Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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backer Alex Anzalone decommitted a few weeks prior to National Signing Day and signed with Florida. The talented Keystone State recruit looked to be a potential early contributor next season. Three-star running back Jamel James was committed to Notre Dame in the fall, but ultimately landed at Texas State. The third decommitment for Notre Dame came from four-star tight end Danny Mattingly, the nephew of Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly. The 6-4, 215-pound prospect ended up signing with Oregon. While Notre Dame took some hits prior to National Signing Day, four of the five recruits that flipped to Notre Dame could see playing time very early in their Irish careers. Notre Dame's biggest pickup was former USC commit Max Redfield, a 6-2, 195-pounder from Mission Viejo (Calif.) High who was the No. 41 overall prospect nationally, the No. 5 safety in the country and the No. 3 recruit from California. The Fighting Irish were also able to grab one of the nation's premier running backs in Greg Bryant out of Delray Beach (Fla.) American Heritage High. A former Oklahoma commit, Bryant is a 5-11, 196-pound back who has the size and physicality to handle multiple carries per game, the hands to catch the ball out of the backfield and the speed to go the distance on any given carry. The four-star athlete was listed as the No. 128 overall player and No. 10 running back in the nation by 247Sports. Heading into his trip to Notre Dame Aug. 4, 2012, Philadelphia Roman Catholic High wide receiver William Fuller was firmly committed to Penn State. That all changed quickly when the four-star prospect decommitted from the Nittany Lions and committed to Notre Dame during his visit. While Fuller was listed as the No. 46 wide receiver in the country and the No. 12 prospect in Pennsylvania, many believe that 6-1, 180-pound athlete may end up being one of the better players in the 2013 class. Longtime Texas commit Durham Smythe flipped his pledge to Notre Dame a week before National Signing Day. The 6-5, 233-pound tight end took an official visit to South Bend in late January and committed to head coach Brian Kelly prior to leaving campus. The four-star prospect was listed as the No. 188 overall player in the country, the No. 6 tight end in the nation and the No. 25 prospect in Texas. Woodberry Forest (Va.) School linebacker Doug Randolph had an eventful three-day stretch in early September. The four-star prospect decommitted from Stanford Sept. 5, received an invite to the Army All-American Game the next day and then committed to Notre Dame Sept. 7. Five players changed their commitments to Notre Dame, including Max Redfield of Mission Viejo (Calif.) High. Considered the nation's No. 5 safety, he had previously announced for USC. photo courtesy 247sports Hitting The Sunshine State Hard Recruiting Florida, one of the top three states for football talent along with California and Texas, was a priority for the Notre Dame staff. The Irish pulled in four of the top 60 prospects from the state, with wide receivers coach Tony Alford serving as the lead recruiter for all four standouts. Cocoa (Fla.) High running back Tarean Folston took an official visit to Notre Dame Oct. 19, but with the No. 18 prospect in the state planning visits to Oregon and Auburn to follow, most were unsure whether the Irish truly had a shot to land the four-star prospect. The Under Armour All-American had planned to announce at the nationally televised event, but announced his commitment to Notre Dame Jan. 2, two days prior to the game. The nation's No. 122 overall prospect and No. 9 running back said that Notre Dame gave him a "home feeling." "There are a lot of guys fighting for the same goals — to get to the championship and winning. I think these guys are going to succeed this year, and next year we'll come in and do it also," the 5-9, 185-pound back said. The Irish secured its second running back when Bryant, the No. 19 overall player in Florida, selected Notre Dame over offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State and others. He took his official visit to South Bend Dec. 7 and committed to the Irish Dec. 9. "Sitting down with the coaches and seeing how much Coach Kelly cared about me joining the team and just seeing how everything was all made it feel like it was the right move," the Army All-American said after committing to Notre Dame. Naples (Fla.) Barron Collier tight end Mike Heuerman, the top prospect at his position in Florida, committed to Notre Dame April 26. Showing the strength of his commitment, the 6-4, 220-pound prospect didn't even take a visit to a school other than Notre Dame after pledging to the Irish. The No. 215 overall player in the nation and No. 31 prospect in Florida couldn't wait to tell Kelly. "That's something I'll remember for the rest of my life," Heuerman said of the call. "Coach Kelly couldn't even explain how he was feeling. When he described how excited he was, it let me know even more that the decision I made was the right one. After they were the first school to offer me it showed me that they believed in me from day one, and I knew right away they'd be there right until the end." Notre Dame picked up the No. 3 inside linebacker in Florida with the signing of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) American Heritage linebacker Michael Deeb. The 6-2, 237-pounder, who was rated as the No. 56 overall player from the Sunshine State, pledged to the Irish June 29, a week after his first visit to South Bend. Deeb cited multiple factors that went into his decision. Recruiting Territories Tony Alford (running backs/slot wide receivers/recruiting coordinator) — South Florida, Alabama, Colorado and Mississippi Scott Booker (tight ends/special teams coordinator) — North Florida, Georgia and Atlantic border Kerry Cooks (co-defensive coordinator/cornerbacks) — Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico Mike Denbrock (outside wide receivers/passing game coordinator) — West Coast, mainly California Bob Diaco (assistant head coach/defensive coordinator/linebackers) — Northeast, especially New Jersey Bob Elliot (safeties) — Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Utah and San Diego Mike Elston (defensive line) — Indiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia and southern Ohio Harry Hiestand (offensive line/running game coordinator) — Pennsylvania, Kentucky and northern Ohio Chuck Martin (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks) — Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin Blue & Gold Illustrated 2013 Football Preview ✦ 155 154-156.Class of '13 Storylines.indd 155 6/25/13 11:35 AM