We have Kraemer, Eichenberg, Lugg, Banks, and Gibbons who all have 4 years of eligibility left who it appears can play tackle, I'm not sure I'd say it's a huge need.
That could very well be the case, I have no idea, but adding to that one or two from this class and we should be fine.
Quinn Carroll is looking pretty darn good right now...that kid is gonna be big time I think really, if we can land Petit Frere, we are going to be set at Tackle for many years to come
Banks is already at guard and Gibbons I'm not sure can play tackle Like Wicket said I think we have only 3 tackles on the roster after this year... and a lot of people think Kraemer's best position is guard
Just putting this out there since things are slow - if anyone has or will have line of sight to ND v. UGA tickets, please let me know. I have a big ND crew rolling into town for the game this year. Gracias
Spoiler Since the first time we talked with Thomas Booker, we were convinced the 2018 Maryland defensive lineman would be a fit for Notre Dame. But we also realized Booker would be a fit at several schools, so the question was whether he'd see the University in South Bend as potentially the fit for him. It's not yet certain if Notre Dame is the fit, but after speaking with him again this past weekend, there is no doubt the potential is there. A thoughtful, mature young man, Booker is taking a business-like approach to the recruiting process and Business could end up propelling Notre Dame to the top. Booker, who wants to major in Business, isn't just researching the background of the courses each school offers, but is also taking a close look at what majors the football players at each school are taking. He understands those don't always match. He wants to be challenged and wants to be surrounded by like-minded individuals, which is why he was especially struck by the Irish's current starting center. Booker knows fellow 2018 Maryland defensive lineman PJ Mustipher and was impressed to learn his brother, Sam, is enrolled in Notre Dame's challenging College of Engineering. Booker understands that's not the norm across college football and he's not looking for the norm. In addition to what it can offer in the classroom, Notre Dame is checking boxes on the athletic side of the ledger as well. It's obvious Booker loves Irish defensive line coach Mike Elston and sees him as a family guy. He was also very impressed with the time he spent with head coach Brian Kelly during his visit a couple months ago. There are other programs he's still taking a close look at especially Northwestern and his mother's alma mater, Duke, but it's hard not to get the sense the Irish have an edge. Michigan isn't under consideration and the longer Stanford goes explaining its "numbers game" instead of extending an offer, the closer the Cardinal could be to being out as well. There's been talk about a return to South Bend happening soon and we're told that will likely occur the fourth weekend of June. Booker isn't in a true rush to end his recruitment, so we're not sure he'd be on Commit Watch at that time, but Notre Dame will have a chance to establish itself as the absolute favorite. OWEH MANAGES EXPLOSION: Four months ago to the day, Jayson Oweh didn't have a single college football scholarship offer. The 2018 New Jersey defensive end landed his first offer from Rutgers on Jan. 27th. Today, he has almost two dozen from schools like Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Georgia, Wisconsin, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt among several others. To say it's been dizzying would be an understatement. And Oweh may not have an opportunity to truly steady himself before he needs to make the biggest decision of his life to this point. He may be new to the college football recruiting scene, but the Blair Academy standout has already been schooled on how the process works. Oweh realizes the opportunities in front of him now won't be there forever and that if a school meets its quota at the position, he would have to look elsewhere. With that in mind, look for Oweh to make multiple swings this summer in an effort to bring the process to a close prior to his senior season. It looks like a Midwestern tour will begin in a couple weeks with stops at Ohio State and Wisconsin sandwiched around a trip to Notre Dame for Irish Invasion. Then, it'll likely be a journey down South to see schools like Virginia, Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech. Many believe Penn State has an early edge and while Oweh isn't officially naming any leaders, there are some legitimate reasons to see the Nittany Lions as the favorites. Relationships are going to be important to Oweh and Penn State has been able to get a jump on others in that department. The feelings for James Franklin and his staff are very high and only improved during Oweh's stop at Happy Valley last weekend, where he was impressed by the atmosphere. He had a chance to spend a lot of time around the Penn State coaches and their families. Will he have enough time to get a similar feeling during his trip to South Bend, which could feel rushed between stops in Columbus and Madison? There's no doubt Penn State has an edge in terms of relationships right now, but that's because of the opportunity he's had to form those relationships and multiple sources have told us that edge is not insurmountable. In fact, Elston and Notre Dame defensive coordinator Mike Elko made extremely strong first impressions on Oweh earlier this month. Oweh's family could get to Penn State in less than three hours to visit him and see him play, but as Elko was quick to point out, there's a direct flight from Newark, N.J., to South Bend, Ind., every day that would get them there in even less time. Academics will also be a crucial factor in the decision for Oweh, who wants to major in Engineering. He's already been looking at a list of the top 50 engineering colleges in the country and both Oweh and his family were impressed to learn he'd been offered scholarships by more than a dozen of them, including Notre Dame. And when he says academics will be important, he means it. We were told in no uncertain terms that Oweh is the kind of kid who will not overlook the offers he has from Harvard, Princeton and Dartmouth. In fact, one source told us Oweh sees the Ivy Leagues on par with the Power-5 schools that have offered and wouldn't rule those schools out by any means. It's been a lot for Oweh to juggle after just one year of varsity football. He's mindful of not missing out on a spot, but also understands how important it is for him to make the right decision. If he's 100 percent sure where he wants to go this summer, he'll pull the trigger. But what happens if he's only 90 percent sure? Well, we're not sure. FROM THE BUSHES: There are some reasons to believe the Irish staff will indeed have the chance to spend enough time with Oweh and other prospects during Invasion. In past years, there was a sense that things were rushed with prospects and staff members shuttling from one spot to another and then to work out and then to leave, which is why the Irish are expanding Invasion to two days this year. The first day, Saturday, will be the day of the camp, but Sunday will be an additional day for visitors to spend time on campus and with the staff. Even if guys like Oweh need to depart on Saturday night, having the extra day will give the staff added flexibility. There will be some big-name targets on campus for Invasion, but it's as important if not more important for the coaches to bring in players they still have questions about. Expect to see plenty of those types of targets on campus, which is good because it'll give the staff the ability to tighten up its board. That'll be a major focus of this year's event. Look for a good number of cornerbacks in the 2018 class to come work out as well as several 2019 quarterbacks who already have some decent offers and could blossom into national prospects. As we've said before, we felt Notre Dame had great shot at in-state cornerback DJ Johnson as soon as it extended the offer. The same goes for in-state linebacker Cameron McGrone, who could be a Rover candidate, now that he has an offer. Both are expected in for Invasion and the Irish could be in a position to land either or both shortly after. Other top 2018 targets the Irish have real strong shots at continue to included Florida wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr., Florida tight end George Takacs and Maryland defensive tackle Ja'mion Franklin. There's a growing sense of optimism surrounding Booker as well, but not quite to the degree of the previous three. Florida offensive lineman Nicholas Petit-Frere is another prospect Notre Dame is in "great shape" with and as we've said repeatedly here, he's a crucial target for the Irish this cycle. So, what's next? The rest of the Notre Dame staff will come off the road today, after having used up every allowable day to recruit this spring. They will regroup next week, talk about all the prospects they saw on the road, re-watch some film and then reset their boards, both 2018 and 2019. A lot of names will come off the board and a lot of names will be added. Toward the end of next week, expect the staff to take some much-needed time off before they get ready for its first camp, which is Fantasy Camp, starting June 5th. As of now, we're not expecting any bad news from the team with summer approaching either of an academic or off-the-field nature, but oftentimes these things are unexpected. RUCKERT COMFORTABLE WITH FINAL FOUR: When the recruiting process began, 2018 New York tight end Jeremy Ruckert had a chance to visit many of the regional schools and was impressed with his first look at big-time college football facilities. Then, he had a chance to go down South and check out schools like Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia and Tennessee and he was blown away. But then he did a Midwestern swing, first checking out Ohio State and Michigan before later dropping in at Notre Dame and Wisconsin, and found those schools to be a better fit for what he's looking for. A couple weeks ago, he officially announced the Buckeyes, Wolverines, Irish and Badgers as his top four. Despite continued overtures from other schools, Ruckert remains focused on those four. Many perceive Ohio State to be the favorite right now. We spoke with a source who wasn't sure there were any tiers within the top four, but guessed many think the Buckeyes are on top because they've been relentless in their pursuit with Urban Meyer even making a visit to Lindenhurst High School, where we're told he was "very impressive." But Ruckert seems to have formed relationships with coaches at each of his finalists, including Notre Dame offensive coordinator Chip Long, who hasn't had as much time recruiting him as his peers. Despite not being officially hired at Notre Dame until January, Long has managed to make his presence felt in his own way. We're told Long has done a good job connecting with Ruckert without coming on too strong and that's something that appeals to the talented tight end. It's not clear if Ruckert will make another swing of visits before a decision, but it seems like he's leaning toward making a decision this summer and we know he will be out in Oregon for The Opening. ADEMILOLAS STAYING STRONG: It's always great to get recruits in the fold early in the process, before others realize their true potential. The challenge, though, is once others do recognize their potential, they're going to come after them hard. That's what Notre Dame is going through right now with 2018 New Jersey defensive line commits Justin and Jayson Ademilola. Well, in reality, Notre Dame has been going through that with the twins almost since the moment they committed to the Irish back in June. Initially, the twins and their coach at St. Peter's Prep, Rich Hansen, simply shut all of the other schools out, but there was no way that was going to last forever. In our video interview with the brothers earlier this week, Justin told us he asks his coach to respectfully keep other coaches away, but that too will be difficult to do for the next several months. So, don't be surprised if you hear there is some communication between the Ademilolas and other schools before the end of the process, not because they're looking around, but because it's almost impossible to get other schools from going after prospects like them. But, since their commitments, we've been told countless times the decision to go to Notre Dame is a comprehensive one and that sentiment was repeated to us again this weekend. The Ademilolas and their family are thrilled to be a part of the Notre Dame Football program and the history and tradition that comes with that. They are huge fans of Elston, Elko and Kelly. But if they were all gone tomorrow, we're still not sure the Ademilolas would be scrambling to find another landing spot. In fact, there never seemed to be any urgency to reassess their decisions even at the worst moments of last year's 4-8 season or during the uncertainty with the defensive staff. In addition to the football, the Ademilolas are excited about the educational opportunities at Notre Dame and about becoming a part of the Notre Dame network along with everything that entails. Despite the high expectations coming into the 2017 season, Brandon Wimbush hasn't had an opportunity to do much on the field yet in South Bend, but as a former St. Peter's Prep standout, his experiences off the field haven't gone unnoticed at all. Those are some of the messages the Ademiolas preaching to their friend and teammate, 2018 Rover prospect Shayne Simon, who is expected to make another visit to South Bend for next month's Invasion. This continues to look like a battle between Notre Dame and Michigan and we still feel the Irish have a better chance than many are giving them. Simon will cut his list down soon and while he isn't giving any hints away about who makes the cut, we'd be stunned if either Notre Dame or Michigan was left out. We're told Elko and Elston have both done a phenomenal job hitting all of the right notes with Simon to this point. Simon is definitely a quiet guy, but the respect he has within the St. Peter's Prep facility is almost tangible. In addition to being a tremendous asset on the field, Simon seems certain to be the future leader of a college defense wherever he ends up. GARDEN STATE SPROUTS: Penn State is still considered by many to be the leader for 2018 Pennsylvania wide receiver Shaquon Anderson-Butts, but at Sunday's Under Armour Regional in New Jersey, he listed Notre Dame as a likely official visit destination along with Oregon, Arizona State and Florida. That could be because he doesn't feel the need to use an official for the in-state school. Irish wide receiver coach Del Alexander has been pitching the opportunity to make an impact early. There also seems to be some genuine interest in the Irish from some of those closest to Anderson-Butts. 2019 New Jersey athlete Ronnie Hickman goes by "Rocket." We got a chance to see why during the Under Armour camp as Hickman was virtually unguardable at receiver. He's done a good job of getting out to see all of the schools that have offered him and sources tell us he will definitely get out to South Bend to see Notre Dame. A nice, polite young man, we think he'll be impressed. Hickman does remain committed to Rutgers for lacrosse, although a source tells us, "But he's not playing lacrosse in college, so." 2019 Pennsylvania wide receiver RJ Hart will be in South Bend for Irish Invasion. He has early offers from Temple, Toledo and Howard and said an offer from the Irish would be "really special." 2019 Bergen Catholic running back Rahmir Johnsonalready has offers from Rutgers, Boston College, Pittsburgh, Temple and Toledo. He's heard a bit from Notre Dame and is hoping to make it to Invasion, but has to clear it with his coach first. Elko has been in touch with Johnson and has expressed a sincere amount of interest in the young speedster. 2019 Orange cornerback Nyquee Hawkins has offers from schools like Penn State, Michigan, Boston College, Pittsburgh, Nebraska, North Carolina and NC State among others. He's received some initial interest from Notre Dame and it's a school he has interest in as well, but seems focused on the schools that have already extended offers for the most part. At 5-foot-10 and 155 pounds, 2019 Connecticut athlete Bryce Sebastian wasn't the biggest prospect competing at St. Joseph's Regional High School on Sunday, but he kept coming up with huge plays. The cousin of former Notre Dame graduate transfer Avery Sebastian and former Cheshire Academy teammate of Irish freshman CJ Holmes, Sebastian has plenty of Irish connections. Notre Dame has invited him to Invasion and he hopes to make it, but those plans haven't been finalized. It was interesting to spend several hours hitting the trail in the Garden State if just to get an idea of how some programs treat the state. Michigan and Alabama were both in the state at the same time and they even seem to treat the state differently. Michigan had multiple assistants in the state on Sunday and Monday, including former Paramus Catholic head coach Chris Partridge, and it's obvious the Wolverines place a great deal of value on the state. Alabama sees value in the state as well, especially after a pair of amazing seasons from former St. Peter's Prep standout Minkah Fitzpatrick, but it's probably not as high on the list as some other states. In fact, while we were in one school, a Crimson Tide assistant was trying to get a hold of a coach we were meeting with. We were surprised when the coach silenced the call to keep talking, saying he hadn't heard a thing from Alabama in months. That doesn't seem to be an isolated incident for SEC schools. A different coach told us one of his players had received multiple offers, including an SEC one, from programs that had never even contacted him directly. He speculated it was a chance to gauge a prospect's interest and/or be able to say, 'Hey, we offered him. He wasn't interested,' if the kid turns into a star. Either way, this prospect won't be considering schools that don't make a true effort. The rivalries within state among the high schools are real. Multiple times we heard, 'Why would you want to go there?' when explaining our itinerary and it wasn't always half-kidding. Still, there's an amazing amount of respect for fellow coaches and players within the state. We asked one coach about the Ademilolas and he took that as a chance to throw in his thoughts on Simon as well. "They're good," we were told. "The safety there is really good."
Also, Derrick Allen driving up to Notre Dame with his family after the Rivals 5 Star Challenge for a 2 day visit Including his OV in the fall, that will be 4 visits to ND for him and his family - that makes me feel a lot better about him staying committed as long as we have a good season
from Sampson: This is significant stuff for Irish Invasion on June 10. Jayson Ademilola, Justin Ademilola AND Shayne Simon will all be headed back to South Bend for the event, with the twins both planning to work out as well, which not a ton of commitments do. Obviously, all three are on the same flight and the twins are working on Simon to try to get him to commit to Notre Dame at the event. Could be a major boost to the '18 recruiting class.
also, sounds like ND is the clear leader from Houston Griffith as well (this coming from the NE mods)
"A day will come when you think yourself safe and happy, and suddenly your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth, and you'll know the debt is paid.”
