Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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in the Cactus State, the No. 11 cornerback in the country and the No. 133 recruit in the nation by Rivals.com … Ranked as a four-star prospect, the No. 21 cornerback in the country and the No. 185 overall player in the class of 2013 by Scout.com … Identified as a four-star recruit, the No. 4 prospect in Arizona, the No. 64 player in the West region and the No. 35 cornerback nationally by ESPNU … Tabbed as the No. 17 cornerback in the country by Tom Lemming and MaxPreps. Statistics: Helped lead Hamilton to its fifth state title in the last seven seasons in senior year … With teams staying clear of throwing on his side, Luke had better numbers as junior with 63 tackles, 12 passes broken up and six interceptions (three of which he returned for touchdowns) … Also returned five punts for 58 yards. Honors: Second-team cornerback on 247Sports' All-America team as a senior … First-team defensive back on Arizona Football Coaches Association all-state squad … Named first-team all-state by Arizona Republic … Selected as a first-team defensive back on All-Arizona unit by Phoenix Gazette. All-Star Games And Camps: Participated in the summer of 2012 in the Phoenix Armour Sevens sevenon-seven camp … Played in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl Jan. 4 at Los Angeles, where he was credited with a pass broken up for the West team. Brian Kelly's Comments: "This guy plays on a championship football team. When you go around the high school and you go around the program, you can sense it and feel it." Hamilton High Head Coach Steve Belles Comments: "He's the best corner I've coached in 22 years. He's got to get a little stronger, especially the upper body, but that will come with the work ethic he possesses. He's good — he's really good — and that's a position where you don't have to be the biggest guy in the world to play." Tom Lemming Of Prep Football Report: "He's one of the top cover corners in the West Coast. He's as good as [USC signee] Chris Hawkins, but Cole just plays in Phoenix instead of Los Angeles. He can turn and run, and has great instincts. I think he'll get playing time as a freshman. He's also a good punt returner." Recruitment: Took unofficial visit to Notre Dame with Coach Belles for the Irish's Fantasy Camp in the summer … His official visit came during the 13-6 victory against Michigan Sept. 22 … He also took official visits to Texas (Oct. 6) and Oklahoma (Oct. 27) for the Notre Dame game won by the Fighting Irish 30-13 … Five days later on All-Saints Day, Nov. 1, he informed Notre Dame he would sign with the Irish in February … Prime recruiters included safeties coach Bob Elliot and cornerbacks coach Kerry Cooks. Why He Chose Notre Dame: "It was just the best decision in all aspects — not just my recruitment [for football]." Jason Sapp's Scouting Report: Displays great leaping ability, possesses the hips of a lock-down corner and is capable of making plays with the ball in his hands … Able to play deep as a safety or down in the box and offers the flexibility Notre Dame likes in the secondary. 2013 Projection: There's more experience at cornerback for next season, but one of the incoming defensive backs could find a role as a nickel or dime, similar to freshman Elijah Shumate last year. Luke looks to be the most polished at this time. He could land multiple special team roles and gain experience on the defense.