2019 Notre Dame Football Preview

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Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2019 Notre Dame Football Preview

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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 155 after a strong performance at the Rivals Camp stop in St. Louis this spring. Fresno (Calif.) San Joaquin Memorial four- star Jalen McMillan is one of the top targets remaining on the board in the 2020 class. McMillan, the nation's No. 14 wideout and No. 63 overall prospect according to Rivals, unofficially visited Notre Dame in the spring and will return to South Bend Oct. 12 for an official visit. Notre Dame is in strong position for Omaha (Neb.) Burke wide receiver Xavier Watts, the No. 94 wideout nationally, but the hometown Cornhuskers and Michigan are big threats as well. Watts was scheduled to officially visit Notre Dame June 21. The Irish staff has also offered Rome Odunze from Las Vegas Bishop Gorman. The four-star receiver, who is rated as the No. 58 wide receiver in the land, is still in the early stages of building a relationship with the Irish coaching staff. Frankfort (Ill.) Lincoln Way East four-star prospect AJ Henning is another wide receiver recruit who the Irish staff has been targeting for well over a year. Notre Dame is in a bat- tle with Michigan and Georgia for the 5-10, 183-pounder, whom Rivals ranks as the No. 3 all-purpose back and No. 84 player overall in the country. Tight End Committed: 2 Projected Take: 2 Synopsis: Notre Dame landed two of the top four tight end recruits nationally in 2020 last summer, which allowed the staff to pass on the position in the 2019 class. Red Bank (N.J.) Catholic tight end Kevin Bauman picked the Irish last June, while Alexandria (Ky.) Cov- ington Catholic standout Michael Mayer an- nounced a month later. Mayer and Bauman are ranked as the No. 3 and No. 4 tight ends in the country, respec- tively. Mayer is an athletic pass catcher that is ranked as the No. 71 player in the nation by Rivals, while Bauman checks in at No. 121, excels as a pass blocker and is a big-bodied target over the middle at 6-5, 225 pounds. Offensive Line Committed: 1 Projected Take: 2-3 Synopsis: The top priority for Notre Dame up front was securing Phoenix (Ariz.) Pinnacle tackle Tosh Baker, and the Irish completed that task on May 8. Baker ranks No. 51 overall na- tionally and is the No. 7 offensive tackle in the 2020 class according to the Rivals. The offensive line class will max out at three, and the Irish may just take two prospects at the position. The best bet to join Baker is Mars (Pa.) High four-star offensive tackle Michael Carmody, who is the younger brother of Irish basketball player Robby Carmody. Notre Dame is bat- tling Penn State and Ohio State, but the Irish appear in strong position here. Carmody is ranked as the second-best player in Pennsylva- nia and the No. 36 offensive tackle in the land by Rivals. Reece Atteberry from Centennial (Colo.) Eaglecrest is also an option for the Irish. His top five schools include Duke, Michigan, Ne- braska, Notre Dame and Ohio State. Atteberry, who ranks as the nation's No. 51 offensive tackle, is slated to visit South Bend on June 21. Defensive Line Committed: 4 Projected Take: 4-5 Synopsis: The Irish already have four defen- sive linemen committed in the 2020 class. The coaches wanted two bigger, powerful defensive linemen among next year's newcomers and have that in four-stars Brighton (Colo.) Mul- len standout Aidan Keanaaina and Lake Forest (Ill.) High stud Rylie Mills. Keanaaina, who stands at 6-3, 305 pounds and is rated as the No. 25 defensive tackle na- tionally, is a pure interior lineman, while Mills projects as an impact player at either strongside defensive end or defensive tackle. Mills is rated as the No. 10 strongside defensive end and No. 161 player in the nation by Rivals. At strongside end, Notre Dame landed Al- exander Ehrensberger from Dusseldorf (Ger- many) Fryeburg Academy in January. The 6-7, 235-pounder offers impressive length and ath- leticism, but he will need time to develop once he comes stateside. Drop end was also a priority for Notre Dame in this cycle, and the Irish added a spring com- mitment from Honolulu St. Louis four-star Jor- dan Botelho, who ranks as the No. 214 recruit and No. 18 outside linebacker nationally. Notre Dame could add a second drop end, and Mitchell Melton from Olney (Md.) Good Counsel is currently a top option on the board. The three-star officially visited Notre Dame the weekend of June 7, but the nation's No. 47 outside linebacker has trips to Michigan and Ohio State scheduled this summer as well. If the Irish aren't able to add Melton, who is looking to commit to a school this summer, it might just finish the defensive line class with the four current commitments. Linebacker/Rover Committed: 0 Projected Take: 1 Synopsis: Notre Dame added eight line- backers in the past two recruiting cycles, and it's possible the Irish could pass on this posi- tion altogether due to tight overall numbers. If they do look to add a player, Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter's Prep four-star inside line- backer Cody Simon, the younger brother of current Irish linebacker Shayne Simon, would be the top target. However, Nebraska, Penn State and Ohio State are all threats to land the No. 187 prospect and No. 9 inside linebacker nationally. Safety Committed: 0 Projected Take: 1-2 Synopsis: Notre Dame did not have any defensive back commitments entering June but would like to take four to five total secondary prospects in class. The most coveted safety option is Tucson (Ariz.) Salpointe Catholic star Lathan Ran- som, but the Irish are in close competition with Texas and LSU to land the services of Rivals' No. 70 overall talent and No. 4 safety in the land. West Bloomfield (Mich.) four-star Makari Paige, the No. 18 safety nationally, recently listed the Irish among his top schools, but he will be a tough get for Notre Dame. The same goes for Eric Reed Jr. from Shreveport (La.) Calvary Academy, who is high on LSU, Vir- ginia and others. Reed is rated as the No. 237 prospect and No. 15 safety in the country. A couple of safety prospects who the Irish are in strong position for are Highland Springs (Va.) High four-star Malcolm Greene and Delran (N.J.) High versatile defender Rivals rates Lake Forest (Ill.) High product and Irish pledge Rylie Mills as a four-star talent, the No. 3 player in Illinois, and the No. 10 strongside defensive end and No. 161 overall prospect in the country. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM

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