Crushed by the Barajas news Really wished he would've worked out ND should've recruited this Andrean linebacker http://m.navysports.com/m/sports/m-footbl/mtt/caldwell_rob00.html
can someone post the mock class on 247? http://notredame.247sports.com/Arti...tre-Dames-2018-recruiting-class-June-52981264
Spoiler Here is your class prediction for June 1. QB — Phil Jurkovec The U.S. Army All-American looks fully committed to the Irish. He committed back on May 16, 2016. RB — Markese Stepp Despite reporting new offers and communicating with other schools, the talented back looks as firm in his pledge now, as he did when he committed on June 19, 2016. WR — Braden Lenzy The speedy wideout visited Oregon, but said it was just to check out a spring game and help put his brother on their radar. He committed on Feb. 22 and says he’s firm. WR — Micah Jones The big pass-catcher committed on Feb. 17 and is an active recruiter for the Irish. He is expected to ink with Notre Dame in February. WR — Kevin Austin Notre Dame, Miami, Duke and Tennessee are the four schools he is looking at closely. The four-star wide receiver will likely make a decision this summer and all signs point toward the Irish landing him. However, this is no slam-dunk. The Hurricanes are the in-state favorite and the Volunteers have relationships on their side. Academics play a big role here, which is why the 247Sports Crystal Ball favors Notre Dame. TE — George Takacs The four-star tight end has been a priority recruit for Chip Long since he became the offensive coordinator. Takacs had a terrific offseason and earned an invite to The Opening Finals. A commitment while in Beaverton, Ore., could be the move for the Sunshine State native. Wisconsin, Georgia and Florida round out his top four. OL — John Dirksen Big things are expected from the talented lineman, as he is nearly back to full strength after last year’s injury. He shut down his recruitment after committing on March 25. OL — Cole Mabry Notre Dame offensive line coach Harry Hiestand got an early commitment out of the Tennessee native on Feb. 14. He couldn’t be more solid in his pledge. OL — Nicholas Petit-Frere One source called the four-star lineman “an athletic freak.” Petit-Frere is a high priority recruit for Notre Dame, Alabama, Ohio State, Florida, Clemson and many others across the country. A source recently said this will come down to Alabama or Notre Dame. The Irish have a slight edge on the 247Sports Crystal Ball, but this one could go a few different ways. Academics could push the Irish over the top. DL — Jayson Ademilola There are a ton of big names pushing for the Top100 talent, but if this ends up being the defensive line class Notre Dame brings in, he is expected to stick. He committed back on June 26, 2016. DL — Justin Ademilola The edge rusher committed back on June 26, 2016 and despite staying in touch with other schools, he looks to be happy with his decision. DL — Thomas Booker When defensive coordinator Mike Elko came came on board, he and Mike Elston made it a point to recruit the heck out of the four-star defensive end. They’ve done exactly that. If you ask Booker, he likely won’t mention another school as recruiting him harder than the Fighting Irish coaching staff. Will it pay off? It sure seems like it. Notre Dame will be tough to beat here and a late June commitment, potentially at the offensive line-defensive line camp on June 24, wouldn’t come as much of a surprise. DL — Ja’Mion Franklin June 6. The commitment date is set. Notre Dame is the leader. It seems the only thing that would prevent Franklin from joining the class would be a visit to Clemson between now and then. The Tigers would have to offer. To be honest, I’m not even sure if that would change things. That said, if he doesn’t visit elsewhere in the next five days, it’s hard seeing him ending up somewhere other than Notre Dame. LB — Matthew Bauer Pittsburgh and Penn State were the early favorites, but Notre Dame landed him back on Aug. 3, 2016. Bauer is locked in with the Irish. LB — Ovie Oghoufo Some assumed Michigan or Michigan State would land him, but that wasn’t the case. Notre Dame handled this recruitment well and added his commitment on July 22, 2016. He is another active recruiter for the Irish. LB — Cameron McGrone The in-state linebacker grew up watching Notre Dame. There are Fighting Irish fans in the home of the four-star talent. Notre Dame extended an offer in May and McGrone couldn’t have been more fired up. He visits South Bend for the Irish Invasion on June 10. He says a commitment won’t occur that day, but if the feeling is right, he could pull the trigger. Rover — Shayne Simon Michigan looked like the team to be for a while, but Notre Dame has been the hot name as of late for the top-of-the-board rover target. Notre Dame will get him on campus on June 10 for the Irish Invasion, at least that’s the plan as of today. A good visit could be enough to secure his commitment. DB — Derrik Allen If the old staff was still in place, Notre Dame wouldn’t have its highest-rated commitment on board. The addition of Mike Elko was huge in this one. Allen committed on Feb. 13 and the U.S. Army All-American looks firm, even though he continues to have dialogue with other coaches he has remained close with. DB — Houston Griffith Notre Dame is hoping to land the Under Armour All-American sooner rather than later. There seems to be a lot of mixed messages going around about his next visit to Notre Dame. Will he make it for the Irish Invasion? We likely won’t know for sure until he does or does not step foot on campus. He will visit Nebraska later this month. He has a close friend going there in Brendan Radley-Hiles and another is leaning that way in Joshua Moore. Will that play a factor in his decision? It remains to be seen. Notre Dame still looks like the favorite today and while others keep talking about Ohio State has the main threat, I genuinely think Nebraska is the biggest threat to the Irish here. DB — Nasir Peoples If Notre Dame pushes, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Virginia Tech commit flip his commitment to the Irish. Multiple sources have stated that he enjoyed his first trip for the spring game in April and he is eyeing a second visit for the Irish Invasion on June 10. If he shows up, works out and impresses the staff, the coaches may make a major push. I expect that to occur as of today. DB — Donald Johnson Notre Dame is the offer the four-star cornerback has always wanted. He didn’t want to commit on the spot when he was offered last month. It makes sense. Other schools have been recruiting him for a long time and making him a top priority, while the Irish just recently started pushing. Iowa looked like the team to beat when Notre Dame offered, but the Irish changed everything. Johnson will visit on June 10 for the Irish Invasion and look to impress the staff again. If all goes well, a commitment is possible, although not a definite. ***Could be added, but would be a reach at this point…*** RB — Jahmir Smith The three-star running back fits in at Notre Dame, both academically and athletically. He has what the Irish staff want in their players. However, he still hasn’t locked in a visit to campus. The longer this goes, the less likely it is that he ends up in South Bend. TE — Tommy Tremble Will Notre Dame take two tight ends in this class? If you can get Tremble and George Takacs, I think you should snag both. Tremble will visit on June 10 for the Irish Invasion. This is a really talented player and one Notre Dame, in my opinion, would be lucky to land. However, he hasn’t visited yet, so adding him would be premature. DL — Jayson Oweh Notre Dame has everything he is looking for in a school. Academics carry a ton of weight with this family. Harvard, no joke, is a legitimate threat to land him. Ohio State and Penn State are the other big players here. This will come down to relationships, visits and academic opportunities down the road. DB — Telly Plummer Notre Dame has done a good job recruiting the Georgia native. Now, it’s up to Plummer to get on campus. He has the offer he wanted. If he wants in this class, getting to campus this summer and working out for the staff will greatly impact his chances of ending up in South Bend. WR — Amon-Ra St. Brown Notre Dame is still in the hunt, but they trail a few schools at this point. USC, UCLA, Stanford, Ohio State and Michigan are all very much in play as well. This decision will come after multiple visits in the fall. The Irish will have to win games, produce at wide receiver, and his big brother, Notre Dame wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown, will need to have a big season in order for the Irish to pull off the upset and land the U.S. Army All-American. WR — Chase Cota Notre Dame isn’t the favorite at this point. Oregon is the top contender for the four-star wide receiver. USC is also in the race. One source said last week that no matter what he does or says, Oregon won’t lose this battle. Notre Dame has a shot, but the key will be getting him back on campus this fall and leaving a great impression. DB — Tariq Bracy 12 recruits most likely to end up at Notre DameSTART SLIDESHOW Notre Dame is his biggest offer to date. The staff went out to California, watched him workout, saw the athleticism, and extended the offer. Brian Polian and Mike Elko did their due-diligence on this one and the staff thinks he could be an excellent defensive back at the next level. If he visits this summer, look out. Until then, he’s just another guy with a lot of interest in the Irish.
Troy Pride tabbed the 11th fastest player in college football according to NFL.com. Also looks like he's really transformed his body since the last time we saw him given the image provided. http://www.nfl.com/photoessays/0ap3000000810904?campaign=tw-nf-sf82484526-sf82484526
I just dropped 277 would have been 400 on clearance shit. Thank god you get 30% off after 300. Be like a grand at the bookstore.
Spoiler chrismcc7 Staff 7:29a When Jack Lamb received his offer from the Irish back in April, we were confident Notre Dame would be one school the 2018 California linebacker would take seriously. Earlier this week, Lamb confirmed that by announcing a top five that included the Irish along with Penn State, UCLA, Washington and Oregon. The Irish were the last of the five to extend an offer to the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder from Temecula, Calif., but they've more than made up for any delay. "The Notre Dame coaches have been really on him and he's liking that," one source told us this week. "Whoever has been recruiting him from Notre Dame has been doing a good job." Notre Dame assistant Brian Polian is the one who extended the offer, but Irish defensive coordinator Mike Elko surely has been involved as well. Lamb expects to make it out to South Bend later this month for an unofficial visit. The trip will be crucial for the Great Oak High School standout as he is planning to announce a decision this summer. The push from the Irish in recent weeks would seem to set them up well heading into the visit. "At this point, I think it's all relationships with the coaches," the source said. "I think whoever goes the hardest would be where he's going." Both of Lamb's parents are Penn State graduates, so that gives the Nittany Lions an in and his sister attends UCLA, which offers a connection to the Bruins. But the source doesn't think either will end up being a deciding factor for Lamb. Washington is a true contender, but we're not sure Oregon is as strong a player as the other four favorites. Additional Analysis From Uyeyama: I was very happy to see Lamb put Notre Dame in his top five because he might be their best shot at landing a blue-chip Buck linebacker in this class at this point after losing out on Dallas Gant when he chose Ohio State. Current commit Ovie Oghoufo could end up playing there, but he might be better suited for Rover. The same goes for recently-offered target Cameron McGrone. Regardless, it would be beneficial if the Irish landed two who can potentially compete there with Greer Martini graduating and Te'von Coney a senior in 2018. I ranked Gant as a better prospect than Lamb and that's mostly due to Gant being the superior athlete, but there are parts of Lamb's game that impress me more than Gant's. Lamb is very efficient with his movement. He does not take false steps and he gets to plays a half-step quicker than he should due to elite instincts. Physically, he has some filling out to do with his frame, but he is long and that length helps in coverage. He's a very strong blitzer as well, which also shows great timing. He flashes some violence with his game as well, but needs to improve at not letting blockers get to his body. His ceiling might not be as high as Gant's, but I believe his floor is higher. Lamb is a very good prospect. ELKO EXPLAINS IMPORTANCE OF TEXAS HS POWER:Notre Dame has been recruiting Bishop Dunne High School in Dallas for years and isn't about to stop anytime soon. The Irish currently have one former Falcon on their roster in cornerback Nick Watkins and are looking to add some more. As we've said before, according to multiple sources, Bishop Dunne defensive back Brian Williams is one of the prospects toward the very top of Notre Dame's 2019 recruiting board. And, as we reported earlier this week, Williams has locked in a visit to South Bend for Irish Invasion Weekend. We spoke to a source at the school earlier this week for his thoughts on the Irish, Williams and more. "I definitely think the academic side of things has him interested in Notre Dame," the source said of Williams. Williams won't only be chased by all of the regional powers, but by virtually all of the national powers, so Notre Dame will need to use every advantage it has. "He's going up there because he wants to see what Notre Dame has to offer and hopefully, it's something he truly enjoys," the source said. "Right now, he's just trying to see the schools he's interested in and going from there." The source stressed academics are of paramount importance to Williams' family, something that was illustrated by the recent decision of his older brother, Rawleigh Williams III, to walk away from his position as Arkansas starting running back for his long-term future. Elko has certainly made it known how valuable he sees both Williams and Bishop Dunne as a program. "The defensive coordinator came down here and pretty much explained the importance of Bishop Dunne for him," the source said. "He was definitely mentioning how important Brian is and that he's one of the guys they've identified for the 2019 year and how important he would be for them." That message meant a lot to some of the most important people on Bishop Dunne's campus. "Coach Elko came down personally and then sent the regional recruiter down here and also sent Coach Lyght down here as well, the secondary coach," we were told. "It shows how important Brian is to them. From talking to them, I don't know exactly where he is (on their board), but he's high." As we were told by Calvin Avery himself a couple weeks back, the 2018 Bishop Dunne defensive tackle is giving Notre Dame a closer look after initially excluding the Irish from his top 12. "I wouldn't be surprised if Notre Dame creeps into one of his top selections," the source confirmed. "I don't see why not." Notre Dame has also extended an offer to 2019 athlete Marquez Beason, but it's a bit too early to know for sure how seriously he'll look at the Irish. But as a whole, Notre Dame shouldn't have too much trouble getting the attention of prospects at Bishop Dunne moving forward. "I know they're very interested in Notre Dame and are just waiting to see what types of opportunity they would have with Notre Dame," we were told. "That's the reason Brian is going out there to see it for himself. "We'll see what happens in the future, but it's a great school and great program and when our kids get a Notre Dame offer, they take it very seriously. It's a place that's important to them that they have to go see because they know about the history and the academics they have to offer are important to the kids at Bishop Dunne." GERVIN GETTING ATTENTION FROM IRISH STILL: It doesn't happen often, but it does happen and with a player of Kalon Gervin's caliber, it's certainly worth the effort. When the 2018 Michigan cornerback announced he was decommitting from the Irish last month, just three months after committing, it seemed like Gervin was gone for good. Reeling him back