Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 26, 2018 43 PREP PROFILES Notre Dame welcomed numerous talented prospects for its 42-13 win over Florida State Nov. 10, includ- ing one of the best linebackers in the 2020 class: Kaden Johnson of St. Paul (Minn.) Minnehaha Academy. "The visit was outstanding," John- son told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "To be able to come down and watch them play was amazing. I got to go with my best friends Jalen Suggs and Craig McDonald and my family. It was a great experience for all of us. "We got to take pictures, see the basketball facility, the football facility and the locker room before the game. … My favorite part was taking pic- tures in the uniform with Jalen and Craig." The 6-4, 205-pounder left impressed with the Irish faithful who braced the cold evening in South Bend. "The atmosphere was crazy," John- son stated. "The whole stadium was jam-packed. The fans were crazy and loud the whole game. They never sat down. "… When the game started and the fans started to get into it, it was just amazing. … It was great to see and feel." Notre Dame's performance in the dominating victory versus the Semi- noles also caught the attention of the Rivals' No. 8 outside linebacker and No. 110 overall player nationally. "The linebackers and defense played great," Johnson explained. "To hold Florida State to 13 points is great." With his first Irish visit under his belt, Johnson hopes to add Notre Dame to an offer list that already in- cludes Iowa, Iowa State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin and others. "If Notre Dame were to offer, it would be amazing," Johnson noted. "Notre Dame is such a historic school." The rest of this fall and winter, John- son hopes to take trips to Northwest- ern, Purdue and Iowa State. "Recruiting has been great for me so far," Johnson said of his process. "I never thought my recruitment would be like this, but I knew if I kept work- ing hard in school and on the field I could be a Division I-caliber player." — Corey Bodden Oak Park (Mich.) High 2020 wide receiver Maliq Carr made it to South Bend Nov. 10 to take in his first Notre Dame game, and watched the Fight- ing Irish post a 42-13 victory over Florida State. Before the end of the visit, the 6-5, 215-pounder added an Irish offer to his list. "We talked with Coach Brian Kelly about school, then he extended the of- fer," Carr told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "I was definitely excited. It made me realize that I'm actually a national re- cruit and my hard work is paying off. "If Notre Dame is looking at me then I can go pretty much anywhere. I was half way expecting it, but I wasn't for sure about it." With the offer and visit under his belt, the talented pass catcher praised the Irish. "They know how to win," Carr said of Notre Dame. "Tradition is a big thing there. They are a big-time academic school, too. They try to go vertical a lot offensively and try to use their receivers to go make plays. "On a scale of one to 10, my interest is a solid nine. It's the perfect setup. Their offense fits me, the academics are really good and the atmosphere is perfect. … The people there are really nice, too, and care about you. They want you to do well no matter what happens." Along with Kelly, Carr spent time with Irish wide receivers coach Del Alexander. "He's been a good coach and knows how to coach really good wide receiv- ers," Carr said. "With his coaching, I could only go up with improving. "He's a good guy. He's a fun guy and outgoing." Carr left impressed with the Notre Dame offense after watching the unit up close. "They throw the ball a lot," he noted. "I just really like the offense. Even when they run the ball, the re- ceivers block really well. "It makes it more interesting seeing receivers out there kind of like me." Despite the winter weather, the Irish faithful showed up in full force. "It was just crazy" Carr said of the game atmosphere. "I liked that. With that tradition, you're always going to do that no matter how cold it is." — Corey Bodden Minnesota Linebacker Has 'Outstanding' Visit Michigan Receiver Is Excited About His Irish Offer MALIQ CARR ✪ ✪ ✪ Oak Park H.S. Oak Park, Mich. Status: Offered Class: 2020 Position: Wide Receiver Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 215 Rivals Rankings: No. 20 player in Michigan KADEN JOHNSON ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Minnehaha Academy St. Paul, Minn. Status: Interested Class: 2020 Position: Linebacker Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 205 Rivals Rankings: No. 8 out- side linebacker and No. 110 overall player nationally "It made me realize that I'm actually a national recruit and my hard work is paying off. If Notre Dame is looking at me then I can go pretty much anywhere." CARR ON BEING OFFERED BY THE IRISH "The atmosphere was crazy. The whole stadium was jam-packed. The fans were crazy and loud the whole game. They never sat down. … When the game started and the fans started to get into it, it was just amazing. … It was great to see and feel." JOHNSON ON HIS NOTRE DAME VISIT