Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/699309
160 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Allegheny four-star offensive tackle Josh Lugg and Clearwater (Fla.) Central Catholic Dillan Gibbons, but the line coach still wants to add more. The Irish have honed in on Lexington (Ky.) Lafayette five-star offensive tackle Jedrick Wills, Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco five-star guard Wyatt Davis, Graham (Wash.) Kapowsin four-star offensive tackle Foster Sarell, Atlanta Pace Academy four-star offensive tackle Andrew Thomas and Jackson (Tenn.) University School four-star tackle Trey Smith. Any combination of Wills (the nation's No. 3 tackle and No. 17 overall prospect), Davis (No. 1 guard and No. 18 prospect), Sarell (No. 7 tackle and No. 32 prospect), Thomas (No. 17 tackle and No. 139 prospect) and Smith (No. 33 tackle) would be considered a win for Notre Dame, and it should be noted that all five prospects visited South Bend between the months of May and July. Defensive Line Committed: 1 (Jonathon MacCollister of Orlando, Fla.) Projected Take: 5 Synopsis: Much like with the offensive line, the defensive line is in need of a makeover after the Irish missed on a number of top ends last cycle and decided to pass on the tackle position all together. The top target on the board for defensive line coach Keith Gilmore heading into the summer was Los Angeles Cathedral four-star defensive end and UCLA commit Hunter Echols, who visited Notre Dame for the Irish Invasion in June. While Echols — the na- tion's No. 4 weakside defensive end and No. 53 overall prospect — is the player that Gilmore wants coming off the edge, Orlando (Fla.) Bishop Moore three-star defensive end Jonathon MacCollister is the body that he sees anchoring the strongside of the line, and that's why the Irish pushed for a commitment in June. With MacCollister in the fold and Echols in the mix, the plan is to also add a pair of tackles and then find another defensive end that could eventually play inside. The ideal group would include Sparta (N.J.) Pope John Paul XXIII three-star defensive tackle Dalyn Wade-Perry, Cincinnati Woodward three-star defensive tackle Jeron Cage and Olney (Md.) Good Counsel four-star defensive end Josh Paschal. Wade-Perry (the No. 24 defen- sive tackle) visited in July, Cage is the younger brother of Irish tackle Daniel, and Paschal (the nation's No. 10 weakside defensive end) camped in June. Linebackers Committed: 3 (David Adams of Pittsburgh, Pete Werner of Indianapolis and Drew White of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) Projected Take: 3 Synopsis: Notre Dame recruiting coordinator Mike Elston wasn't going to take his chances when it came to waiting on linebackers. After getting burned last National Sign- ing Day on a handful of top targets and falling a number short at the position, Elston and the Irish aggressively recruited some linebacker right out of the gates. That resulted in three early commitments when Pittsburgh Central Catholic's David Adams, Indianapolis Cathedral's Pete Werner and Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas' Drew White all gave a pledge to the Irish in early March. Adams (the No. 4 inside linebacker in the class) is the ideal Mike linebacker, Werner (the No. 19 outside linebacker) is the prototypical Sam linebacker and White is in the mold of a Will line- backer in Notre Dame's defense. The Irish mentioned to some recruits that they will take a fourth linebacker in the class, but it would have to be one with pass rushing skills that would be used off the edge in certain packages. Defensive Backs Committed: 2 (Paulson Adebo of Mansfield, Texas, and Isaiah Robertson of Naperville, Ill.) Projected Take: 4 Synopsis: The Irish loaded up on defensive backs in 2016, taking seven by the time the class was completed. As a result, Notre Dame isn't in a rush to fill spots in the secondary. The coaches made a successful push to land Naperville (Ill.) Neuqua Valley four-star athlete Isaiah Robertson during the spring and then elected to make a move on Man- sfield (Texas) High three-star cornerback Paulson Adebo in June. With Robertson, the No. 19 athlete in the country, and Adebo in the fold, the Irish will likely wait to see what some of its top targets will do before deciding on adding two more cornerbacks or a safety and cornerback. Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) High four-star cornerback Thomas Graham is a prospect that the staff really likes. That's also the case with Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) High three- star safety Amari Carter. Both Graham, the No. 7 cornerback and No. 67 overall recruit nationally, and Carter, the No. 42 safety in the land, will take official visits during the season after taking unofficial trips in the spring and summer. Special Teams Committed: 0 Projected Take: 0 Synopsis: Kelly isn't afraid to use his scholarships on specialists, but after signing a punter in 2014, a kicker in 2015 and a long snapper in 2016, the Irish will be set for at least two more seasons unless junior punter Tyler Newsome's booming leg warrants NFL interest and he leaves school early. Notre Dame is instead expected to add some depth at kicker this cycle via the pre- ferred walk-on method. ✦ Introducing LuxuryLiving Welcomehometocontemporary,urbanlivingwiththeluxuryofshopping, restaurantsandTheRiverwalkrightoutsideyourdoorstepcombinedwithanincredible backdropofMishawaka'smostbeautifulparks. RiverfrontForgeleadsthewaywhenitcomestoprogressiveandinnovativelavishlifestyles, combiningurbanandartisticlivingwithastunningpark-likesetting. Beautiful2and3bedroomcondominiumsontheSt.JosephRiverinMishawaka. ConstructiontobeginSpring2016. LIMITEDINVENTORY!ONLY30CONDOSLEFT!STARTINGAT$195,000 PRE-CONSTRUCTIONPRICING-CALLTODAY! Karie(574)333-8494 Jim(574)3097790 ExperienceavirtualtouratRiverfrontForge.com AREYOUREADYTOLEARNMOREABOUT HOMEOWNERSHIPATRIVERFRONTFORGE? AnotherGreatDevelopmentby SB-31358-1 Introducing LuxuryLiving Welcomehometocontemporary,urbanlivingwiththeluxuryofshopping, restaurantsandTheRiverwalkrightoutsideyourdoorstepcombinedwithanincredible backdropofMishawaka'smostbeautifulparks. RiverfrontForgeleadsthewaywhenitcomestoprogressiveandinnovativelavishlifestyles, combiningurbanandartisticlivingwithastunningpark-likesetting. Beautiful2and3bedroomcondominiumsontheSt.JosephRiverinMishawaka. ConstructiontobeginSpring2016. LIMITEDINVENTORY!ONLY30CONDOSLEFT!STARTINGAT$195,000 PRE-CONSTRUCTIONPRICING-CALLTODAY! Karie(574)333-8494 Jim(574)3097790 ExperienceavirtualtouratRiverfrontForge.com AREYOUREADYTOLEARNMOREABOUT HOMEOWNERSHIPATRIVERFRONTFORGE? AnotherGreatDevelopmentby Introducing LuxuryLiving Welcomehometocontemporary,urbanlivingwiththeluxuryofshopping, restaurantsandTheRiverwalkrightoutsideyourdoorstepcombinedwithanincredible backdropofMishawaka'smostbeautifulparks. RiverfrontForgeleadsthewaywhenitcomestoprogressiveandinnovativelavishlifestyles, combiningurbanandartisticlivingwithastunningpark-likesetting. Beautiful2and3bedroomcondominiumsontheSt.JosephRiverinMishawaka. ConstructiontobeginSpring2016. LIMITEDINVENTORY!ONLY30CONDOSLEFT!STARTINGAT$195,000 PRE-CONSTRUCTIONPRICING-CALLTODAY! Karie(574)333-8494 ExperienceavirtualtouratRiverfrontForge.com AREYOUREADYTOLEARNMOREABOUT HOMEOWNERSHIPATRIVERFRONTFORGE? AnotherGreatDevelopmentby David Adams of Pittsburgh Central Catholic — the nation's No. 4 inside line- backer — is one of three backers who gave Notre Dame an early commitment. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM