Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1220706
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com APRIL 2020 41 FOOTBALL RECRUITING and the No. 7 strongside defensive end and No. 113 overall prospect in the land, will make his third trip to South Bend since last summer during the March 20‑22 weekend. He could be on commitment watch for Notre Dame's 2021 class. Warwick (R.I.) Bishop Hendricken School's Jason Onye, a Rivals three‑ star talent, will be on campus March 23, and Suffield (Conn.) Acad‑ emy's KeChaun Bennett, the No. 245 player in America, will get to see South Bend March 28. Mansfield (Texas) Legacy's David Abiara, a three‑star recruit and an‑ other premier defensive end target for Notre Dame, is expected to visit for the March 20‑22 weekend and may return for an official visit later in the spring or summer. He visited Notre Dame Feb. 1 and nearly com‑ mitted to the Fighting Irish. Matthews (N.C.) Weddington run‑ ning back Will Shipley will get his second look at South Bend when he visits for the March 21 weekend, and there's no bigger target on the board than him. Getting Shipley, who is rated as the No. 1 all‑purpose back and No. 36 overall prospect per Ri‑ vals, on campus along with several current Irish commits — including La Jolla (Calif.) The Bishop's School quarterback Tyler Buchner, the No. 43 recruit in the land — may go a long way in Notre Dame's efforts to land the 5‑11, 200‑pounder. Hartwell (Ga.) Hart County's Cane Berrong, a Notre Dame commit who is ranked as the No. 12 tight end in America by Rivals, will also visit for the March 20‑22 weekend. He is look‑ ing forward to building a relation‑ ship with new tight ends coach John McNulty. About 30 minutes after Notre Dame announced the hiring of Mc‑ Nulty, Berrong spoke with him on the phone. "It was great," Berrong said. "It's great to finally talk to him. He's a nice guy. I had already heard good things about him. He was excited to talk to me and is excited about my film. He loved how I finished plays and he said it was hard to finds kids willing to be a force in the run and passing game." A few other four‑star prospects will be on campus throughout the spring. Napa (Calif.) High's Brock Bowers, who Notre Dame is looking at as a tight end or vyper, visited campus March 3‑4. Rivals ranks Bowers as the No. 6 tight end and No. 106 over‑ all player in the nation. "I really liked it," Bowers said of his visit. "All of the people were great and the campus was super pretty. That was cool to see. We did the normal stuff — tour the cam‑ pus, meet with the academic people, sat down with the coaches and just about everything." Baltimore Mount St. Joseph wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr., who sits at No. 52 in Rivals' national rankings, plans to be on campus April 15. This will be his first trip to South Bend in nearly two years. Notre Dame is looking at adding a second tight end to its 2021 class, and Council Bluffs (Iowa) Lewis Central School's tight end Thomas Fidone has emerged as an important tar‑ get for the Irish. Fidone, who Rivals ranks as the top talent in Iowa, and the No. 3 tight end and No. 60 overall prospect nationally, will visit Notre Dame April 1. Notre Dame needs to close on its 2021 targets in the spring to land a top‑10 recruiting class, something Kelly has achieved only twice dur‑ ing his now 11 years in South Bend. A part of having a top‑10 class, ac‑ cording to Rivals, will be landing at least 20 signees. That may not happen, as I've heard from sources that Notre Dame will likely be in the teens once again this year. Regardless, landing impact players across the board is a must for the Fighting Irish to reach tier‑one status in college football. ✦ WHO COULD BE NEXT TO COMMIT TO NOTRE DAME? 1. Mansfield (Texas) Legacy defensive end David Abiara — He nearly made a public commitment to Notre Dame in February, but decided to announce a top schools list instead. If he does return to campus for the March 20‑22 weekend, he may pledge. Alabama and LSU are pushing for him as well, but the combination of academics and football may be too good for him to pass up. 2. Blairstown (N.J.) Blair Academy defensive end Aaron Armitage — This was a coin flip between Armitage and Warwick (R.I.) Bishop Hendricken School's Jason Onye, because I believe both are very high on the Irish. Armitage has already been to Notre Dame twice and understands what makes the university so special. But will he commit soon or will spots fill up? 3. Clarkston (Mich.) High offensive lineman Rocco Spindler — The 6‑5, 290‑pounder is such a big target for Notre Dame, and the Irish have the chance to make a big impression on him during his March visit. He is likely to return in April for an official visit as well. It's a tight battle between Michigan and Notre Dame for Spindler, and Ohio State and Penn State are also involved. Blairstown (N.J.) Blair Academy's Aaron Armitage — Rivals' No. 2 player in New Jersey, and No. 7 strongside defensive end and No. 113 overall recruit in the country — is slated to make his third trip to South Bend since last summer dur‑ ing the March 20‑22 weekend. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM Thomas Fidone of Bluffs (Iowa) Lewis Central School — the No. 1 player in Iowa, and the No. 3 tight end and No. 60 overall prospect in the land — has emerged as an important target for the Irish and will visit Notre Dame April 1. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM