Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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64 PRESEASON 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY EJ HOLLAND I t was a busy offseason for Notre Dame on the recruiting trail. And just like the Irish coaching staff, Blue & Gold Illustrated hit the road to see some of Notre Dame's top targets and commits. In fact, during the spring, I made it to eight states, hit 30 high schools, and covered several camps and seven-on-seven events. The summer had its fair share of recruiting events as well, includ- ing The Opening Finals in Dallas. Here are the 12 best Notre Dame recruits I saw live on the road this offseason. 12. QB DREW PYNE (2020) 6-1, 175 • New Canaan, Conn. (New Canaan) Rivals Rankings: Four-star pros- pect, No. 1 player in Connecticut, and No. 5 pro-style quarterback and No. 100 overall re- cruit in the nation. Pyne, who committed to Notre Dame in April 2018, showed up at The Opening in Dallas and proved that he belongs in the conversation as one of the na- tion's best quarterbacks. While he lacks the arm strength that most top- level players have at the position, he showed off his accuracy and elite mechanics throughout the event. He was most impressive during seven-on-sevens when he helped spark a comeback on the first day of that setting. Pyne is a true gamer and a guy that knows how to rally the troops. 11. RB CHRIS TYREE (2020) 5-10, 185 • Chester, Va. (Thomas Dale) Rivals Rankings: Four-star talent, No. 2 player in Virginia, and No. 2 all-purpose back and No. 40 overall prospect in the country. T h e I r i s h p l e d g e ripped off a blazing 4.37 40-yard dash time dur- ing The Opening testing and went on to win the Fastest Man competition at the event for the second straight year. You can't teach speed, and Tyree has plenty of it. He proved to be dangerous during the camp portion of the event and showed electric ability on day one of seven-on-seven competition. Tyree tailed off a bit towards the end of the event. Still, he is a supreme talent and will be a difference maker in the Irish offense. 10. WR JAY BRUNELLE (2020) 6-0, 200 • Shrewsbury, Mass. (St. John's) Rivals Rankings: Three-star re- cruit and No. 8 player in Massachusetts. Before Brunelle com- mitted to Notre Dame, he was tasked with camping to earn an of- fer. The three-star pros- pect had the Irish Invasion event circled on his calendar for months and showed up to South Bend on a mission. Brunelle was phenomenal — he completely took over the camp and dominated. While there were more impressive-looking prospects there, he was the best player at the event, and it wasn't even close. Brunelle earned the offer and gave the Irish a verbal pledge soon after. 9. OL DONOVAN JACKSON (2021) 6-4, 295 • Houston (Bellaire Episcopal) Rivals Rankings: Four-star talent, No. 6 prospect in Texas, and No. 7 offensive tackle and No. 40 over- all player nationally. The junior offensive line target was one of the stars of the camp circuit, and he put an exclamation mark on what was a brilliant offsea- son by earning Offensive Line MVP honors at The Opening Finals. It is rare to see an underclassman notch top honors, but it speaks to the fact that Jackson is a special pros- pect. The four-star recruit is listed as a tackle but best projects as a guard at the next level. He has tremendous feet and elite technique, which al- lowed him to stonewall defenders at the event. 8. CB GA'QUINCY MCKINSTRY (2021) 6-1, 175 • Pinson, Ala. (Pinson Valley) Rivals Rankings: Four-star pros- pect, No. 1 player in Alabama, and No. 1 athlete and No. 30 overall recruit in the nation. What is there not to like about McKin- stry? He is 6-1 and 175 pounds with tremen- dous length, athleticism and speed. Nicknamed "Kool-Aid," he also brings that special swagger needed at the corner position. He took on some of the nation's best receivers in Pylon Seven-On-Seven Nationals and got the best of them. McKinstry is one of the next cycle's true elite cover corners. What's scary is the 2021 prospect still has so much upside. Once he cleans up some mi- nor technical aspects of his game, the sky is the limit. 7. CB TONY GRIMES (2021) 6-1, 180 • Virginia Beach, Va. (Princess Anne) Rivals Rankings: Four-star recruit, No. 1 player in Virginia, and No. 2 cornerback and No. 22 overall pros- pect in the country. There isn't a safer bet at the corner posi- tion in the junior class than Grimes. The elite talent might not have the ceiling of his seven-on- seven counterpart McKinstry, but he is more technically sound at this stage. In fact, it's really hard to find faults in Grimes' game. The Top Irish Targets And Commitments We Saw This Summer Notre Dame quarterback commit Drew Pyne is ranked as a four-star prospect and the nation's No. 100 overall senior recruit by Rivals.com. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM