Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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160 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Notre Dame secured verbal pledges from six 2018 prospects by August 2016, and then added six more between Feb. 13 and June 13. Although Portland (Ore.) Tigard wide receiver Braden Lenzy decommitted June 14, Naples (Fla.) Gulf Coast four-star George Takacs — the nation's No. 10 tight end and No. 235 over- all prospect according to Rivals — committed to the Irish on the same day. The Irish remained at 12 pledges and had the nation's No. 6 class entering mid-June according to Rivals. The following is a position-by-position breakdown for how the Irish are expected to proceed for the remainder of the recruiting cycle. All information is through mid-June. Quarterback Committed: 1 (Phil Jurkovec of Gibsonia, Pa.) Projected Take: 1 Synopsis: Notre Dame went into the 2018 cycle look- ing for one of the nation's best signal-callers and got its man when Jurkovec — Rivals' No. 5 dual-threat quarter- back and No. 69 overall prospect in the country — be- came the first player in the class to commit to the Irish. Running Back Committed: 1 (Markese Stepp of Indianapolis) Projected Take: 1-2 Synopsis: Landing Stepp, the No. 224 overall player in the class of 2018 accord- ing to Rivals, has given Notre Dame the ability to be picky at running back while it looks to fill out the class. Just bringing in Stepp would work, but the staff wants a player that complements his skill set. Recruits with positional flexibility seem to be what the staff is looking for, which is why Houston Second Baptist's Deion Smith and Melbourne (Fla.) Central Catho- lic speedster Lavonte Valentine have emerged as early targets. Wide Receiver Committed: 1 (Micah Jones of Gurnee, Ill.) Projected Take: 3-4 Synopsis: The Irish staff is looking to add impact talent to a class that already has Jones, who is rated as the No. 170 overall player in the land by Rivals. At the top of the board is Coconut Creek (Fla.) North Broward Prep's Kevin Austin, ESPN's No. 87 overall player in the country. Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei five-star Amon-Ra St. Brown, the No. 1 receiver in the class of 2018 according to Rivals and the younger brother of Notre Dame junior receiver Equanimeous St. Brown, is the staff's other top priority. Notre Dame is also high on New Orleans McDonogh's Lawrence Keys, ESPN's No. 101 overall recruit. Tight End Committed: 1 (George Takacs of Naples, Fla.) Projected Take: 1-2 Synopsis: If Takacs is the only tight end to join the class, Notre Dame would be fine with that. However, a few targets remain on the board, including four- star Jeremy Ruckert of Lindenhurst (N.Y.) High and three-star Tommy Tremble of Norcross (Ga.) Wesleyan. Offensive Line Committed: 2 (Cole Mabry of Brentwood, Tenn., and John Dirksen of Maria Stein, Ohio) Projected Take: 3-4 Synopsis: After locking up two early commitments, Notre Dame is focusing on adding one or two more players to the class. The top targets are Atlanta Pace five-star guard Jama- ree Salyer and Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep four-star Nick Petit-Frére. Salyer is the nation's No. 11 overall player ac- cording to Rivals while Petit-Frére is ESPN's No. 22 player in the country. Defensive End Committed: 1 (Justin Ademilola of Jersey City, N.J.) Projected Take: 2-3 Synopsis: Adding four ends in 2016 and three more in 2017 has given the Irish staff the ability to narrow its focus at the position. Ademilola was a good start, and Notre Dame has now placed two more East Coast play- ers at the top of the board. Blairstown (N.J.) Blair Academy's Jayson Oweh has played football for just one season, but he's an elite athlete with tremendous upside, ranking as Rivals' No. 217 overall player. Notre Dame also wants Baltimore Gilman's Thomas Booker, who is Rivals' No. 208 overall prospect in the country. Defensive Tackle Committed: 2 (Jayson Ademilola of Jersey City, N.J., and Ja'Mion Franklin of Ridgely, Md.) Projected Take: 2 Synopsis: This was a major need for Notre Dame in this class, which makes landing Ademilola and Franklin before the season a major coup. With those two players in the fold Notre Dame has already met its needs. Only top-level talents will be considered moving forward. Linebacker/Rover Committed: 2 (Matthew Bauer of Erie, Pa., and Ovie Oghoufo of Farmington Hills, Mich.) Projected Take: 4 Synopsis: Landing Bauer gave the staff a pure Mike linebacker, and Oghoufo brings positional flexibility. Notre Dame will look to finish the class with a pure rover outside and a Buck linebacker inside. Indianapolis Lawrence Central four-star Cam McGrone, 247Sports' No. 131 overall player in the land, has emerged as the top target at the Buck position. Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter's Prep's Shayne Simon is 247Sports' No. 101 overall player, and he's the priority at rover. Safety Committed: 1 (Derrik Allen of Marietta, Ga.) Projected Take: 2 Synopsis: Allen was Notre Dame's top target at safety, and adding Navy transfer Alohi Gilman gives the staff two talented safeties that will be eligible for the 2018 season. With them in the fold, the Irish would like to add one more prep player. Notre Dame offered local safety Paul Moala of Mishawaka (Ind.) Penn follow- ing the Irish Invasion, and the staff continues to make Warminster (Pa.) Wood Catholic safety and Virginia Tech commit Nasir Peoples a priority. Cornerback Committed: 0 Projected Take: 2-3 Synopsis: Notre Dame failed to sign a single cornerback in the 2017 class, which makes it a top need in 2018. Rivals' No. 44 overall player nationally is Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy's Houston Griffith, who also happens to a top target for Notre Dame. The Irish are also making a hard push for Indianapolis North Central's D.J. Johnson, 247Sports' No. 274 overall player nationally. Notre Dame will continue to expand its board at this position in hopes of adding quality depth and talent. — Corey Bodden and David McKinney Fast Start To 2018 Class Should Spell Success For Notre Dame Gibsonia (Pa.) Pine-Richland quarterback Phil Jurkovec — the nation's No. 5 dual-threat quar- terback and No. 69 overall prospect according to Rivals — was Notre Dame's first commitment in the 2018 class. PHOTO BY ANDREW IVINS