Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com AUGUST 2019 43 PREP PROFILES Notre Dame has two offensive line commitments in the 2020 class and is likely done recruiting the position. In the 2021 class, the Fighting Irish already have a pair of four-star offen- sive line commits as well. Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy center Greg Crip- pen gave his pledge to the Irish earlier this spring, while Avon (Ind.) High of- fensive tackle Blake Fisher committed to Notre Dame in June. The program is looking to add a big offensive line haul in 2021, and Clarkston (Mich.) offensive tackle Garrett Dellinger is a big target for the Fighting Irish. He landed an offer from Notre Dame last September and has kept in consistent contact with Irish offensive line coach Jeff Quinn. "Our conversations now are us try- ing to get to know each other and get connected better," Dellinger said of Quinn. "I kind of already have a good feel on the facilities, program and school, so now I'm trying to get a better connection with Coach Quinn and all of the coaches." Dellinger has visited South Bend three times and has high reviews of Notre Dame. "The campus is amazing," he said. "It's one of the coolest campuses I've ever been to. The academics there are great and the football there is amaz- ing." Dellinger, who is committed to playing in the Under Armour All- American Game, has plans to get back to South Bend in the near future. "I definitely want to see a football practice to see how their practices are run," Dellinger explained. "I think that's the next type of visit I'll go on." Another big target in Notre Dame's 2021 class is Rocco Spindler, a two- way lineman who is teammates with Dellinger. Spindler is ranked as a Ri- vals100 prospect and holds many of the same offers as Dellinger. "We both have some of the same ideas and it's really fun," Dellinger said. "It would be sweet to go to the same school, but we're not going to choose a school based off of each other. "We'll always talk about the visits we went on because we visit different schools at different times, so we talk to each other about it." Dellinger also holds offers from, among others, Alabama, LSU, Michi- gan, Ohio State and Penn State. — Mike Singer The 2021 recruiting class is loaded with elite offensive linemen. One of them is four-star Houston Bellaire Episcopal tackle Donovan Jackson. He is a consensus top-50 recruit na- tionally and is fresh off a dominant performance at The Opening Finals — arguably the biggest recruiting event of the summer — that saw him win Offensive Line MVP. Notre Dame entered the picture for Jackson during the spring evalu- ation period in May and instantly became a player in his recruitment. "Even as an eighth grader going into high school, I knew which colleges I wanted to focus on, and Notre Dame was one of them," Jackson said. "Ac- ademics are such a huge thing in my family. Notre Dame provides that tenfold. The athletics are second to none." While it's still relatively early, Jack- son is starting to form a solid rela- tionship with Notre Dame offensive line coach Jeff Quinn, who is taking a family approach in this recruitment. "Coach Quinn is a great coach," Jackson said. "When he first talked to me on the phone, he wanted to talk to my parents. That was a big thing because my parents are just as much about the process as I am. He stood out after that." Jackson may be a na- tive Texan, but his fam- ily is actually from the Midwest. Both of his parents are from Ohio. As a result, Jackson is completely comfortable leaving the Lone Star State for college. "My mom is from Cincinnati, and my dad is from Cleveland," Jackson noted. "They told me early on not to go to a Texas school because of them. I'm in a blessed position because I have family everywhere, and my parents are financially able to come see me play." Jackson, who has the versatility to play tackle or guard at the next level, recently released his top 12 and is taking the recruiting process ex- tremely slowly. In fact, he has yet to map out his fall visits. But the blue- chip recruit does know he wants to get to South Bend for one of Notre Dame's home games. "I don't even know my own game schedule," Jackson said with a laugh. "I have to look and see what Satur- days I have off. I don't have anything scheduled. I do want to make it to Notre Dame. I just have to see when a good time would be for me and my family to go out to Indiana." — EJ Holland 2021 Michigan Offensive Tackle Is High On Notre Dame The Irish Are A Player For Elite Texas Offensive Tackle "Even as an eighth grader going into high school, I knew which colleges I wanted to focus on, and Notre Dame was one of them." Jackson "The campus is amazing. It's one of the coolest campuses I've ever been to. The academics there are great and the football there is amazing." Dellinger on Notre Dame GARRETT DELLINGER ✪ ✪ ✪ Clarkston High School Clarkston, Mich. Status: Offered Class: 2021 Position: Offensive Tackle Ht.: 6-6 • Wt.: 265 Rivals Rankings: No. 8 player in Michigan and No. 29 offensive tackle nationally DONOVAN JACKSON ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Bellaire Episcopal H.S. Houston Status: Offered Class: 2021 Position: Offensive Tackle Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 295 Rivals Rankings: No. 6 prospect in Texas, and No. 7 offensive tackle and No. 40 overall player in the country