Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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156 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW International Flavor No player in Notre Dame's 2017 class took a longer path to South Bend than San Diego Central Catholic defensive back signee Jordan Genmark Heath. The three-star prospect was born in Sweden before relocating to California in 2013. All told, Genmark Heath traveled approxi- mately 7,700 miles total from Sweden to San Diego to South Bend. Genmark Heath learned and played American football in Swe- den, but had to adjust to a more physical style upon arriving in the United States. The ultimate goal was to play high school football, but before long it became apparent that his football career would extend past the prep level. "Pretty early people were telling him you are a good player and you will play in college," Krister Genmark, Jordan's stepfather, told Blue & Gold Illustrated in February. "When he got the first calls and coaches showed up at his school, he was very confused. What does this mean? "We were fortunate enough to have really good people around us to help us through the process and not get too consumed by it." Genmark Heath is the fourth international player to join the Irish program under Brian Kelly and is one of three foreign-born players on the current roster, along with sophomore wide receiver Chase Claypool (Canada) and sophomore end Julian Okwara (Nigeria). Three-star safety and Sweden native Jordan Genmark Heath is the fourth international player to join the Irish program under Brian Kelly and is one of three foreign-born players on the current roster. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM Two-Sport Standout Notre Dame signee Cole Kmet was regarded as one of the nation's top tight ends coming out of Arlington Heights (Ill.) St. Viator in the 2017 cycle. But the consensus four-star football recruit is also a successful prep baseball player for St. Viator — at the plate and on the mound. The left-hander has reached 92 miles per hour as pitcher, and notched an 11-1 mark and a 1.32 ERA as a junior. During his senior campaign, he posted an 8-3 record, a 2.08 ERA and 105 strikeouts over 62 1 /3 innings pitched. He was named a first-team all-state player in both football and baseball. At the plate, Kmet was just as effective. After batting .362 with 11 home runs and 61 RBI in his junior season, he hit .443 with 12 home runs and 47 RBI as a senior. In June, the two-way standout led St. Viator to the 3A Illinois state championship. Kmet was the winning pitcher in both the 13-4 quarterfinal victory over Lisle (Ill.) Benet Academy June 5 and the 11-1 six-inning, mercy-rule waxing of Aurora (Ill.) Marmion Academy in the semifinals June 9. Kmet pitched the complete game against Marmion, going six innings and allowing six hits and one walk while striking out nine. He also was 3 for 5 at the plate with one RBI. In the title game June 10, he went 1 for 2 with a RBI to help St. Viator defeat Chicago Heights (Ill.) Marian 10-8. "He's a once-in-a-lifetime player," St. Viator baseball coach Mike Manno told The South Bend Tribune. "And I'm not talking about just being an athlete. He's such a unique kid. He's well beyond his years. He has tremendous leadership qualities and a great sense of selflessness with other people. "It's all about team first. With all the accolades he gets, it's always been about the team. It's never been about him." Former Irish wide receiver and pitcher Jeff Samardzija is arguably the most famous recent two-sport athlete (football and baseball) to go through South Bend. The current San Francisco Giants hurler was selected in the fifth round of the 2006 MLB Draft, and caught 155 passes for 2,421 yards and 27 touchdowns during his final two seasons as a wide receiver at Notre Dame. More recently, former wide receiver Torii Hunter Jr. is at- tempting a similar path to Samardzija after electing to join the Los Angeles Angels organization over a potential professional football career. Kmet mentioned to Blue & Gold Illustrated before National Sign- ing Day that playing baseball in college is still a possibility. For now, though, football is his future. Irish tight end signee Cole Kmet also excelled on the baseball diamond, posting a 8-3 mark and 2.08 ERA on the mound while batting .443 with 12 home runs and 47 RBI. He led Arlington Heights (Ill.) St. Viator to the 3A state title. PHOTO COURTESY COLE KMET