Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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40 APRIL 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED PREP PROFILES Dedham (Mass.) Noble and Gre- enough School athlete Cam Large has been one of the top rising pros- pects in the 2020 class, with offers from LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Boston College, Duke, Virginia and several others this year alone. The 6-5, 240-pounder started hear- ing from Notre Dame in January and decided to check out the Irish pro- gram for himself Feb. 23 during the program's Junior Day. By the time it was over, Large had another major offer to add to his list. "I was hoping I would get it be- cause the place is really special," he said. "It blew away my expectations when I saw it, so I was happy about the offer. It's really big." Programs aren't unanimous on where they see Large on the next level, with some looking at him as a tight end and others viewing him as a defensive end. Notre Dame sees the three-star prospect as a strong- side defensive end, and Large is okay with that. Large spent much of his time in South Bend in February with Fight- ing Irish defensive line coach Mike Elston. "I really liked him," Large said. "That was my first time meeting him, so it was great to talk with him and spend time with him. We got to watch some film, which I really enjoyed, too." The offer came from head coach Brian Kelly himself. "He said he felt I would fit in pretty well there and I could help them early," Large said. "He's a great coach and guy too. It was cool to talk to a Boston area guy, especially where I come from. "It was meaningful to get the of- fer from him. It was great for him to have me down." With the offer and visit, Notre Dame is in position to be a strong contender for the talented junior. "It's high," Large said of his inter- est in the Irish. "I definitely hope I can get back down there." — Corey Bodden Massachusetts Defensive End Is High On Notre Dame Notre Dame has been recruiting four-star wide receiver Michael Red- ding quite some time now, but an offer didn't come for the Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy standout until Feb. 26. Redding, the No. 7 wide receiver and No. 41 overall player in the na- tion per Rivals, noted it was a tender he'd been waiting on. "I was very excited," Redding said. "I've been talking to them for a while, so it's very exciting to get that offer." After watching big-bodied pass catchers like Miles Boykin and Chase Claypool excel at Notre Dame in 2018, Redding said he can tell the Irish offense would showcase his abilities. "They have some big wide receiv- ers already there," he noted. "They know how to use those guys to make big plays. I've been talking to Coach [DelVaughn] Alexander, and he's been telling how they'd use me. "I think I would fit in their offense very well, and that sticks out to me." Redding has been talking mostly with Irish wide receivers coach Del- Vaughn Alexander, who has made a strong impression so far. "He's a good guy," Redding said. "You can tell he knows what he's talking about." Even though the offer didn't come for Redding until the end of Febru- ary, the talented receiver has already set up a visit to South Bend. Redding will see Notre Dame for the first time March 28, and said he made a trip to South Bend a priority because of the sincere interest the Irish coaching staff has shown him. "I want to visit because of my high interest in them. I want to see what's up there," Redding said of the Irish program. "I want to meet with the coaches since they come down to IMG a lot." While in the Midwest for the Notre Dame visit, Redding will also make a stop at Purdue. Once college trips begin to take place, he'll have his eye on a few key factors that will help him evaluate his options. "I look at the players and the lead- ers of the team to see what the cul- ture is like," Redding said. "I want to see how the coaches are and how they interact with the players. "You can't see that over the phone. You have to see it in person, and that's very important to me." — David McKinney Rivals100 Receiver Is Ready To See South Bend After Offer CAM LARGE ✪ ✪ ✪ Noble And Greenough School Dedham, Mass. Status: Offered Class: 2020 Position: Defensive End Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 240 Rivals Rankings: No. 4 player in Massachusetts MICHAEL REDDING III ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ IMG Academy Bradenton, Fla. Status: Offered Class: 2020 Position: Wide Receiver Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 190 Rivals Rankings: No. 7 wide receiver and No. 41 overall player in the nation "I think I would fit in their offense very well, and that sticks out to me." REDDING ON NOTRE DAME "I was hoping I would get it because the place is really special. It blew away my expectations when I saw it, so I was happy about the offer. It's really big." LARGE ON HIS OFFER FROM THE IRISH AND HIS FIRST VISIT TO SOUTH BEND