Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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44 MARCH 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2019 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY COREY BODDEN It would almost seem to be a guarantee football would be part of the future for Notre Dame 2019 defensive line signee How- ard Cross III. His father, Howard Cross Jr., played 13 years for the New York Giants after becoming a sixth- round pick out of Alabama in 1989. The tight end caught 201 passes for 2,194 yards and 17 touchdowns during a 13-year career in which he played more than 200 games. But when the time came for his son to begin his journey in the sports world, the elder Cross wasn't going to push him into football. "My dad basically didn't really want me to play football," Cross said. "He encouraged every other sport when I was a kid. I just decided I wanted to try it and I had a lot of fun playing it, and here I am." Once the decision was made, Cross benefited from his father's expertise. "He was very influential," the younger Cross explained. "My dad taught me how to run, how to lift, how to move and basically everything pertaining to football. … Now that I look back on it, his help was a big difference. I definitely wouldn't be where I am right now without him." Early on in his football career, Cross felt he needed to meet the expectations others had because of who he was related to. Eventually, though, Cross focused on himself and improving his own game. "There was a little bit of pres- sure," he stated. "People knew who I was from my dad. At first, I really thought I needed to live up to that. "Now, I just think about play- ing my best game and doing what I can do to my greatest ability." All of his hard work and his fa- ther's help eventually led Cross to what was an eventful 2018. It began with a scholarship offer in April from Notre Dame, and later that month Cross was an Irish pledge. Before Cross officially put ink to paper, he continued to make his own name on the field. Cross recorded 76 tackles and 9.5 sacks, leading Saint Joseph Regional to a state title and claiming Gatorade's 2018 New Jersey Football Player of the Year honor, beating out the likes of five-star Alabama defen- sive line signee Antonio Alfano. Cross and company helped pitch a shutout in the championship game against Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic, a program that had not been held scoreless in three decades. "We all worked hard the entire year, and this was part of what came from that," Cross said. "Winning a state title against your rival in your last high school game really means a lot to the entire team and especially the seniors. It's a feeling that I can't describe." ✦ HOWARD CROSS DEFENSIVE END 6-1 · 265 SAINT JOSEPH REGIONAL H.S. PARAMUS, N.J. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 23* 6 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 52^ 11 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 29* 7 * Ranked as a strongside defensive end; ^ ranked as a defensive end STATISTICS • Notched 76 stops, 22.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks during his final season at St. Joseph Regional, leading his team to a state title. • Recorded 103 tackles, 10 stops for loss and 5.5 sacks as a junior. • During his sophomore year, he posted 39 tack- les, 13 tackles for loss and seven sacks. HONORS • 2018 Gatorade New Jersey Football Player of the Year • 2018 NJ.com State Player of the Year and All- State first team • 2017 and 2018 USA Today All-State first team • 2017 NJ.com All-State third team ALL-STAR GAMES AND CAMPS • Did not participate in any national postseason all-star games RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on April 22, 2018. • Held offers from Boston College, Duke, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Caro- lina State, Northwestern, Tennessee and Virginia Tech, among others, when he made a pledge to the Irish. • Primarily recruited by defensive line coach Mike Elston. • Took his first visit to Notre Dame during the weekend of the Blue-Gold Game April 20-22 and committed a day later. He returned for an official when the Irish defeated Stanford Sept. 29. NOTABLE • Born on July 31, 2001. • Became the third New Jersey defensive line- man to sign with the Irish in the past two cycles, joining Jayson Ademilola and Justin Ademilola from the 2018 class. • Was the lone player in Notre Dame's 2019 class to claim his respective state's Gatorade Football Player of the Year award. 2019 PROJECTION • Expect Cross to redshirt as a true freshman in 2019. THEY SAID IT Head coach Brian Kelly: "Football runs through Howard Cross III's veins. The New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year comes to us with a malicious mindset to the opposition." Defensive line coach Mike Elston: "A strong athlete with a family tradition of excellent football, Howard has the skill set to change the game as a defensive tackle or defensive end. "His versatility makes him a huge get in this class." BGI football analyst Bryan Driskell: "Cross is not an elite athlete and lacks ideal length, but his production and intangibles are easy to like. He has the power, attitude and hustle to handle himself in the run game. "He knows how to use his lack of length to his advantage, beating blockers off the ball, winning the leverage battle and getting his hands inside his opponents' hands. "Cross has powerful hands and is quite good at block destruction and closing quickly on the football." Howard Cross III Is Making His Own Name Cross was named Gatorade's New Jersey Football Player of the Year for his efforts on the field during the 2018 season. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM