Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2019 23 2019 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE "I think there's balance. You're al- ways looking to fill in the needs that you have in a class. This has a very strong presence as mid-years, and I think that's a trend that will con- tinue. We like getting them in here in January. "Making the transition academi- cally here at Notre Dame, it helps them quite a bit. We get them in the weight room, we get them in spring ball, and it helps them in terms of maturing and being able to play. "There's a lot of things going on here: early signing day, mid-year en- rollment, player development, and it's really impacted the way we've been able to move forward in recruiting." Following back-to-back 10-win sea- sons for the first time since 1991-93 and highlighted by this past season's berth into the four-team College Foot- ball Playoff, the evidence on the field has aided that pronouncement. ✦ 1 Recruit whose father has competed against Notre Dame. Defensive end Howard Cross III's father, Howard Jr., who played tight end for the New York Giants 13 seasons from 1989-2001, was a member of the 1986 Alabama team that defeated Notre Dame 28-10, and also on the 1987 Crimson Tide unit that lost 37-6 at Notre Dame Stadium the following year. 2-1 The Fighting Irish had two players opt for them after initially com- mitting elsewhere, while losing one who had given an original pledge to Notre Dame. A position of trade-off came at quarterback, where Cade McNamara decommitted from the Fighting Irish to flip to Michigan, but then the Irish picked up Brendon Clark, who originally pledged to Wake For- est. Linebacker JD Bertrand originally chose the home-state Georgia Bulldogs before he ended up with Notre Dame. 3 Players signed from the state of Georgia, tying the most ever in a single- season recruiting haul by the Fighting Irish with last year when running back C'Bo Flemister, tight end Tommy Tremble and safety Derrik Allen all signed from the Peach State. This season, linebacker JD Bertrand is from Ro- swell, while cornerback KJ Wallace and safety Kyle Hamilton are from Atlanta. This marked the second straight year Georgia either had the most or tied for the most representation from a state in Notre Dame's recruiting cycle. 5 State championships won in 2018 among the 22-man class: linebackers JD Bertrand and Jack Kiser won back-to-back titles at Blessed Trinity (Georgia Class AAAA) and Pioneer (Indiana Class A), respectively. The other three were quarterback Brendon Clark at Manchester High (Virginia 4A), St. Joseph Regional defensive end Howard Cross III (New Jersey Non-Public Group 4) and South Warren High defensive tackle Jacob Lacey (Kentucky 5A). 10 Members from the 22-man class who enrolled for the second semester that began Jan. 15. Beginning with 2006, when Notre Dame first admitted early enrollees, the 10 this year is a record, surpassing the seven from 2018. This year's group features all four offensive linemen (Quinn Carroll, ZEKE CORRELL, Andrew Kristofic and John Olmstead), three of the five defensive linemen (NaNa Osafo- Mensah, Jacob Lacey and Hunter Spears), plus running back Kyren Williams, linebacker Jack Kiser and punter Jay Bramblett. 16 Different states repre- sented among the 22 players signed by Notre Dame. Georgia led the way with three, while California, Maryland, New Jersey and Texas had two apiece. 29 Years since Notre Dame last signed a quarterback from Vir- ginia, until Brendon Clark this year. That was in 1990 with B.J. Hawkins, who enrolled the same year as Kevin McDougal before trans- ferring a year later to the University of Virginia. The last time a Virginia quarterback started for Notre Dame was in the 1966 finale that clinched the national title, when sophomore Coley O'Brien (McLean) completed 21 of 31 passes for 255 yards with three touchdowns in a 51-0 victory versus Pac-8 champ USC. It was O'Brien's lone start of his career at quarterback, in place of the injured Terry Hanratty, although he would also start at running back as a senior in 1968. 481 Spots that linebacker Jack Kiser jumped in 247Sports' final rank- ings of national recruits. Kiser went from No. 672 to No. 191 overall, making him the sixth-highest prospect in the 22-man Notre Dame class. The next highest climb from the Irish class this year in 247Sports was center Zeke Correll, advancing 69 places from No. 150 to No. 81. 1,782 Yards of total offense accounted for by wide receiver recruit Kendall Abdur-Rahman as a senior at Edwardsville (Ill.) High — but they came as a quarterback with 1,135 rushing and 647 passing. In the last 20 years, Notre Dame has had two high school quarterbacks move to receiver — after having started at quarterback — and then play at wideout in the NFL: Arnaz Battle (1998-2002) and Carlyle Holiday (2001-04). Former Irish receiver John Goodman (2008-12) also starred at quarterback in high school. 2,341 Yards passing as a senior by Jay Bramblett, who enrolled in January and will be expected to step in to replace four-year starting punter Tyler Newsome. While completing 68.5 percent of his passes (178 of 260) with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions, the punter prospect actually finished with 14 more yards through the air as a senior than three- star quarterback and state champion Brendon Clark (2,327). 2019 Recruiting By The Numbers PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM