Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/109499
CB Rashad Kinlaw 5-11 ✦ 185 ✦ Absegami H.S. ✦ Galloway, N.J. Notable: Born on Dec 14, 1994 … Runs a 4.45-second 40-yard dash, benches 245 pounds, squats 535 and has a 38-inch vertical leap … Plans to play varsity baseball this spring for the first time as an outfielder … Had interest from Wisconsin and Ohio State to play quarterback, but he had no desire to play the position at the college level. Rankings: Rated as a four-star prospect, the No. 9 player in the state of New Jersey, the No. 7 athlete in the country and the No. 201 recruit in the nation by 247Sports … Tabbed as a three-star prospect, the No. 12 player in the Garden State and the No. 38 athlete in the nation by Rivals.com … Rated as a three-star prospect and the No. 46 cornerback in the land by Scout.com … Listed as a four-star recruit, the No. 10 prospect in New Jersey and the No. 36 athlete nationally by ESPNU … Ranked as the No. 7 cornerback in the country by Tom Lemming … NJVarsity.com's No. 14 player in the state. Statistics: Intercepted six passes as a sophomore in just 32 snaps on defense … Missed half of his junior year with a broken leg, but still rushed for 800 yards and eight touchdowns while adding 500 yards passing and six scores … After breaking his leg again this past summer, he missed all but five games of his senior season and rushed for two touchdowns while focusing on defense. Honors: Named to the All-Cape Athletic League first team as a sophomore and junior … Won the conference's Ed Byrnes Memorial Award as a senior, which is given to the player who has overcome obstacles. All-Star Games And Camps: Invited to play for Team USA U-19 this past summer. Brian Kelly's Comments: "We love his size, his length, his athleticism. We think it's an untapped resource for us in that we're only going to get him better and better physically, and he has the speed, he has the ability to play the ball. We think he's going to fit well at the cornerback position for us. He was somebody that we identified early in this process and felt like he would be a great addition to this class." Absegami Head Coach Dennis Scuderi's comments: "You can tell by the way he flips his hips and the smoothness in which he changes direction. When he gets the ball in his hands he's electric. He's the best striker we had in terms of a tackler. He could have played at the outside linebacker position for us and start." Tom Lemming Of Prep Football Report: "I absolutely loved him; I had him in my top 100 in the preseason and then he got hurt again this year. The kid has remarkable instincts. Of all the players, I think he has the most upside because he's not considered more than a three-star player by a lot of people. He's a legit four- to five-star player when healthy. He's a big-time player." Recruitment: Was interested in Penn State initially, but an offer never came … Received offers from Boston College, Iowa, Rutgers and Temple … Made official visit to Notre Dame on Dec. 7, 2012 after verbally committing on March 26, 2012 … His primary ND recruiter was defensive coordinator Bob Diaco … Took part in ND Junior Day on March 24, 2012, and made unofficial visits on June 14 and Oct. 20. Why He Chose Notre Dame: "When I went to visit Notre Dame I liked it, and it felt good being there. I got to know pretty much all the players on the entire defense." Jason Sapp's Scouting Report: "Possesses a quick burst and great agility, and plays with good balance … At quarterback, he plays with great composure and can handle high-pressure situations … His experience at the helm will help his ability to read in pass coverage and his overall field awareness … He's not afraid of a hard collision, so that trait will also translate over to the other side of the ball when he's the one doing the tackling." 2013 Projection: Could be seen as the "sleeper" in the group because he's considered to have a ton of ability, but he hasn't had the best opportunity to showcase it as a junior or senior due to back-to-back leg injuries that shortened his final two prep seasons. Expect a learning curve here while he fully shifts his focus to being a defender.