Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2018 75 FOOTBALL RECRUITING Mineral (Va.) Louisa County four- star Brandon Smith is another top tar- get, and Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga Rivals250 end Joseph Wete, Thom- aston (Ga.) Upson Lee Rivals250 end Travon Walker, Twin City (Ga.) Emanuel County Rivals250 end Cur- tis Fann Jr. and Forest Park (Ga.) High four-star end Justin Ebiogbe were offered in January. DEFENSIVE TACKLE Players On The 2018 Roster: 8 Projected Take: 2-3 For the first six recruiting cycles of Kelly's tenure the Irish had the same issue at defensive tackle as they did at defensive end. Good classes were surrounded by too many sub- par hauls. That has changed in recent sea- sons, with Notre Dame stringing to- gether back-to-back quality harvests. When Jayson Ademilola signed in the 2018 class, it marked the first time in Kelly's tenure Notre Dame signed a Rivals250 defensive tackle in back- to-back classes, with Darnell Ewell in the 2017 haul. Landing Bowling Green (Ky.) South Warren four-star big man Ja- cob Lacey early was vital to Notre Dame. 247Sports ranks Lacey as the No. 104 overall player in the country, and he will serve as the foundation for what the staff hopes is yet another high-quality defensive harvest. The top remaining target is Kent- wood (Mich.) East Kentwood stand- out Mazi Smith, the No. 127 over- all player in the land according to Rivals. The 6-3, 302-pound Smith projects as a nose tackle, while Lacey is more of a three-technique, which would make them ideal comple- ments for each other. Other top targets are Columbus (Ohio) St. Francis DeSales two-way lineman and four-star prospect Ro- das Johnson, Honolulu St. Louis four-star Faatui Tuitele, Roxboro (N.C.) Person three-star Joshua Har- ris and Pickerington (Ohio) Central three-star Dewayne Carter. LINEBACKER/ROVER Players On The 2018 Roster: 13 Projected Take: 3 The highly touted four-man haul in 2018 helped Notre Dame restock a linebacking corps that was quickly be- coming depleted after the graduation of Nyles Morgan and Greer Martini, and with Drue Tranquill and Te'von Coney entering their final seasons of eligibility. The linebacker and rover board is just starting to expand, with Notre Dame throwing out four new offers in January. Malvern (Pa.) Prep linebacker Keith Maguire visited during Notre Dame's Jan. 27 Junior Day and was offered during that trip. While more visits are planned by the three-star linebacker, the Irish are in a strong early position. Spring or summer visits are also expected from West Bloomfield (Mich.) High standout Lance Dixon and Omaha (Neb.) Burke backer Nick Henrich, who 247Sports ranks as the No. 69 overall player in the country. Notre Dame also offered Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day athlete Osita Ekwonu in January. Ekwonu visited Notre Dame in July for the Irish Inva- sion camp. Should Notre Dame offer Nashville (Tenn.) Montgomery Bell four-star linebacker Jackson Hannah, it will immediately become a school to beat. SAFETY Players On The 2018 Roster: 9 Projected Take: 2 Notre Dame has recruited the safety position exceptionally well the last three cycles, bringing in eight play- ers, not including Navy transfer Alohi Gilman. Seven of those eight were graded as four-star recruits, which puts Notre Dame in the enviable posi- tion of focusing on top-tier talent and not overall numbers. The Irish have been all over Alex- andria (Va.) Episcopal four-star safety Litchfield Ajavon for months, and the nation's No. 79 player trekked to Notre Dame Sept. 30 for Notre Dame's matchup against Miami (Ohio). Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic ath- lete Ronnie Hickman is a standout on both sides of the ball, but the Irish project the four-star as a safety. Hick- man visited Notre Dame in January for its Junior Day. The Irish are quite high on Hy- attsville (Md.) DeMatha safety Nick Cross, who hails from the same high school as freshman basketball for- ward D.J. Harvey. Cross is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 107 overall player in the country, and his offer list has taken off in recent months. Ohio State, Oklahoma, Michigan and Penn State are just some of the big-time pro- grams making a hard run at Cross. Other names to know are Rich- mond (Texas) Bush four-star Jamal Morris, Detroit King four-star Marvin Grant and Everett (Mass.) High four- star Lewis Cine. All three players are listed in the Rivals250. CORNERBACK Players On The 2018 Roster: 10 Projected Take: 2 Notre Dame more than made up for striking out here in 2017, landing four prospects in the 2018 class. The 2019 group is off to a good start, with Atlanta Lovett athlete KJ Wallace committing in January shortly after making a trip to campus. Wallace is ranked by ESPN as the No. 122 over- all player in the land. Loganville (Ga.) Grayson corner- back Kenyatta Watson visited the same weekend as Wallace, and the Irish came out of his trip as the leader. Wallace — Rivals' No. 99 overall player in the nation — will likely take at least one more visit before making a decision, but Notre Dame is in great shape with the former Florida State commit. Notre Dame has hosted Nashville (Tenn.) Ensworth four-star cornerback Wesley Walker for a pair of visits and remains a contender. Unless Watson pops for the Irish in the near future, the board will con- tinue to expand. Early names to know are Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco star Chris Steele, the nation's No. 17 overall player according to Rivals, plus Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Oakland four-star Woodi Washington, Gardena (Calif.) Serra four-star Max Williams and Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) Ben- jamin School four-star Kaiir Elam, the son of former Notre Dame player Abram Elam (2001). SPECIAL TEAMS Players On The 2018 Roster: 4 Projected Take: 1 Starting punter Tyler Newsome and placekicker Justin Yoon will be out of eligibility after the 2018 sea- son. The Irish have rising sophomore Jonathan Doerer on scholarship, but unless the coaches believe he can handle the punting, placekicking and kickoff duties, it will likely target a kicker or punter in the 2019 class. ✦