted. Would have loved to see Kizer in Cincy though - not the least because he's not a worthless sack of shit like Mixon.
It's easy to say lol Browns bu they have so much in draft assets there are far worse situations out there.
I wouldn't touch Jones but Rochelle is definitely worth a draft pick. Not every D-lineman has to be a pass rusher and Rochelle is very good in every other department.
Was mostly trying to make a little joke but you are right, rochell is going to get a shot. Jones would also but he seems lazy and that would not even cut it in the cfl
I would be shocked if Jones got drafted Dude was an enigma and out of shape But then again that's Kelly's fault because when he wantec he was a first round talent
ND UNC at noon on Sunday for the ACC lacrosse championship. We're now playing for potentially the#1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament if we win our final 2 games.
I would say the opposite. Jones is an NFL starter if he puts it together. Rochelle doesn't seem like he has much of an upside at all. I think Onwalu could make an impact too.
Onuwalu will have the longest career of anyone in this Irish draft class in my opinion. May be as a backup and special teamer but I think his career will parallel a guy like Bruton who has done well for himself.
Never thought about it but you are probably right. The guy is a hard worker and tough, that can get you a long way as an NFL player if you are talented enough. I think rochell is a bit like this, jones on the other hand is the opposite. Can't see him do much because he is lazy, he won't just start to work all of a sudden
Jones could carve a niche on special teams just because he can block kicks. That is if he is not a total non factor as a d lineman. Guy seems to not give a shit though. Rochell never really created much pressure but seemed solid against the run. I agree with others that i think onuwalu will make a good pro. Felt he was underappreciated at nd
It's fun to go back and look at the Charlie Weis defenses that were full of NFL talent and terribly coached
As they are no longer the San Diego Chargers I cannot root for them, but I'll be pulling for Rochelle.
Both actually may be good landing spots for these guys. The Giants and Jones may be a particularly good match.
http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/galler...the-way-too-early-two-round-projection-042917 Mcglinchey at 5 Nelson at 18 Tillery at 37 wtf?