Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com AUGUST 2019 45 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ROUNDUP RECRUITING NOTES • Notre Dame pledge Drew Pyne of New Canaan (Conn.) High was one of 20 signal-callers to earn a spot in the Elite 11 Finals — the annual showcase for the top-level rising senior quarterbacks — June 28-30 in Frisco, Texas. Those in attendance receive advanced, one-on-one quarterback instruction in a highly competitive setting. The three-day competition included on-field drills, routes-on-air, classroom instruction and off-field development. Pyne, the nation's No. 5 pro-style passer and No. 82 overall player per Rivals, opened some eyes during the competition and finished among the Elite 11, which is voted on by the quarterbacks themselves. "He is ahead of the curve mentally because he's been exposed to so much," Elite 11 coach Jerrod Johnson noted during the competition. "Physically, Pyne has a very strong base, which helps add power to his throws," Johnson told USA Today. "Coaches have praised his maturity and stability through drills — Pyne's been ranked in the top group nearly through- out the competition. "He's super mature. He's been around a ton, done a ton; he's polished." • Notre Dame offered several new defensive back prospects in the 2020 class during the spring evaluation period, but some in that group have since committed elsewhere or the Irish coaching staff cooled on them. Notre Dame was able to reel in two cornerback prospects it offered in May — Southaven (Miss.) High's Caleb Offord, the No. 61 cornerback in the country per Rivals, and Middletown (N.J.) Mater Dei's Clarence Lewis, Rivals' No. 21 overall recruit in New Jersey. Danville (Ky.) Boyle County cornerback Landen Bartleson, the No. 11 recruit in Kentucky according to Rivals, joined Lewis and Offord as a Notre Dame commit. The staff would like to add two more defensive backs in the class. • Notre Dame had a total of 13 summer official visitors — four during the weekend of June 7 and nine the weekend of June 21. For the first official visit weekend, Notre Dame hosted Olney (Md.) Good Counsel pass rusher Mitchell Melton, Rivals' No. 47 outside linebacker in the country, who since committed to Ohio State; the nation's No. 70 recruit, Lathan Ransom of Tuscon (Ariz.) Salpointe Catholic, who is expected to choose Ohio State; Frankfort (Ill.) Lincoln Way East's AJ Henning, the No. 3 all-purpose back in the nation, who committed to Michigan; and Lewis, who committed to Notre Dame following his visit. • Notre Dame landed commitments from three of its official visitors for the June 21 weekend, which included Bartleson and Offord, and the Irish also added the No. 2 player in the state of Nebraska in Omaha (Neb.) Burke's Xavier Watts. The other weekend visitors were Chester (Va.) Thomas Dale running back Chris Tyree, the nation's No. 1 all-purpose back and No. 64 overall recruit per Rivals; Phoenix Pinnacle offensive tackle Tosh Baker, the No. 3 player in Ari- zona and No. 51 overall recruit in the country according to Rivals; Mars (Pa.) High offensive lineman Michael Carmody, the No. 36 offensive tackle per Rivals; The Colony (Texas) High standout Christian Gonzalez, who remains uncommitted and is ranked as the No. 25 cornerback nationally by Rivals; Waco (Texas) Midway athlete Will Nixon, who since committed to Nebraska and is Rivals' No. 92 recruit in Texas; and Washington (D.C.) St. John's Col- lege High long snapper Alex Peitsch, who is the No. 1 recruit at his position nationally according to Kohl's Professional Camps. Seven of the nine official visitors from June 21 are committed to Notre Dame. • Notre Dame sent out three new football scholarship offers in the month of June. Shrewsbury (Mass.) St. John's wide receiver Jay Brunelle, the No. 10 player in Massachusetts per Rivals, earned an offer June 9 and committed to the Irish 17 days later. Two new class of 2021 offers went out to Athens (Ga.) Academy wide re- ceiver Deion Colzie, Rivals' No. 95 overall recruit in the country in the class of 2021, and Aurora (Colo.) Cherokee Creek tight end Sam Hart, the No. 1 talent in Colorado per Rivals. — Mike Singer Washington (D.C.) St. John's College High long snapper commitment Alex Peitsch was among nine official visitors for the June 21 weekend. Peitsch is ranked No. 1 at his position nationally by Kohl's Professional Camps. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM RIVALS 2020 TEAM RECRUITING RANKINGS As of July 15 1. Clemson 18 2. LSU 20 3. Alabama 20 4. Ohio State 20 5. Michigan 21 6. Miami 21 7. Notre Dame 17 8. Georgia 14 9. Florida 17 10. North Carolina 21 Rk. School Commits Rk. School Commits Deion Colzie is a 2021 athlete ranked as the No. 95 overall prospect in the country by Rivals.com. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM