Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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70 MARCH 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING As of Feb. 12 , Notre Dame stood at 89 scholarship play- ers after the addition of incoming defensive end recruit Isaiah Foskey. By August, it will have to be whittled to the NCAA limit of 85. Attrition already took place in January when quarter- back Brandon Wimbush (University of Central Florida), defensive tackle Micah Dew-Treadway (Minnesota) and rover D.J. Morgan (who will have two years of eligibility at a school to be determined after graduating in three years) chose to be graduate transfers elsewhere, and senior wide receiver Miles Boykin and junior cornerback Julian Love both opted to bypass their final year of college eligibility to turn pro. Here is the scholarship breakdown by position, with years of eligibility in parentheses: Quarterback (3) Senior — Ian Book (2) Junior — None Sophomore — Phil Jurkovec (4) Freshman — Brendon Clark (4) Note: The junior class is empty because Avery Davis was shifted to running back last spring … Book started nine of the final 10 games (missing Florida State because of an injury) and finished with a 154.0 rating in passing effi- ciency (17th nationally) — the highest in head coach Brian Kelly's nine seasons at Notre Dame, surpassing DeShone Kizer's 150.1 in 2015. Running Back (6) Senior — Tony Jones Jr. (2) Juniors — Jafar Armstrong (3) and Avery Davis (3) Sophomores — C'Bo Flemister (4) and Jahmir Smith (4) Freshman — Kyren Williams (4) Note: All six will be available for spring practice, including early enrollee Wil- liams … Jones is the top returning figure with 127 career carries the past two years for 624 yards (4.9 yards per carry) and six touchdowns … Jones also has 12 career catches for 169 yards and a score. Wide Receivers (12) Fifth-Year Senior — Chris Finke (1) Seniors — Chase Claypool (1) and Javon McKinley (2) Juniors — Michael Young (2) and Isaiah Robertson (3) Sophomores — Kevin Austin (3), Micah Jones (4), Lawrence Keys III (4), Braden Lenzy (4) and Joe Wilkins Jr. (4) Freshmen — Kendall Abdur-Rahman (4) and Cam Hart (4) Note: This past season, Claypool (50 catches) and Finke (49) combined for 99 receptions, which gained 1,210 yards (12.2 yards per catch) and six touchdowns. Tight Ends (4) Senior — None Juniors — Cole Kmet (2) and Brock Wright (2) Sophomores — George Takacs (4) and Tommy Tremble (4) Freshman — None Note: As a 2018 sophomore, Kmet snared 15 passes for 162 yards as the second tight end to Alizé Mack, who is not returning for a fifth season. Senior Tony Jones Jr. — the program's most experienced returning ball career with 127 career carries for 624 yards and six scores — is among six players that will be vying for the starting role at running back. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA 2019 Scholarship Breakdown By Position And Class