this was posted by Brian Dohn on Tengwall - this guy is about as connected as you get in the Atlantic area Spoiler Landon Tengwall, who is the No. 5 offensive tackle in 247Sports' class of 2021, left his Notre Dame visit last month with the Irish his top choice. The Olney (Md.) Our Lady of Good Counsel standout visited Penn State last weekend, and while he had a great time and the Nittany Lions remain strongly involved, the Irish remain in front. And, after spending time with Tengwall at his school last week and checking with several sources in the last few days, I put in a Crystal Ball pick for Notre Dame. The 6-foot-6, 300-pound Tengwall is not visiting anywhere this weekend, but he does plan on visiting Notre Dame again in June. However, in talking to sources, do not expect a decision for a while.
sinclair friday notes Spoiler Notre Dame has made moves with a long list of prospects in recent weeks, setting the table for a strong class. Yesterday, Notre Dame hosted a three-star wide receiver who the Irish coaching staff considers a four-star talent. And last night, two of the top prospects on the board arrived in South Bend for their Blue-Gold Game weekend visits. Let’s get into a few topics I’ve come across this week, starting with yesterday’s visit. Xavier Watts The wide receiver I was referring to Omaha (Neb.) Burke High School junior Xavier Watts. Today, I’ll be linking up with the deceptively quick prospect for a full conversation. In the meantime, I managed to get in a few quick questions last night to gauge his visit. On what the highlights of his visit were… “Just how genuine the coaches were with me,” Watts said. “How they see me fitting in surprised (me). Then how everything was set up and how I was treated…(The coaches) were all really cool and honest with me.” On whether Notre Dame could be the school for him… “I don’t know for sure but I could definitely see myself playing there,” Watts said. “What I heard today kind of boosted (my interest).” Watts knows the academics will be a challenge in South Bend. For me, I got the sense that the long-term result of a Notre Dame degree along with his potential in the Irish offense was the notes that seemed to shine through during his visit. Nebraska may stand tall in his offer list but the Irish are working hard to close that gap. OG/C Zak Zinter will re-visit Notre Dame this weekend and it sure feels like the Irish has a firm lead. Taking multiple trips to South Bend in the past while an official visit is ahead for June, a commitment this weekend would make sense. However, from what I’ve heard, the Irish may prefer to wait on building the interior offensive line class. Of course, Illinois prospect Pete Skoronski is another athlete in which Notre Dame’s interest is growing strong while Reece Atteberry brings the most impressive position versatility with substantial experience at center and tackle. I don’t think it’s impossible Zinter commits this weekend. He’s certainly built for battle as he stands today at 6-foot-6, 300-pounds – one of his strongest selling points. But I think a June time frame for adding interior talent is more likely. Top priorities Notre Dame is four-for-four in adding top priority talent over three position groups on offense. Drew Pyne was prioritized early. The No. 1 and No. 2-ranked tight ends in the country were listed as such on Notre Dame’s board in Michael Mayer and Kevin Bauman. And we knew early that Jordan Johnson was the top target at wide receiver. The top prospects at running back and offensive line? We know that Chris Tyree hits Oklahoma this weekend, the major competitor for the Irish who have wowed the five-star back during his recent visit with an official set for June 21. Up front, Tosh Baker represents the top O-line recruit with Jimmy Christ a close second. Will the Irish go six-for-six or seven-for-seven in landing Tyree, Baker, and Christ? This is now a legitimate question and a real possibility. If you’re a Notre Dame fan, these are exciting times when it comes to offensive recruiting. Prospects to keep an eye on I looked through a long list of film earlier this week and came across two prospects who stood out to me. Starting with a four-star recruit out of Oregon, Andy Alfieri is an athlete you all should take a look at – a 6-foot-3, 220-pound two-way star out of Portland. Defensively, Alfieri plays a role similar to the drop end position where he would potentially line up if he were at Notre Dame. Alfieri gets a good jump off the line, shows good lateral and straight-line speed, and closes on the football with power. According to the Jesuit High School standout, he’s heard from the Irish in small batches and hopes to visit South Bend this summer. Although he isn’t the prototypical long edge rusher, his film warrants a look at the very least (click here for that film). And with an offer from Cal, it appears his academics are in order. Next, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound safety out of Louisiana in Donovan Johnson caught my eye. This is the type of tall, aggressive, flies-to-the-football safety I love for Notre Dame. At The Opening Regionals, he posted a 4.66 in the 40, and a 4.39 shuttle. These aren’t elite scores but he certainly is trending in the right direction. Johnson plays free safety in the Helen Cox High School defense, shows fluid feet in his backpedal and in how he transitions his footwork while turning his hips and breaking on the ball. 2COMMENTS When connecting with Johnson this week, he stated that Notre Dame staff has been in touch with him and his coach and a potential visit is being discussed.
Our tight end who we expect big things from used to pitch for the team but he gave it up to dedicate his time to football
What's the deal going on in the school of this requirement for everyone to live 3 years on campus and giving senior stipends to stay on campus all 4 years? That doesn't seem too smart/necessary, but what am I missing?
yeah i don't understand it, or see the need to make the change. the 6 semester rule was announced a while back, but the new stuff with the stipends for on-campus seniors and not allowing off-campus seniors to participate in interhall sports or go to dances just seems dumb and spiteful. i haven't seen any real quality defense for the new rules. but they're building at least 2 new dorms specifically for the additional students that will be on campus, so they're obviously very serious about it.
Wow. That’s bad. They really do try to run that place like a fancy high school. I was under the impression that it was getting more and more common for people to move off campus before their senior year, which few people did when I went there.
I really like the shirt. Agreed on the color for the stadium. I'll still wear the hell out of it elsewhere. Especially the Sundays after beating UGA and the Skunkbears.
this sucks. i'm about 300 feet away from the stadium, but stuck indoors working today. might take a break and just walk outside and hear the sounds of the crowd. how's everyone looking?
Offense looks amazing except for Jurkovec. He’s just not great at throwing a football right now. Not as bad as Wimbush yet, but not good.
Punter looks bad Like the RBs Defensive depth looks young, those guys need some protein shakes and weight room time
In the pregame pod for Irish Illustrated they said to expect Book to chuck it deep against the corners not named Pride a lot. Did that happen? The report on Griffith has been he gets beat deep a lot. I'm sure in the fall they will give him help but now will throw him in the deep end and see if he swims.
Watching the spring game a little late but this roster top to bottom has so much more talent and athleticism than basically every team I've seen play at ND (was too young for the Holtz era) There are a lot of questions and I am not sure they will be fortunate enough to get through the season unscathed but it should be a real solid squad. The defensive ends and offense should be very fun to watch.
Lucked into front row seats for the first half and holy shit this team looks different. I was on the field for Pitt just last year and this is a different group on first look. Not sure how it translates but just "off the bus" they are a lot.
I’m just now walking in the door from the UFC event, haven’t seen a single highlight but you fuckers have me optimistic. I hate being optimistic
Linebackers kind of suck... Everything else looks good, the offense is gonna be real good. I hate when I can't sleep.
I'll help out: 5 important players will be suspended for nothing No Kelly QB has been decent two years in a row LBs are unproven The corner opposite of Pride is wide open If any DT gets hurt the team is fucked The punter was terrible The kicker has been shaky throughout his career at ND and now he is stepping into the spotlight and will need to make big kicks replacing the most accurate kicker in ND history
i tell him to suck my d but yeah he was 1.7 percent better kicking less and in less clutch situations
Update, bought 4 yesterday 1 for lil' Niles 1 for me, and 1 each for my old man and mom, they are nice. Also got an uNDdefeated shirt for 6 bucks, we all know why.
That will be interesting, he is a bit undersized but can fly. Should be a mismatch for everybody almost. And Kmet is the prototypical te. Should be a fun offense to watch
ND's own Monty williams a prime candidate for the lakers head coaching job. after everything he's been through the last few years, this would be incredible from all accounts, it couldn't happen to a better guy
recruiting scoop Spoiler Notre Dame hosted plenty of talented prospects over the weekend and as always, Irish Illustrated and 247Sports have the latest recruiting scoop the visitors. Here’s an update on the targets that were on campus over the past week. On four-star defensive end / linebacker Jordan Botelho … — To make it clear, as I stated over the weekend, I’m very, very close to putting in a 247Sports Crystal Ball for Notre Dame regarding the elite talent from Hawaii. This visit couldn’t have gone better from start to finish. The staff laid it out on day one regarding how he would be used in Notre Dame’s defense and he was genuinely fired up about how he would be used. He knows that he would thrive in this defense. Defensive line coach Mike Elston and defensive coordinator Clark Lea laid it out perfectly and he was on board. Then came time for the academic meetings and while he had a couple reservations before the trip, those were quickly put to rest because him and his family know that there is great support from everyone on campus. Everyone went to the home of Brian PolianSaturday night for dinner and I’m told Notre Dame genuinely improved its chances during that meeting. On a busy weekend, I’m told Botelho and his family really appreciated the effort from Polian, Lea and Elston, who were all present that evening, and made it completely obvious how big of a deal he was to the staff. I fully believe his parents want him at Notre Dame and there is that belief from those inside the Gug. Elston will be out to see him first and then Polian will head to Hawaii to see him. They want to lock this one down as soon as possible. It’s up to the staff to close. In all honesty, my pick for the Irish could be in by day’s end. On four-star wide receiver Jalen McMillan … — Notre Dame believes it made a huge move for him this weekend. In talking with sources Sunday night, perception is that the Fighting Irish trailed a couple of others heading into the weekend and that may no longer be the case. Notre Dame believes it is currently the leader or co-leader in this recruitment. He was engaged throughout all of the meetings, was vocal about his positive impressions of the team during the spring game, had a great time around the current team, and one source added that “Jalen said Notre Dame felt like home.” The Irish know this one has a long way to go if he truly sicks with his current timetable, which has him committing in December, but the staff feels it is in a great spot early in this recruitment. They are confident he’ll return for an official visit before he makes a decision and that’s all you can ask. Four days on campus and a couple of others in the future, Notre Dame will surely have a hat on the table and are definitely in the hunt unless they are completely misreading this one. On four-star offensive guard Zak Zinter … — Notre Dame is the leader for the Top247 prospect per the 247Sports Composite Rankings. Michigan, Penn State, Boston College and others are all pushing, but coming out of this visit, Notre Dame is definitely the team to beat. My 247Sports Crystal Ball is on the Fighting Irish and I love that pick as of now. The key here is ensuring that when it comes down to it, there is a spot for him in this class. Notre Dame is in a great spot for multiple offensive linemen and it’s quite possible they only take two or three this cycle. Unless they miss on other positions, I’m not sure they can or will take four along the offensive line. That said, the staff is being very patient with that position group. They need tackles first and foremost and Tosh Baker and Jimmy Christ are the top guys. Zinter is likely an interior guy at the next level, which suits him best. There are a couple of very talented interior guys for potentially only one spot if they are able to land their top two tackles. The staff has put themselves in a position to take their time with this group. Either way, I know for a fact that Notre Dame really likes Zinter as a player and a person, has no concerns about him from these past two trips, and enjoyed having him back on campus over the weekend. They are looking forward to him returning in June for his official visit. On four-star offensive guard Peter Skoronski … — This is a situation similar to Zinter. As we reported Monday morning, Skoronski is returning to Notre Dame for his official visit from June 21-23. With interior guys like Zinter and Reece Atteberry on campus that weekend as well, it’ll be interesting to see how things shake out. Notre Dame has been recruiting Skoronski for a very long time and is excited about his potential as a guard or center at the next level. The staff feels like they have the edge over Northwestern, Ohio State and others for Skoronski and it’s very possible they will try and close to deal with him this summer. Again though, priority number one for the staff is getting tackles this cycle. That’s just the biggest need. Sure, they’d love to take all three interior guys like Zinter, Skoronski and Atteberry, but numbers won’t allow that. That’s why head coach Brian Kelly makes the big bucks. He may have to say no to some really good players. On three-star wide receiver Xavier Watts … — As Irish Illustrated first reported Monday morning, Watts will return to Notre Dame for his official visit during the weekend of June 21-23. This will be his third trip to campus. He was in town last fall for a Notre Dame game day trip, returned this past week for a one-day unofficial visit and will be back this summer. That will be a great opportunity to make a huge move for a young man who is admittedly excited about the opportunities, both athletically and academically, at Notre Dame. When he was on campus last week, the staff made it very clear how much he is coveted by the staff, the laid out where he’s at on the board, how badly they want his commitment, and that they are ready to say no to many others if he jumps on board. In talking with sources close to Nebraska, that staff feels really good as well, which usually bodes well with the home state school. However, maybe it’s a gut feeling, but I get the feeling Watts is much more interested in Notre Dame than some believe or want to admit. In somewhat of a random note, I’m told he has been in touch with four-star cornerback Ryan Watts, no relation, and the two talk often. The recent discussion was about Notre Dame, as both were on campus recently. I’m told, per a source, that both were talking about potentially ending up at Notre Dame together because of how much they liked it. Obviously Ryan could very well end up at Oklahoma and Xavier at Nebraska and all of this be a moot point, but it was interesting to hear they both had positive dialogue regarding the Fighting Irish.