Blue and Gold Illustrated

June-July 2017

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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44 JUNE/JULY 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY DAVID MCKINNEY F ootball players, at all levels, are working 365 days a year to perfect their craft and prepare for fall kickoffs. One of the best ways for high school players to keep their skills finely tuned during the offseason is through camps, and there are plenty available all across the country. Some of the most popular camps include Nike Football's The Open- ing Regionals, Rivals' Three-Stripe Camps and the Under Armour All- American Camps. With just those three combined, there are more than 30 opportunities for high school pros- pects to put their talents on display in different regions of the nation. The attending prep players want to showcase their skills and continue to improve their games, but the ultimate goal is something bigger. At each of these first-level camps, the top per- formers are invited to bigger and more competitive events down the road. For example, if a player performs well at an Opening Regional, they are likely to be invited to The Open- ing Finals, which take place June 28- July 3 at Nike Word Headquarters in Beaverton, Ore. Participants at the Under Armour Camps can be invited to the Under Armour All-American Game in Janu- ary and Rivals Camp participants hope to be invited to the Rivals Five- Star Challenge, which will take place June 9-10 in Indianapolis. Each camp also hands out posi- tional MVP awards. So far this offseason, the camp circuit has been quite kind to Notre Dame commits and targets, with sev- eral of them landing MVP awards and invites to the bigger camps in the future. Following his performance at the Chicago Opening Regional April 2, Farmington Hills (Mich.) Harrison three-star Irish commit Ovie Og- houfo, the No. 5 player in Michigan and the No. 26 outside linebacker na- tionally in the class of 2018 per Rivals, punched his ticket to the finals and took home linebacker MVP honors. Oghoufo also competed in the Un- der Armour Camp in Chicago April 23, and so did four-star Irish com- mit Micah Jones, the No. 29 wide receiver and No. 174 overall player in the nation according to Rivals, out of Gurnee (Ill.) Warren Township. Marietta (Ga.) Lassiter four-star Irish commit Derrik Allen, the No. 3 safety and No. 40 overall player in the country per Rivals, scored his invite to The Opening Finals follow- ing his performance at the Atlanta Regional March 26. Allen also competed at Rivals' Three-Stripe Camp April 30 in Char- lotte, N.C., where he was named de- fensive back MVP and earned an in- vite to the Rivals Five-Star Challenge. Rivals national recruiting analyst Chad Simmons came away from the camp impressed with what he saw from Allen. "Allen came into the event looking to prove a point about his ability to play defensive back, and he did ex- actly that," Simmons said. "Despite being one of the biggest DBs in atten- dance, he impressed with his ability to turn and run even with the event's best wide receivers. "Allen's combination of size and skills makes him a very special pros- pect at the safety position, and one to watch for years to come." Irish Commits And Targets Have Showcased Their Skills On The Camp Circuit Four-star Notre Dame safety commit Derrik Allen was named defensive back MVP at the Rivals Three- Stripe Camp in Charlotte, N.C., April 30. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM

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