Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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82 PRESEASON 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY COREY BODDEN AND DAVID MCKINNEY D espite posting a 4-8 record in 2016, the Irish have picked up sig- nificant momentum on the recruiting trail and had 16 2018 commitments heading into the 2017 season. But they aren't done yet. Having this many commitments so far from National Signing Day has given the staff the opportunity to go after im- pact players to fill out the class. Blue & Gold Illustrated looks at the top remaining needs for Notre Dame's 2018 class, and the targets the staff is focusing on to fill those posi- tions. (All rankings are from Rivals.) STARTING-CALIBER CORNERS Notre Dame signed zero corner- backs in the class of 2017 and hasn't had a commitment from one stick since Troy Pride Jr. pledged to the Irish in December of 2015. The Irish staff hopes that will change with the 2018 class. The most likely cornerback target to join the class is Donte Burton, a three-star prospect from Loganville (Ga.) High. Burton is not rated as one of the top cornerbacks, but the Notre Dame staff views him as a must-get recruit at a position of need. Following a visit to South Bend on July 15, Burton named Notre Dame his leader, and he is already plan- ning a return trip to campus for an official visit when the Irish host USC on Oct. 21. Other cornerback targets remain on the board. North Fort Myers (Fla.) High's Joe Wilkins Jr. has expressed a great deal of interest in Notre Dame, and will likely include the Irish on the list of his top five schools, which the three- star prospect plans to release this fall. Pittsburgh, Louisville, Michigan State and many others have offered the South Florida corner. Notre Dame is making a push for some West Coast corner talent, in- cluding Everett (Wash.) Archbishop Murphy four-star Kyler Gordon, who is the No. 2 player in the state of Washington and the No. 25 corner- back in the class. Three-star Milpitas (Calif.) High athletes Tariq Bracy, who holds offers from Cal, Utah and Washington State is a target, as is Mission Viejo (Calif.) High three-star Chris Mitchell, who has offers from Washington State and Iowa State. All three have expressed interest in officially visiting South Bend. PLAYMAKING PASS CATCHERS Irish quarterback commit Phil Jurkovec of Gibsonia (Pa.) Pine-Rich- land should have plenty of weapons available when he arrives in South Bend. Notre Dame currently has commitments from Coconut Creek (Fla.) North Broward Prep wide re- ceiver Kevin Austin, the No. 69 over- all player in the country; Gurnee (Ill.) Warren Township wide receiver Mi- cah Jones, the No. 172 overall player nationally; and tight end George Takacs, who competed in the Nike Football The Opening Finals. Even with that solid crop, Notre Dame is still looking to add more playmakers. Notre Dame has made Norcross (Ga.) Wesleyan tight end Tommy Tremble a top priority. He is ranked as the No. 19 tight end in the class of 2018, but his 4.63 in the forty- yard dash at the Nike Football The Opening Region in Atlanta put his explosiveness on full display. Tremble, whose father Greg played at Georgia, plans on making his sec- ond trip to Notre Dame when the Irish host the Bulldogs on Sept. 9. The Irish remain in solid position with the Peach State product. Tremble has narrowed his list down to a top six of Notre Dame, UCLA, Georgia, South Carolina, Ten- nessee and Fresno State. With top targets Austin and Jones in the fold at wide receiver, Notre Dame is focusing on impact pros- pects at the position. Two names to keep an eye on as realistic options are Etiwanda (Ca- lif.) High three-star Geordon Porter, the No. 63 wide receiver in the class, and New Orleans McDonogh prod- uct Lawrence Keys, who is rated as the No. 95 receiver in the senior class. Porter will visit Notre Dame for the Georgia game on Sept. 9, and while Keys has yet to set up a visit to South Bend the Irish remain a major player in his recruitment. Other names in the mix include Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei five-star Amon-Ra St. Brown, the No. 4 player in the nation; four-star Tommy Bush of Schertz (Texas) Clemens, who is rated as the No. 52 wide receiver in the class; four-star Chase Cota of Medford (Ore.) South Medford, the No. 113 overall player in the nation; and Houston Kingwood Park Prod- uct Bryson Jackson, who is listed as the No. 67 wide receiver in 2018. DEFENSIVE EDGE HELP Last season the Irish recorded only 14 sacks, which ranked 117th nation- ally among the 128 Football Bowl Subdivision teams. To make matters worse, only three of those sacks came from the defensive line. Notre Dame will look to add edge players that can boost what has been a lagging pass rush from the front. The Irish already hold three com- mitments on the defensive line: Jer- sey City Prep (N.J.) St. Peter's Prep defensive tackle Jayson Ademilola and defensive end Justin Ademilola, The Irish Are Focused On Impact Players To Close Out Its 2018 Class Loganville (Ga.) High three-star cornerback Donte Burton is high on the Irish heading into the fall. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM