Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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40 APRIL 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY LOU SOMOGYI T hanks to the Dec. 20-22 early signing period, the past, pres- ent and future has synchro- nized ideally for Notre Dame defensive line coach Mike Elston in the 2019 recruiting cycle. By signing the present that early with defensive line twins Justin and Jayson Ademilola, plus tackle Ja'Mion Franklin, Elston was able to center his attention more on the past and future that otherwise might not have been possible. At one point, it seemed that his two 2017 interior starters, senior Jonathan Bonner and junior Jerry Til- lery, would be part of Elston's past in 2018. Bonner had opted in November to not exercise his fifth season option, while Tillery submitted his name for evaluation to the NFL board, and word on the street was he was lean- ing toward turning pro. Thus, after the early signing to se- cure the 2018 trio, Elston focused his attention on "re-recruiting" Bonner and Tillery for next season, which paid off when both — upon further review — decided to return. Part II of the early signing period was Elston was able to make hay on the next recruiting cycle like never before in his nine seasons at Notre Dame. "I haven't had a stronger group of underclassmen that I'm recruiting than I have this year in 2019," Elston declared during the traditional Na- tional Signing Day Feb. 7. "This can be the best defensive line haul we've ever had here, and a lot of it is be- cause I've been able to put the '18 [class] to bed and get moving on the '19s and go visit schools all through- out January." It bore fruit with a Feb. 20 verbal from 6-5, 260-pound four-star defen- sive end Hunter Spears from Sachse, Texas. He joined 6-2, 295-pound four- star interior big man Jacob Lacey from Bowling Green, Ky., as a 2019 defensive line commit. Never before had the Irish already received commits from a couple of four-star defensive linemen this early in the process. After loading up on the back end of the defense in 2018 with four linebackers, four cornerbacks and three safeties, the concentration in 2019 centers on inking at least a half- dozen defensive linemen — with at least three edge players and two or three more in the interior. Among the prized two-dozen or so targets on the board are Tennes- see's Joseph Anderson, Texas' NaNa Osafo-Mensah and Kansas's Marcus Hicks as ends, along with tackles such as Michigan's Mazi Smith and Ohio's Rodas Johnson. TARGETING EDGE FIGURES Hitting the jackpot at defensive end is going to be especially impor- tant in 2019 because the last two re- cruiting cycles resulted in only two players signed: Kofi Wardlow in 2017 and Justin Ademilola in 2018. As three-star prospects, both are ar- riving with limited fanfare. "I know Justin will come in with kind of a chip on his shoulder," Elston said of the "other" twin to four-star Jayson. "The world has kind of made him second fiddle to his brother, which I'm all good with. I hope he does have a chip. I think he will be the surprise of the class. … We're planning on getting both ready to play. "I think it's derived directly from COMING TOGETHER The past, present and especially the future are coalescing nicely for Mike Elston's defensive line troops During the traditional National Signing Day Feb. 7, Elston noted that the 2019 class could produce "the best defensive line haul we've ever had" at Notre Dame. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS