Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2019 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1133608
152 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Michigan, Clemson, Georgia, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Tennessee, North Carolina and several others. Ajavon took a low-key unofficial visit to Notre Dame on April 12 and committed soon after, making his pledge public on April 21, just after the completion of the 2018 Blue- Gold Game. Ajavon is humbled that in the fall he will enroll on scholarship at one of the foremost academic institutions in the country. He will join a strong safety depth chart at Notre Dame that includes fellow four-star 2019 signee Kyle Hamilton, as well as Alohi Gilman, Jalen Elliott, Derrik Allen and DJ Brown. SIGNAL-CALLER SHUFFLE Notre Dame kicked off its 2019 class on July 17, 2017, when Reno (Nev.) Da- monte Ranch four-star quarterback Cade McNamara announced his commitment to the Irish. With the cornerstone of its class seemingly in place, Notre Dame set to work finding prospects to surround McNamara. However, the story didn't end there. In the early months of 2018, McNamara started attracting more attention, landing post-com- mitment offers from the likes of Michigan, Alabama, Georgia and USC. With uncer- tainty floating around, the Irish commit took a few unofficial visits, including two to Ann Arbor. By March 2, 2018, McNamara had de- committed from Notre Dame. Two weeks later, he was in Michigan's class, leaving the Irish without a signal-caller for 2019. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Kendall Abdur-Rahman WR 6-0 185 Edwardsville, Ill. (Edwardsville) 2018 Illinois Class 8A All-State selection. Litchfield Ajavon S 5-11 185 Baltimore (Episcopal) 2018 USA Today All-State first team. JD Bertrand LB 6-1 200 Roswell, Ga. (Roswell) 2018 Atlanta Journal Constitution Defensive Player of the Year. Jay Bramblett P 6-2 189 Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Hillcrest) 2018 West Alabama 6A/7A Player of the Year. Quinn Carroll OL 6-6 285 Edina, Minn. (Edina) 2018 Associated Press All-State first team. Brendon Clark QB 6-2 210 Midlothian, Va. (Manchester) 2018 USA Today Virginia Offensive Player of the Year. Zeke Correll OL 6-3 275 Cincinnati (Anderson) 2018 Anthony Munoz Foundation Offensive Lineman of the Year. Howard Cross III DT 6-1 265 Paramus, N.J. (St. Joseph Regional) 2018 Gatorade New Jersey Football Player of the Year. Osita Ekwonu LB 6-1 220 Charlotte, N.C. (Providence Day) 2018 All-Charlotte Observer third-team pick. Isaiah Foskey DE 6-5 240 Antioch, Calif. (De La Salle) 2019 All-American Bowl participant. Kyle Hamilton S 6-3 190 Atlanta (Marist School) 2018 USA Today All-American second team. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Cam Hart WR 6-3 190 Baltimore (Good Counsel) 2018 Washington Catholic Athletic Conference first-team wide receiver. Jack Kiser LB 6-2 212 Royal Center, Ind. (Pioneer) 2018 Indiana Mr. Football. Andrew Kristofic OL 6-5 275 Gibsonia, Pa. (Pine-Richland) 2019 All-American Bowl participant. Jacob Lacey DT 6-2 294 Bowling Green, Ky. (South Warren) 2018 USA Today Kentucky Defensive Player of the Year. Marist Liufau LB 6-2 205 Kalihi, Hawai'i (Punahou) 2018 Interscholastic League of Honolulu Defensive MVP. John Olmstead OL 6-5 280 North Brunswick, N.J. (St. Joseph) 2018 USA Today All-State first team. NaNa Osafo-Mensah DE 6-3 235 Fort Worth, Texas (Nolan Catholic) 2018 Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools Defensive MVP. Isaiah Rutherford CB 6-0 175 Sacramento, Calif. (Jesuit) 2019 Polynesian Bowl participant. Hunter Spears DL 6-4 295 Garland, Texas (Sachse) 2018 Texas Region 10-6A All-District first team. KJ Wallace CB 5-11 190 Atlanta (The Lovett School) 2018 Georgia Sports Writers Association Class AAA All-State first team. Kyren Williams RB 5-9 209 St. Louis (St. John Vianney) 2018 Missouri Class 5A Offensive Player of the Year. 2019 Recruiting Class NaNa Osafo-Mensah from Nolan Catholic in Fort Worth, Texas, the No. 23 weakside defensive end in the country according to Rivals, highlighted Notre Dame's strong defensive line haul in 2019. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM