Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/531612
160 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2015 FOOTBALL PREVIEW TERRIFIC 20 FOR 2016 Quarterback Committed — 0 Projected Take — 1 Synopsis: The Irish will return four quarterbacks next season with junior Malik Zaire, sophomores DeShone Kizer and Montgomery VanGorder, and freshman Brandon Wim- bush all expected to be back on campus, but the staff is still expected to take an arm this cycle. Irish head coach Brian Kelly has made it clear that he wants to sign a quarterback every class with the high volume of transfers at the position. One of the top targets appears to be Frostproof (Fla.) Lake Wales four-star Xavier Gaines (the nation's No. 8 dual-threat quarterback and No. 221 overall recruit). Running Back Committed — 1 (Tony Jones of Bradenton, Fla.) Projected Take — 2 Synopsis: Depth is still a concern, so the Irish are looking to sign two running backs for the second straight year. Notre Dame locked up Bra- denton (Fla.) IMG Academy three-star Tony Jones early in the recruiting process and would like to add a dynamic — yet versatile — talent to comple- ment him. The top option is Fontana (Calif.) Sum- mit four-star Damain Alloway (No. 110 overall prospect in the country), who can double as a slot wide receiver. Alloway plans to take an official visit this fall and has said that the Irish are one of his top schools along with UCLA. Other targets in that slot/all-purpose back role include: Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons three-star Deon McIntosh (No. 14 all-purpose back in the land) and Asheville (N.C.) A.C. Reynolds three-star Rico Dowdle. Wide Receiver Committed — 0 Projected Take — 2 Synopsis: After signing four wide receivers in 2015, the Irish are projected to take two more this cycle. Notre Dame has cast a wide net with more than 20 offers out across the country at the position. One of the top overall targets is Corona (Calif.) Centennial four-star Javon McKinley (No. 18 wide receiver and No. 99 overall player in the nation). He has already visited Notre Dame twice and is expected to be back on campus for the USC game Oct. 17. While McKinley is the most realistic target on the board, the staff continues to chase after other high-profile prospects — Savannah (Ga.) Christian School five-star athlete Demetris Robertson (No. 7 overall prospect in the land), Warner Robins (Ga.) four-star Marquez Callaway (No. 21 wide receiver in the country) and Viera (Fla.) High four-star Tre Nixon have all been linked to visits. Tight End Committed — 0 Projected Take — 1 Synopsis: Notre Dame has signed a tight end each of the past three recruiting cycles, and that trend is expected to continue in 2016. The Irish have two top targets in mind and are waiting to see whom they can get to commit first. Notre Dame has been in contact with Exton (Pa.) Downington East three-star Cary Angeline (No. 20 tight end in the country) and Perry (Ohio) High four-star Luke Farrell (No. 7 tight end and No. 195 overall player nationally). For a while it appeared that Angeline (6-7, 234) with his length would be the man, but the Irish like Farrell's ability to block and catch the ball. If Notre Dame can't secure a signature from either prospect, the staff could pass on the position. Offensive Line Committed — 2 (Liam Eichenberg of Cleveland and Tommy Kraemer of Cincinnati) Projected Take — 4 Synopsis: If there's one position the Irish are in desperate need of bodies at this cycle, it's offensive tackle. After freshman Jerry Tillery switched to the defensive side of the ball in spring camp, the need at the position became more crucial. Thankfully for the Irish, offensive line coach Harry Hiestand has already started the process of patching some of the holes in the depth chart. Notre Dame secured two key early pledges from Cincinnati Elder four-star Tommy Kraemer (No. 3 offensive tackle in the land) and Cleveland St. Ignatius three-star Liam Eichenberg (No. 38 offensive tackle nationally). The staff would like to close it out with Orlando (Fla.) Bishop Moore four-star Parker Boudreaux (No. 25 offensive tackle in the country, but projected to play offensive guard), which would give the Irish two tackles and an interior player in the class. Defensive Line Committed — 1 (Julian Okwara of Charlotte, N.C.) Projected Take — 4 Synopsis: Notre Dame loaded up at defensive tackle last cycle, setting the stage for defensive end to be the primary focus in 2016. The staff is in search of pass rushers, and they locked up a good one early in the process when Charlotte (N.C.) Ardrey Kell four-star Julian Okwara (No. 17 weakside defensive end in the country) gave a pledge to the Irish in April. The Irish would still like to add at least another pass-rushing end and a high-profile defensive tackle, if possible. The ideal finish would be to land Wichita (Kan.) East four-star Xavier Kelly (No. 11 strongside defensive end and No. 150 overall prospect in the land) and Paramus (N.J.) Catholic five-star Rashan Gary (No. 2 defensive tackle and No. 6 overall prospect nation- ally). Both players have mentioned taking official visits to Notre Dame. Linebacker Committed — 0 Projected Take — 2 Synopsis: The Irish are swinging for the fences after adding plenty of depth at linebacker in 2015. The top name on the board is Ann Arbor (Mich.) Skyline five-star Daelin Hayes (No. 2 outside linebacker and No. 11 overall player in the country), who is committed to USC but continues to communicate with Notre Dame. Hayes is the ideal target given his proximity to campus and skill set, but he's not the lone five-star the staff is chasing. The Irish have also been in contact with Fresno (Calif.) Clovis West's Caleb Kelly (No. 5 outside linebacker and No. 19 overall recruit in the class of 2016), who was expected to visit for the Irish Invasion camp in mid-June. Both Hayes and Kelly project on the inside, while Potomac (Md.) Bullis School four-star Cameron Brown (No. 24 outside linebacker in the land), who visited for Junior Day, is pegged on the outside. Any combination of the three would make for an impressive haul. Defensive Back Committed — 1 (Julian Love of LaGrange Park, Ill.) Projected Take — 5 Synopsis: Outside of offensive tackle, defensive back is the biggest need in 2016 for Notre Dame after it failed to land a third safety at the end of the 2015 cycle. The Irish want prospects that can play multiple positions in the secondary like current Irish safety Mathias Farley often does. The top targets at safety are Elk Grove (Calif.) Franklin four- star Lamar Jackson (No. 6 safety in the nation), Smyrna (Tenn.) three-star Ikenna Okeke (No. 33 safety in the class) and Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) three-star Devin Studstill (No. 48 athlete in the country). The staff would like to land all three to go along with LaGrange Park (Ill.) Nazareth Academy three-star and Irish pledge Julian Love (No. 21 cornerback in the land). Special Teams Committed — 1 (John Shannon of Wilmette, Ill.) Projected Take — 1 Synopsis: Notre Dame senior long snapper Scott Daly will have another year of eligibil- ity left in 2016, but the Irish have already found his replacement. Wilmette (Ill.) Loyola Academy two-star John Shannon — a Notre Dame legacy — committed to the Irish in March. He's regarded as the top long snapping prospect in the country, and completes what should be a formidable special teams unit for Notre Dame that will include Under Armour All-American kicker Justin Yoon and Semper Fidelis All-American punter Tyler Newsome. — Andrew Ivins BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS All rankings are from Rivals, and all information is up to date through June 20. The Irish earned a commit- ment from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy three-star run- ning back Tony Jones early in the recruiting process, but still need to add another ball carrier. PHOTO BY ANDREW IVINS