in may still be a longshot, but Notre Dame is putting in the work to make that happen. "Notre Dame has been up to the school, they've been up there trying to recruit him," one source told us this week. That could be key as a perceived lack of attention apparently contributed in some form to his decision to back off from his pledge. But the source we spoke with sounded positive about the current and past relationship between the two sides. "I think everything is always great," we were told. "It just takes time, that's about it." Earlier in the week, Gervin told us he was looking into returning to South Bend for a visit this month, but stressed that wasn't set in stone yet. The source told us later that hadn't changed. "We haven't talked about where he's going and what he's going to do because he has school and a limited number of days, so we have to try to get his schedule locked down," the source said. The bottom line is Notre Dame is one of many options for Gervin along with schools like Ohio State, Oregon, Oklahoma and Virginia Tech, which may not be a positive considering he was in the commit column a month ago, but is definitely a positive following his decommitment. And most importantly, there doesn't seem to be any animosity. "There were never hard feelings. Notre Dame is a great school, man." IRISH REAL PLAYER FOR JIBUNOR: Notre Dame offered 2018 Georgia defensive end Richard Jibunorin the spring and the Irish immediately shot into his top group. Not much has changed for the four-star prospect and we received further confirmation this week that he is looking to plan out his summer visits and South Bend is indeed a destination that is expected on the itinerary. The Irish will have to battle it out with some of the SEC's best, but the 6-foot-4, 206-pounder holds academics in high priority as it was a big part of his decision to leave Nigeria and come to the United States. Currently, Jibunor has a top five of Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Notre Dame and South Carolina. In our opinion, Auburn probably leads the race since he has a good relationship with fellow Nigerian native Prince Tega Wanogho as both players knew each other before each made their way to the U.S. South Carolina is solid in the fifth spot from what we're told, so if Jibunor can make it to Notre Dame this summer, the Irish will have a legit chance to make a positive impression. Additional Analysis From Uyeyama: Notre Dame already has a commitment who I project to play Drop in Justin Ademilola, but while Jibunor might be slighter, he is also a longer, twitchier athlete with more potential to cover as well. Let's be honest though, Jibunor isn't being recruited for his coverage skills. He's got traits that could translate into him developing into a great pass rusher at the next level and that was on full display at The Opening Regional in Atlanta. He's been one of my favorite prospects in this class since then because he was doing things naturally like working through an edge rather than just around an edge of an offensive lineman. He has rare flexibility and would fit right in with the athletic profile of current Drops on the roster like Daelin Hayes and Julian Okwara. Like Okwara, though, he'll need some time to add the necessary strength and weight to play the position. He would have time to build that up with those veterans above him on the depth chart to begin his career. Yes, he is very raw given his lack of experience playing as an edge defender, but he also has special tools that could result in him being a big-time player if developed properly. SERIOUSLY, WATCH OUT FOR THIS 2018 WIDEOUT: A few weeks ago, we told you to keep an eye on 2018 California wide receiver Geordon Porter. It sounds like things have been picking up since then and could continue moving that way in the coming weeks. The 6-foot-2, 175-pounder from Rancho Cucamonga already has offers from schools like UCLA, Cal, Arizona State, Washington State, Utah, Georgia, Duke and Alabama among others. The speedster, who is still just 16 years old, was clocked at 10.61 in the 100-meter-dash earlier this spring. Still, Porter, whose brother Grant plays at Washington State after being recruited a bit by the Irish a couple years back, considers himself a football player and we're told track will "weigh very little in his choice." Timing could play a role, though, as we get the strong sense he does have a preference for schools that have "put their cards on the table." Notre Dame could be close to doing just that. We're told the Irish have increased their contact with Porter a great deal in recent weeks and hints have been dropped that an offer could be on its way. If Notre Dame does end up offering, we'd expect the Irish to be serious contenders as education is also important to Porter. He's taking a close look at the academic schools like Cal and Duke while Stanford is also showing some interest. Additional Analysis From Uyeyama: It's pretty obvious Notre Dame is prioritizing speed at the receiver position and wants to add to the burner they already have in the fold in Braden Lenzy. I think it's largely a product of the change in scheme under Chip Long. He wants to play fast and a lot of time that means short passes and screens that rely on players gaining big yards after the catch. That's why it makes a whole lot of sense why Notre Dame would have interest in Porter. He is fast and has a chance to break it if he gets a crease. That's seen in the return game as well. He tracks the ball well as a deep threat too and I think he has a chance to be a heck of a route runner. He's a bit of a body catcher right and I'm not sure exactly how big he is, but he's a very good prospect. Even if he doesn't end up as a top guy as an outside receiver, his speed alone could make him a terrific slot. I liked him even more after watching his film again recently and believe he is a high 3-star prospect on the verge of being a 4-star. SUNSHINE STATE SNIPPETS: Florida is always an important state for Notre Dame to recruit and this cycle is no different. In addition to guys like running back Lavonte Valentine and wide receivers Kevin Austin Jr. and Anthony Schwartz, the Irish are firmly in the mix with tight end George Takacs and offensive lineman Nicholas Petit-Frere. This week, we spoke to a source in Florida for his thoughts on both. Takacs, who doesn't make a ton of public statements regarding his recruitment, has a top four that includes the Irish, Florida, Georgia and Wisconsin. Like us, our source sees Notre Dame as the clear team to beat for the tight end, whose mother attended grad school in South Bend and still has family in the state. Things aren't quite as clear with Petit-Frere. As we've said before, the Tampa native is about as important a prospect for Notre Dame this cycle as there is right now. Notre Dame and Florida both seem "cautiously optimistic" about their chances of landing him and this is a recruitment that could stretch into the