Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com PRESEASON 2019 65 FOOTBALL RECRUITING He is advanced for his age and frustrates opposing receivers with his length and physicality. He has an impressive build, especially in his upper body. From a mental stand- point, Grimes has one of the highest IQs I've seen at the position for a sophomore. 6. WR MARIO WILLIAMS (2021) 5-10, 165 • Plant City, Fla. (Plant City) Rivals Rankings: Four-star pros- pect, No. 5 recruit in Florida, and No. 7 wide receiver and No. 29 overall player nationally. I had my reserva- tions about Williams going into the Prime 21 camp — he looked a lot smaller than anticipated. But once the event started rolling, he checked all the boxes. The four-star prospect showed off that Florida speed during one-on- ones, torching defensive backs down the field and making them look silly with his quickness. Williams also showed that his size doesn't limit him when he won an impressive jump ball over Florida commit Jahari Rogers, the No. 14 cornerback in the senior class. Yeah, Williams is a beast. 5. OL TOSH BAKER (2020) 6-8, 275 • Phoenix (Pinnacle) Rivals Rankings: Four-star talent, No. 3 prospect in Arizona, and No. 5 offensive tackle and No. 44 overall player in the nation. Baker should be in the running for his fifth star. The Notre Dame pledge is everything you want in a premier left tackle. At 6-8 and 275 pounds, he is truly a tower at the position, and he has the length to con- stantly keep defenders at bay. Baker, who is also a pretty good basketball player, is super athletic for his size and has tremendous balance. He is the best offensive lineman I have evaluated since Walker Little from Houston. The Stanford junior may be a first-day NFL Draft pick next year. 4. WR BEAUX COLLINS (2021) 6-4, 195 • Bellflower, Calif. (St. John Bosco) Rivals Rankings: Four-star re- cruit, No. 2 player in California, and No. 3 wide receiver and No. 19 overall prospect nationally. One of Notre Dame's top overall targets in the 2021 class, Collins is an absolute freak. At 6-4 and 195 pounds, he is a monster target on the outside. He knows how to use his size to his advantage and has a ridiculous catch radius. I saw Collins at his high school showcase and the Orlando Scandrick Seven-On-Seven Tournament, and he was arguably the most physically impressive prospect on the field on both occasions. He could easily be a five-star prospect next cycle. 3. WR JORDAN JOHNSON (2020) 6-2, 182 • St. Louis (De Smet) Rivals Rankings: Five-star talent, No. 1 prospect in Missouri, and No. 4 wide receiver and No. 21 overall player in the country. T h e N o t r e D a m e commit has earned his fifth star, which is no surprise considering the day he had at the Rivals Challenge in St. Louis. Johnson was the most dominant player overall and was named Wide Receiver MVP. And he also earned an invitation to the Rivals Five-Star Challenge. Johnson is well put together and loves to get physical. He can run any route and is extremely smooth in doing so. He also has elite-level speed and can really take the top off a defense. He is the complete pack- age on the outside. 2. TE MICHAEL MAYER (2020) 6-5, 215 • Alexandria, Ky. (Covington Catholic) Rivals Rankings: Four-star pros- pect, No. 2 player in Kentucky, and No. 3 tight end and No. 58 overall recruit in the nation. In a camp that fea- tured five-stars Darnell Washington, ranked No. 2 nationally at the position by Rivals, and Arik Gilbert, who holds the No. 1 ranking, the Irish pledge Mayer emerged as the best tight end at The Opening Fi- nals. Nicknamed "Gronk" by his peers, he was unstoppable during one-on- ones and dominated the seven-on- seven tournament, leading his team to a championship win and earning Offensive MVP honors. Mayer may not be the athlete that Washington and Gilbert are, but he is the most complete tight end in the country. 1. DL KOREY FOREMAN (2021) 6-5, 263 • Corona, Calif. (Centennial) Rivals Rankings: Five-star recruit, No. 1 prospect in California, and No. 2 strongside de- fensive end and No. 4 overall player nation- ally. The elite 2021 defen- sive lineman is an ab- solute monster in the trenches. The junior took over The Opening Finals, toss- ing around SEC offensive line com- mits like rag dolls. Foreman was named the Defen- sive Line MVP ahead of five-stars in the class above him, which shows just how unique of a prospect his is. He has an argument as the top over- all recruit in the nation for the 2021 class. ✦ NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL TICKETS ALL HOME & AWAY GAMES 2020 IRELAND PACKAGE 800-925-2500 NotreDameTickets.com