Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE DB ELIJAH SHUMATE and a squat max of 425 pounds, and possesses a 32-inch vertical jump … Also runs track, participating in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter races and relays … Ran the second leg (49.6 second time) of a 4x400- meter relay team that finished No. 1 in the state and region, and placed No. 5 at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in 2011 … Plans on majoring in business … A distant cousin of former Irish basketball player John Shumate (1970-74), who made the NBA All-Rookie Team after averaging 11.3 points per game for the Phoenix Suns as the No. 4 overall pick in the 1974 NBA Draft. Rankings: Listed by Scout.com as a four-star recruit, the No. 4 safety in the land and the country's 6-1 · 205 · Don Bosco Prep · East Orange, N.J. Notable: Born on Jan. 12, 1994 … Runs a 4.49-second 40-yard dash, has a bench max of 275 pounds tion, including Notre Dame, before it was revealed that he had made comments of an explicit nature on his Twitter account. The Irish and others stopped recruiting Wright as a result. Shumate never envisioned some- No. 55 overall prospect … Ranked as a four-star player, the No. 4 prospect in New Jersey, the nation's No. 6 safety and the No. 103 overall recruit in the land by 247Sports … Tabbed by Rivals.com as a four- star prospect, the No. 4 recruit in New Jersey, the No. 8 safety nationally and the country's No. 113 over- all player … Rated as a four-star player, the No. 6 prospect in New Jersey, the No. 14 safety in the land and the No. 26 recruit in the Northeast Region by ESPNU … Listed as the third-best player in New Jersey, the No. 7 defensive back nationally and the No. 37 recruit on the Elite 50 squad by SuperPrep … Ranked as the No. 4 player in New Jersey in the Newark Star-Ledger's The Ledger 50 listing … Identified by MaxPreps and Tom Lemming as the No. 9 safety in the land and the country's No. 136 overall prospect. Statistics: Recorded 41 tackles, two interceptions (one of which he returned 21 yards for a touchdown in the New Jersey state title game against Bergen Catholic in a 42-14 win) and two forced fumbles as a senior … Offensively, he had 60 rushing attempts for 361 yards (6.0 yards per carry) and scored 14 rush- ing touchdowns, while adding three receiving scores on nine receptions … On special teams, returned two kickoff returns for touchdowns … Notched 67 tackles, five sacks, two fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and a pick as a junior. Honors: Helped lead team to a No. 1 national ranking in USA Today in 2011 … Selected first-team all- thing like that happening. In fact, he had pictured a different future with both him and Wright donning the Blue and Gold together. "Once we left Notre Dame [after an official visit Dec. 16], we both said we were going to go there because it was the best place for us," Shu- mate stated. "Yuri still wanted to get to Michigan and see some other schools, but after all that happened he had a lot of thinking to do and went to Colorado. "We wished each other the best of state as a defensive back and first-team All-Non-Public team by the Newark Star-Ledger, and chosen first-team All-Suburban by Bergen Record All-Star Games And Camps: Participated in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Jan. 7 in San Antonio … Finished with one assisted tackle for the East in a 24-12 loss … Did not attend any team camps. Brian Kelly's Comments: "Here's a young man that played on the best high school team in the country … Coach [Greg] Toal does an incredible job of teaching and demanding excellence from his kids on a day-to-day basis. That's why this was an immediate fit for us, because Elijah's been down that road." Don Bosco Prep Head Coach Greg Toal's Comments: "He's a strong hitter, a great tackler and he'll two teams leading the pack heading into his Notre Dame official visit Dec. 16, but Shumate says that Georgia Tech was actually the team to watch for his services … Shortly after leaving campus he realized that South Bend was where he wanted to play out his collegiate career, and he announced his decision for the Irish during the U.S. Army All- American Bowl … He was recruited by defensive coordinator Bob Diaco, but wide receivers coach Kerry Cooks was also involved in reeling him into Notre Dame. Favorite Part Of Notre Dame Visit: "I'd have to say the practice. I great build for the safety position. He has good range and instincts, and he's a hitter. He has gotten better every year, and he's a hard-working player." Recruitment: Rutgers and South Carolina were considered to be the give you everything he has. He plays very smart and will be a great fit. … The sky is truly the limit for his potential as a college player." Tom Lemming Of Prep Football Report: "A big, thick player that has a luck. I told him to stay focused, and he has been. He learned from that situa- tion, and it taught me something, too. He knows he did a bad thing, and he's ready to grow from it. I love him to death, and it would've been nice to play with him, but everybody has to make the right choice for them and I feel that was the best fit for him." Shumate has taken the good with the bad, and quotes like the one that he posted shortly after signing his National Letter of Intent for the Irish are words that he chooses to live by. "I just like to have words of inspira- tion," Shumate said of tweeting daily quotes from the likes of Thomas Edi- son, Martin Luther King Jr. and other prominent historical figures. "Sometimes things are just not go- ing well for someone, and they may need some words of encouragement to get their day going. I read and find the ones that I feel help me. I share them because they might help some- body else feel good too." Despite the majority of the quotes got to see how fast-paced it is and how different it is from high school. Other than that, hanging out with the players was great because they're the most honest ones you'll meet. I had a lot of fun with them, espe- cially [wide receiver/running back] Theo Riddick, [cornerback] Bennett Jackson and [outside linebacker] Ishaq Williams, and it felt like home." Why He Chose Notre Dame: "When I was thinking about why I As a senior at Don Bosco Prep, Shumate recorded 41 tackles and two inter- ceptions, one of which he returned 21 yards for a touchdown in a New Jersey wanted to go to a certain school it was never about just going for foot- ball. I wanted a great education, and I felt like a lot of the schools I talked to were just about winning games. No other school was going to prepare me for life after football better than Notre Dame." Scouting Report: Comes from a well-coached program, and it shows in how he carries himself on the field … Takes great pursuit angles to the ball and is a secure tackler … Lines up in the box often, so he's capable of playing a physical role on the defense, but is also good in coverage and likes to go after the ball aggressively. 2012 Projection: Will train hard to add weight to his frame to fulfill the role of a safety for the Irish, but open-field tackling ability makes him an immediate candidate for a special teams role early in his Notre Dame playing career. www.BLUEANDGOLD.com being from well-known inspira- tional people, Shumate also adds his own words of wisdom based on his experiences. "A lot of the time they're just state championship game. PHOTO COURTESY 247SPORTS words from me," he added. "I'm a passionate person, and I feel like words are a very powerful thing. I can definitely see myself writing a book with words of encouragement for people that need that extra push every now and then to know that things will get better. "People can beat you more with their mind than their hands." And the first quote of his book has been written. ✦ MARCH 2012 45