Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Ronnie Stanley Is Tuning Up On The Court FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY DAN MURPHY his letter of intent to the Notre Dame football office on National Signing Day Feb. 1. He was busy preparing for another game with his nationally ranked basketball team. Stanley averages just less than R onnie Stanley didn't get much of a chance to celebrate after faxing eight points per game this year as the center for Bishop Gorman, which started the month as the No. 20 team in ESPN's Fab 50 high school basket- ball poll. Stanley and his teammates — one of whom is Shabazz Muham- mad, the nation's No. 1 basketball prospect — play a national schedule, including trips to Santa Ana, Calif., and Springfield, Mass. Stanley said he'd like to keep playing hoops in college, but he also realizes how much it has improved his game on the gridiron. "It's just all the footwork," he said. "It's shuffling your feet, and it's con- OT RONNIE STANLEY cruit, the No. 11 player at his position and the country's No. 66 overall player by Scout.com … Ranked as the No. 17 of- fensive tackle and No. 118 overall player nationally by MaxPreps.com and Tom Lemming … Listed as a four-star prospect, Nevada's top player, the nation's 15th- best offensive tackle and the No. 176 overall player in the land by Rivals.com … Rated as a four-star recruit, the best pros- pect in the state of Nevada, the No. 19 of- fensive tackle prospect in the nation and the No. 145 overall player in the class of 2012 by 247Sports … Pegged as a four-star prospect, the 34th-best offensive tackle in the country and the top recruit in Nevada by ESPNU … Ranked as the 17th-best of- fensive lineman in the land and the 12th- best prospect in the California/Hawaii/ Nevada region by SuperPrep. Statistics: Started for three years on and bench presses 280 pounds … Also plays on Bishop Gorman's nationally ranked basketball team, and was averaging just less than eight points per game this season … Averaged 10 points, eight rebounds and four blocks per game as a junior … Former Irish safety Todd Lyght helped coach Stanley as an as- sistant for two years. Rankings: Considered a four-star re- 6-6 · 285 · Bishop Gorman H.S. · Las Vegas Notable: Born on March 18, 1994 … Runs the 40-yard dash in 5.0 seconds Dec. 9 for the Football Awards Show … Hosted by Irish wide receiver Da- Varis Daniels. Brian Kelly's Comments: "Ronnie is probably as gifted of an offensive lineman that we've seen in many years. He is a great basketball player, and when it comes to football he just has all the things necessary to be that left tackle. He can bend. He plays with tough- ness. He has a skill level already that is very, very impressive." Bishop Gorman Head Coach Tony San- chez's Comments: "He's the best big guy I've ever coached. Ronnie is an excep- tional athlete, and nowadays you're start- ing to see that more with these big-time linemen. They're not just linemen, they're athletes and Ronnie really fits that mold. The way he runs out on screens and gets in open spaces and makes plays, he's a dominant player." Tom Lemming Of Prep Football Report: stant movement. It's helped a lot with my feet." Stanley's football coaches have no- ticed the difference, too. Head coach Tony Sanchez said he and his assis- tants joke about how athletic their big man is. "Our offensive line coach actually played for the 49ers and Chiefs, and we say Ronnie is the most athletic big man he's every played with," the coach said. "It's pretty funny consid- ering the places he's played." ✦ "A very determined tackle, he has excep- tionally long arms and a very quick first step. Still developing, he has not hit the weight room like he should but once he does, look out — he has the frame to weigh 320 in college. I was sold on his ability after watching Bishop Gorman play Concord De LaSalle in which Ronnie domi- nated play on both sides of the ball." Favorite Part Of Notre Dame Visit: "It ican … Earned honorable mention on SI.com's High School All-America team … Named one of the top 100 players in the West by the Tacoma News-Tribune … Selected as a first-team all-state offensive lineman as a senior … Won his team's offensive MVP and the Gael Award for the most well-rounded player during his senior season … A first-team All-Southwest League performer as a senior. All-Star Games And Camps: Played in the Semper Fidelis All-American the offensive line for a team that went 43-3 during that time and won three state titles. Honors: Named a SuperPrep All-Amer- to Nebraska and Arkansas during the football season … Main recruiter was Irish assistant Mike Denbrock … Made an official visit to Notre Dame Bowl Jan. 3 in Phoenix. Recruitment: Committed to Notre Dame on Dec. 15 … Took official visits 46 MARCH 2012 Stanley is rated as a four-star prospect, the No. 1 player in Nevada, the No. 19 offensive tackle nationally and the No. 145 overall player in the land by 247Sports. was probably the awards show and just being around campus. The video played at the show's conclusion was pretty inspiring to see how all of their parents felt." Why He Chose Notre Dame: "I just PHOTO COURTESY 247SPORTS scrimmage … Sets up blocking schemes well with his footwork … Great lateral movement … Runs down field well for his size to seek out other defenders to block … Protects blindside of the quarterback well and an adjustment in his three-point stance to an up-stance position could be the difference in the passing game. 2012 Projection: Like most freshman projected to play the tackle posi- felt really comfortable there with all the players and coaches, and just the atmosphere." Scouting Report: Strong off the line of tion, he will likely spend a year adding to his already impressive frame and learning the nuances of Notre Dame's offense before getting into the mix the following year. BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED