Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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48 JUNE/JULY 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY COREY BODDEN AND DAVID MCKINNEY T he first early official visit period is well underway, and Notre Dame has already hosted several official visitors during the spring and early summer. With 10 commits in the fold as of Memorial Day, the coaching staff was working on securing the second half of the 2019 class and had plans to host several important targets on of- ficial visits during the weekend of June 15-17. Heading into June, five targets were scheduled to be on campus. Here is a rundown of each prospect expected in South Bend and a look at where Notre Dame stands with each of them. ZEKE CORRELL OFFICIAL VISIT — GUARD/CENTER Cincinnati Anderson Rivals Rankings: Four-star talent, No. 11 player in Ohio and No. 12 offensive guard nationally. The Skinny: Notre Dame resides in Correll's final four heading into his official visit in June, joining Ohio State, Clemson and Stanford. He will travel to Stanford June 5-6 for an un- official visit before his time in South Bend, and then heads to Ohio State for an official visit June 22-24. Notre Dame sits in a great spot for Correll heading into these trips and is likely the team to beat. June will be a big month for his recruitment because a decision is likely to occur not long after his final visit. Correll has built a strong relation- ship with Irish offensive line coach Jeff Quinn during the process, which helped Notre Dame remain a con- tender following the departure of Harry Hiestand. Correll has made multiple trips to South Bend this year, including Ju- nior Day March 3 and in early April for a spring practice. Notre Dame's impressive offensive line tradition is another intriguing factor for the Ohio blocker. In addi- tion, Correll's older brother attends law school at Notre Dame, giving him a connection to the university. Adding Correll would give the Irish another big win along the offen- sive line in the 2019 class. The Irish staff will aim to impress Correll one more time in person before his final decision. AENEAS DICOSMO OFFICIAL VISIT — DEFENSIVE END Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic Rivals Rankings: Three-star talent, No. 11 player in New Jersey and No. 42 weakside defensive end in the country. The Skinny: Notre Dame entered the mix for DiCosmo in early April and sits in the final five for the drop end target. Stanford, Michigan, Clemson and Northwestern make up the rest of the group. DiCosmo will be mak- ing his first trip back to South Bend since he took part in Irish Invasion during the summer of 2017. Stanford could be the team to beat following an unofficial visit to Palo Alto, Calif., in early May. DiCosmo will also take an official visit to Mich- igan the weekend following his trip to Notre Dame. Getting around the Irish players and learning more about their experi- ences in South Bend will be the focus for DiCosmo on his visit. It will be a big trip for the Irish because the staff hopes to add DiCosmo to Fort Worth (Texas) Nolan Catholic prod- uct NaNa Osafo-Mensah at the drop end position. DiCosmo has taken notice of Notre Dame's efforts over the last several weeks, and the New Jersey product continues to form a stronger bond with Irish defensive line coach Mike Elston. Notre Dame has some work to do following the Cardinal making a strong impression on DiCosmo, but the Irish program boasts the high- level academics and football he is searching for on the next level. A decision by the three-star defen- sive end is expected after these trips. SPENCER LYTLE OFFICIAL VISIT — OUTSIDE LINEBACKER Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco Rivals Rankings: Three-star talent, No. 39 overall player in California and No. 24 outside linebacker in the land. The Irish Have A Big Official Visit Weekend On Tap For June Notre Dame entered the mix for Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic three-star defensive end Aeneas DiCosmo in early April, and made his top five along with Stanford, Michigan, Clemson and Northwestern. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM