Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com AUGUST 2018 47 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ROUNDUP Master List Changes Prospects Removed: RB Zach Charbonnet of Westlake Village, Calif. (com- mitted to Michigan); RB Quavaris Crouch of Charlotte (no longer considering Notre Dame); RB Jerrion Ealy of Jackson, Miss. (no longer considering Notre Dame); RB Austin Jones of Oakland, Calif. (committed to Stanford); RB Bran- don Legendre of Thibodaux, La. (committed to Louisiana-Lafayette); RB Kenny McIntosh of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (no longer being pursued by Notre Dame); WR David Bell of Indianapolis (no longer considering Notre Dame); WR John Dunmore of Hollywood, Fla. (committed to Penn State); WR Donavon Greene of Mount Airy, N.C. (committed to Wake Forest); WR Elijah Higgins of Austin, Texas (no longer consider Notre Dame); WR DeMarcco Hellams of Hyattsville, Md. (committed to Alabama); WR Demariyon Houston of Oklahoma City (no longer considering Notre Dame); WR Bryce Kirtz of Brownsburg, Ind. (com- mitted to Northwestern); WR Drake London of Moorpark, Calif. (committed to USC); WR John Metchie of Hagerstown, Md. (committed to Alabama); WR Jamie Nance of Blanchard, Okla. (committed to Nebraska); WR John Rhys Plumlee of Hattiesburg, Miss. (committed to Georgia); WR TJ Sheffield of Thompson's Station, Tenn. (no longer being pursued by Notre Dame); WR Dylan Wright of Mesquite, Texas (no longer considering Notre Dame); TE Erick All of Fairfield, Ohio (committed to Michigan); TE Jude Wolfe of Bellflower, Calif. (no longer being pursued by Notre Dame); OL Bryce Benhart of Lakeville, Minn. (no longer being pursued by Notre Dame); OL Harry Miller of Buford, Ga. (committed to Ohio State); OL Saleem Wormley of Smyrna, Del. (commit- ted to Penn State); DE Joseph Anderson of Murfreesboro, Tenn. (committed to South Carolina); DE Colt Ellison of Aledo, Texas (committed to TCU); DE Curtis Fann Jr. of Twin City, Ga. (committed to Florida State); DE Marcus Hicks of Wichita, Kan. (committed to Oklahoma); DE Laiatu Latu of Carmichael, Calif. (no longer considering Notre Dame); DE David Ojabo of Blairstown, N.J. (committed to Michigan); DE Shemar Pearl of Plano, Texas (no longer being pursued by Notre Dame); DE Christian Rorie of Raleigh, N.C. (committed to Duke); DE Mataio Soli of Douglasville, Ga. (committed to Arkansas); DE Isaac Townsend of Arvada, Colo. (committed to Oregon); DE Travon Walker of Thomaston, Ga. (no longer considering Notre Dame); LB Josh Calvert of West- lake Village, Calif. (no longer being pursued by Notre Dame); LB Daniel Heimuli of Atherton, Calif. (no longer considering Notre Dame); LB Nick Henrich of Omaha, Neb. (committed to Nebraska); LB Spencer Lytle of Bellflower, Calif. (no longer being pursued by Notre Dame); LB Asa Turner of Carlsbad, Calif. (committed to Washington); CB Warren Burrell of Suwanee, Ga. (no longer considering Notre Dame); CB Cam'Ron Kelly of Chesapeake, Va. (no longer being pursued by Notre Dame); CB DeAntre Prince of Charleston, Miss. (com- mitted to Ole Miss); CB Derek Stingley Jr. Baton Rouge, La. (committed to LSU); CB DJ Turner of Suwanee, Ga. (committed to Michigan); CB Wesley Walker of Nashville (no longer being pursued by Notre Dame); CB Woodi Washington of Murfreesboro, Tenn. (committed to Oklahoma); S Lewis Cine of Cedar Hill, Texas (no longer being pursued by Notre Dame); S Nick Cross of Hyattsville, Md. (no longer considering Notre Dame); ATH Bru McCoy of Santa Ana, Calif. (no longer considering Notre Dame); ATH Zion Puckett of Griffin, Ga. (no lon- ger considering Notre Dame); ATH Jalani Williams of St. Louis (no longer being pursued by Notre Dame); and ATH Raymond Woodie of Tallahassee, Fla. (no longer being pursued by Notre Dame). RECRUITING NOTES • Notre Dame hasn't given up on the possibility of adding a fifth offensive lineman to the class, and Washington (D.C.) Sidwell Friends three-star Walter Rouse is a top remaining priority. Rouse — the No. 8 prospect in Washington, D.C., and the No. 39 offensive tackle nationally according to Rivals — became a top target for the Irish after Notre Dame hosted Rivals100 offensive lineman Saleem Wormley on an official visit and decided to move on from recruiting him due to a desire to pursue longer blockers. After an unofficial visit to South Bend June 20, Rouse said Notre Dame was near the top of his list, mostly thanks to the strong academics the school boasts. Rouse will return to Notre Dame for an official visit Sept. 1 when the Irish host Michigan. • Official visits are already being set for the football season and a Rivals100 cornerback is planning to visit Notre Dame Nov. 10 when the Irish host Florida State. Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra corner Max Williams, who Rivals ranks as the No. 13 cornerback and No. 97 overall player nationally, will make his second trip to South Bend after visiting in April 2016 as a freshman. Williams told Blue & Gold Illustrated that USC, Oklahoma, Oregon and Louisville were among the other programs recruiting him the hardest. Williams keeps in close contact with Irish special teams coordinator Brian Polian. • The watch list for the 2018 High School But- kus Award that was released July 23 featured multiple 2019 Irish commits: defensive end NaNa Osafo-Mensah of Fort Worth (Texas) Nolan Cath- olic, Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day linebacker Osita Ekwonu and Royal Center (Ind.) Pioneer linebacker Jack Kiser. In total, 51 players were named to the watch list. Osafo-Mensah and Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Hillcrest punter Jay Bramblett were both invited to play in the 2019 All-American Bowl — formerly the U.S. Army All-American Bowl — which is set to be played in San Antonio on Jan. 5, 2019. • On July 6, Notre Dame received a commit- ment from three-star wide receiver TJ Sheffield of Thompsons Station (Tenn.) Independence. Shef- field, the No. 56 wide receiver in the class of 2019 per Rivals, chose the Irish over a final group that included Ohio State, Arkansas and Purdue. However, heading into the decision, Blue & Gold Illustrated was informed by sources that Sheffield was not a take for Notre Dame and likely did not have committable offers to Ohio State or Arkansas either. When Sheffield committed to Notre Dame, it came as a surprise to everyone, the Irish coaching staff included. Upon his commitment, Sheffield said he would continue to take official visits to be sure of his decision, but later canceled those plans and said he was 100 percent committed to Notre Dame. Even with the commitment, Sheffield's status in the class remained the same. He was still not a take despite having publicly announced a com- mitment. On July 11, Sheffield put out a note on Twitter that Notre Dame wide receivers coach DelVaughn Alexander had initially accepted his commitment July 6, but called him five days later to explain that the Irish would not be accepting his pledge. Thus, Sheffield re-opened his recruit- ment and has since picked up offers from Syra- cuse, Pittsburgh and Virginia. — Corey Bodden and David McKinney Irish defensive end commit NaNa Osafo-Mensah will play in the 2019 All-American Bowl in January. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM Follow @BGI_CoreyBodden and @BGI_DMcKinney on Twitter for daily recruiting updates available on BlueandGold.com!