winter. Notre Dame certainly made a strong impression during his visit back in March, but the Gators also have his attention. One thing to keep an eye on is the fact that he's close friends with fellow Tampa offensive lineman Richard Gouraige, who some are certain is a future Gator. ONE OF THEM GOOD PROBLEMS: The recruiting process is obviously an exciting one for high school kids and one virtually all are grateful for, but it's not without its downsides. We spoke about that with one prospect this week, who plans on making a decision this summer. While he is thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to play Division-I football, he opened up to us about some of the negative aspects of the recruiting process. "A lot of people think this type of stuff is fun and I'm not going to lie, it's very fun and exciting to have coaches like that in your school all of the time," the 2018 prospect told ISD. "But I think it's really stressful and overwhelming at times. You have to talk to some people that you really might not want to talk to." This prospect also noted how it can cause resentment from some of those who you might expect to be among the most supportive. "I feel like it causes problems sometimes in the school," he confided in us. "People start to think you're stuck up because you have offers and stuff like that. Sometimes I just want to be a regular kid again." He's hopeful things will return to normal once he puts the process behind him and announces his decision. "I feel like it's going to get back to that after I commit. I'm just embracing it right now. I'm extremely blessed and thankful to be in the position I'm in right now. I have great problems, but they're still problems. I've just got to get through it and I'm going to be pretty ecstatic to get ready for my senior season." DECISION COMING FOR DURHAM: The Notre Dame men's basketball program showed Juwan Durham just about everything he could have seen during the UConn transfer's official visit to South Bend last month and, by all accounts, it hit home with Durham. The 6-foot-10 skilled player isn't about to name a leader during his search for his next home, but it certainly seemed like the Irish had jumped out in front following the visit. He came into the trip with a great understanding and appreciation for Notre Dame as a university and a basketball program that would fit his style of play. But what stood out most on the visit, according to sources, was the opportunity to get to know the coaches and players within the program and that was overwhelmingly positive. So, in a sense, the Irish have been trying to hold on ever since. It seems like they've fared well so far and while the wait isn't over yet, it is getting closer to the end. One potential rival has been removed from the race, although another power has replaced them. There were reports earlier this month that Durham was going to take an official visit to Duke before making a decision. Well, the Blue Devils are now out, but their spot has been taken by Villanova, where he'll take an official visit this weekend. Last week, he visited Virginia Tech and the Hokies round out Durham's three finalists. A decision is expected sometime next week. Durham wouldn't be eligible to play this coming season, but would have three years of eligibility remaining starting with the 2018-19 season. Notre Dame would "love" to essentially pair Durham with incoming freshman D.J. Harvey to make up this cycle's recruiting haul and fully turn its attention to 2018 recruiting, where the Irish got off to a stellar start by securing a commitment from four-star Washington, D.C. point guard Prentiss Hubb.
Joe Lunardi has Irish as a 3 seed in a waayyy too early Bracketology http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/bracketology
shamrock secrets - the transfer mentioned here is supposed to be Hoge Spoiler Our staff has been able to gather a few team and recruiting nuggets to pass along ... We don’t expect Josh Barajas to be the only transfer this summer. We are hearing that one more player might transfer, although we have yet to get official confirmation. From what we were told it’s not a starter or someone who was expected to play much, so keep that in mind before panic sets in. We will continue to do some digging to find out the definitive answer on who and when, but we wanted to pass that along so everyone could be prepared in case it does go down. The returners report on Sunday night so we would expect any news to break sometime over the next week. If this transfer does go through it will be viewed negatively for obvious reasons, but something to keep in mind is both transfers would be backup players who weren’t expected to contribute much in 2017. The negative is that Notre Dame would lose a couple of depth players, the positive is that Notre Dame now has two more scholarships to hand out in the 2018 class. The two transfers also puts Notre Dame at 84 scholarships, which means if the staff wanted to pursue a late 5th year senior it could do so, or it could give a one-year scholarship to a walk-on. Speaking of the 2018 class, one of Notre Dame’s top defensive prospects – Maryland DT Ja’Mion Franklin - is planning to announce his decision on Tuesday, June 6 at his high school. Franklin is expected to make his decision public during his noon presser. Everything we are hearing about this is positive for Notre Dame, so expect good news come Tuesday. Of course in the world of recruiting anything can happen, so until Franklin goes public anything could happen, but anything other than Notre Dame would be a shocker at this point. Landing Franklin would be big for Notre Dame, as it would give the Irish a pair of talented playmakers up the middle, with Franklin pairing with current commit Jayson Ademilola. What makes this pair especially good is that Ademilola and Franklin would be a perfect complement to each other. Ademilola is a penetrating/pass rushing three-technique while Franklin is more of a power player that projects at the nose. He can rush the QB but his game is more about shutting down the middle in the run game. Notre Dame will host talented another talented defensive end for Irish Invasion. We had New Jersey end Jayson Oweh as a maybe, but we’ve learned that Oweh has locked in his trip to South Bend for Notre Dame’s premium one-day recruiting camp. Oweh is an intriguing player that has a great deal of upside. Despite playing football for just one season, Oweh recently cracked the Rivals250 as the No. 217 player in the country. His best days are certainly ahead of him. He checked in at The Opening Regional in New Jersey at 6-5 and 236 pounds. More impressive is the fact he ran a 4.63 in the 40-yard dash and had a 34.9-inch vertical jump. Those are exceptionally good numbers for an edge player his size. His recruitment is quite interesting. Oweh has stated that Penn State and Ohio State are near the top of his list, and his recently released top 10 consisted of those two programs along with Notre Dame, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, Georgia Tech, Rutgers and Harvard. Yes, Harvard. Oweh goes to a prestigious academic institution – Blair Academy in Blairtown, N.J. When BGI’s Corey Bodden visited his high school in May it was relayed to him by sources there that Harvard would be a legitimate player for Oweh, that’s how serious his family is about academics. Of course, turning down big time football programs for Harvard is unlikely, but that’s where Notre Dame comes into play. Oweh has Notre Dame in his top group despite having never visited. Of the 12 schools on his list, Notre Dame best combines prestigious academics and big-time football. We believe at this time Notre Dame could make a huge move on Oweh during his visit. Notre Dame remains a contender for Maryland four-star defensive tackle PJ Mustipher. The Irish staff has put forth a good effort, but there is a lot of smoke coming from the Penn State side of things. A source close to Penn State tells BGI that there is a great deal of confidence at PSU that the Nittany Lions are Mustipher’s leader. We were told that the Penn State staff believes its just a matter of time in regards to Mustipher making his choice in their favor. The longer his recruitment goes on, however, the better it is for Notre Dame and their chances to get back on top. NEW INFORMATION: Just heard back from a source close to the program that I didn't think I'd hear back from and got a bit more team information. Hearing the offensive staff is excited about what 5th year senior Durham Smythe brings to the game. He had a great spring and big things are expected of him this year. Notre Dame could have a really potent tight end core. Josh Adams was obviously a spring standout, but many were pleasantly surprised with how good Tony Jones Jr. was. He seems entrenched as the No. 2 guy and the phrase I was given regarding that pairing was "big time." The staff wanted to redshirt Robert Hainsey, but that might not happen now. It's not about a lack of depth. The word I was given is that Hainsey was just too good this spring to automatically throw a redshirt on. We'll see how that plays out. Another OL who had a great spring was senior Sam Mustipher. There are some in the program that expect him to make a legitimate run at the Remington Award this season, he was that good apparently.
Looks like ND is picking up grad transfer Cameron Smith from ASU. There's video of him absolutely torching Devin Butler and Max Redfield when they played, but then again, who didn't.
some interesting things going on around ND the last couple of days with the transfers out and in Navy safety OV ND today as a possible transfer in Spoiler The reshaping of Notre Dame’s roster could include a unique transfer. On Monday night Irish Illustrated learned that Navy safety Alohi Gilman will officially visit Notre Dame on Tuesday with his parents after receiving his release from the Naval Academy in the past week. Gilman tweeted that he’d visit Notre Dame earlier in the night. Excited to check out Notre Dame on an official visit. Grateful for the opportunity #NextChapter @NDFootball pic.twitter.com/Ea9j72Ifms — Alohi Gilman (@alohigilman) June 5, 2017 Gilman posted a game-high 12 tackles during Navy’s upset of Notre Dame last season and finished second in tackles for the Midshipmen on the season with 76 stops. The 6-foot, 195-pound athlete is a product of Hawaii and spent a year in prep school before enrolling at the Navy Academy in full, starting 12 games as a freshman. "This did not just come out of the blue. It's something I've been thinking about for a while," Gilman told The Capital’s Bill Wagner last week. "I've spent a lot of time thinking, pondering and praying about this. Ultimately, I feel very comfortable with the decision." Gilman started at three positions for the Mids last season, both safety positions and cornerback. A source told Irish Illustrated that Utah and Michigan were likely involved in some degree with Gilman’s next recruitment. However, Notre Dame got the jump on the Hawaii product, who expressed concerns that he was not a fit for the Academy’s military commitment after playing out his eligibility. If Notre Dame took Gilman it would likely need to shed another scholarship player after the departures of linebacker Josh Barajas and offensive lineman Tristen Hoge and the additions of graduate transfer receivers Freddy Canteen and Cameron Smith. Those roster moves put the Irish at a projected 85 scholarships heading into summer workouts. Unlike Canteen and Smith, landing Gilman would not help Notre Dame immediately because he would have to sit out a season barring an NCAA appeal. Gilman would then likely have three years to play for Notre Dame at a safety position still under construction. At a minimum, he’d be able to help on special teams with the coverage teams in need of upgrades. While taking a transfer from Navy, even one who won honorable mention honors in the American Athletic Conference last season as a freshman, appears out of the blue on paper, Gilman should have at least some familiarity with Notre Dame. He graduated from Kahuku High School in Laie, Hawaii two years ago. That’s the same hometown as former Irish All-American Manti Te’o and former Irish wide out Robby Toma. Both played at Punahou High School. Starting on Tuesday morning, Notre Dame may learn if the Irish can land yet another Hawaiian transplant, but this time they could be taking him from a historic rival via transfer.
Coach D dropped this tidbit last night as well Spoiler Talked with someone today who knows one of Notre Dame's offensive linemen very well. I was told that the Notre Dame offensive linemen had a really tough time handling Daelin Hayes all spring. When they would go against him their senses were heightened. I was told Hayes' quickness off the ball gave the Irish OL a ton of problems all spring. McGlinchey, Kraemer, Eichenberg, Hainsey, everyone that went against Hayes had a hard time with his speed. What I saw in the practices open to the media was that Hayes used that to his advantage. When the OL would overset he would either use a power move to drive them back or use an inside double move when they overset against his speed. Staying healthy as a full-time guy for 12-14 games isn't something we know Hayes can do, but his athleticism on the edge is unmatched on the roster. Same source made a similar comment about Nyles Morgan. I was told those two players play at a different speed than everyone else on the defense. Morgan's power is also something that was mentioned during the conversation.
and Jamion Franklin announces today him and Ewell in back to back classes at NT is the best at that position in consecutive classes under BK or CW...our Interior DL actually looks strong for once...just need Booker and Oweh at DE class and we could see some serious headway on the DL over the next few years when combined with the Daelin/Okwara/Ade class