Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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42 SEPT. 23, 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY MIKE SINGER N otre Dame's defensive back com- mitments in the 2020 class cur- rently don't boast a lot of star power. The Fighting Irish are looking to take five players in that position group this year, and already had three pledges as of early September. Rivals rates each of them as three- star prospects — Danville (Ky.) Boyle County's Landen Bartleson, the No. 8 recruit in Kentucky; Mid- dleton (N.J.) Mater Dei's Clarence Lewis, the No. 19 recruit in New Jer- sey; and Southaven (Miss.) High's Caleb Offord, the No. 52 cornerback nationally. Bartleson, Lewis and Offord may turn out to be great players for Notre Dame, but regardless the Irish are attempting to put together a star-studded defensive back haul in 2021. St. Louis De Smet Jesuit standout Jakailin Johnson has high interest in the Fighting Irish. Rivals' No. 5 cornerback and No. 64 overall player nationally is hoping to visit South Bend Oct. 12 when Notre Dame hosts USC. Ohio State and Okla- homa currently pose the biggest competition for the Irish in Johnson's recruitment. While Rivals lists Monroeville (Pa.) Gateway's Derrick Davis as an outside linebacker, Notre Dame is looking at the nation's No. 83 over- all prospect as a safety. The Irish are expected to be a player in his recruit- ment for the long run, but he is still in the early stages of evaluating his list of schools. Notre Dame also is after Los An- geles Loyola athlete Ceyair Wright, who the Irish like in the secondary. Rivals' No. 10 athlete and No. 149 overall prospect hopes to visit Notre Dame for a game this fall, but if he is not able to make it to South Bend in 2019, he will look to possibly of- ficially visit next spring. Wright is picking up steam as a re- cruit, but his fame will actually come off the field very soon. Wright was cast to play the role of LeBron James' son in the movie "Space Jam 2," which is expected to hit theatres in the summer of 2021. Rivals ranks Indianapolis Ben Davis athlete Daylan Carnell as the No. 5 recruit in Indiana, and the No. 19 athlete and No. 231 overall player in the country. Carnell also is looking to visit Notre Dame Oct. 12, and the Irish should be considered the front run- ner in his recruitment. There are a few other highly ranked defensive back prospects that Notre Dame is involved with but haven't visited campus yet, and they will be very tough to land. Kennedale (Texas) High product JD Coffey, who is Rivals' No. 4 safety and No. 105 overall recruit nation- ally, earned an offer form the Fight- ing Irish in the summer but will be very tough pull out of the Lone Star State. Nashville (Tenn.) Ensworth's An- dre Turrentine, the No. 11 safety and No. 162 overall player nationally per Rivals, landed an offer from Notre Dame in the spring after a lengthy conversation with defensive coordi- nator and linebackers coach Clark Lea, and he is considering a visit to South Bend this fall. Pinson (Ala.) Valley's GaQuincy McKinstry, Rivals' No. 1 athlete and No. 32 overall prospect in the coun- try, could play anywhere in the sec- ondary and would be an incredible addition to Notre Dame's recruiting class, but he is expected to stay in the South for college. Notre Dame is also pursuing Bra- denton (Fla.) IMG Academy's Lova- sea Carroll, who is Rivals' No. 5 ath- lete No. 93 overall player nationally, but he will also be tough to pull out of SEC country. In looking at three-star prospects, Notre Dame put an offer on the table to Suwannee (Ga.) North Gwinnett cornerback Jordan Hancock Sept. 9. Hancock, who is the No. 30 corner- back in the land according to Rivals, received the offer from Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly during a phone conversation. Notre Dame was the first school to offer Highland Springs (Va.) athlete Jamareeh Jones, who is Rivals' No. 19 recruit in Virginia, back on May 1. North Carolina, Pittsburgh and Ten- nessee have since offered Jones. He is not a big priority for Notre Dame at this time, but is certainly one to keep an eye on. Hopewell (Va.) High's TreVeyon Henderson is another athlete recruit who Notre Dame likes in the sec- ondary. He is considering a visit to Notre Dame this fall and is a high- profile recruit despite his three-star ranking. ✦ Versatile Los Angeles Loyola athlete Ceyair Wright is being recruited as a defensive back by Notre Dame. Off the field, he was cast to play the role of LeBron James' son in the movie "Space Jam 2," which is expected to hit theatres in the summer of 2021. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM Notre Dame Aims To Boost Its Secondary With 2021 Class ON THE WEB For regular reports on Notre Dame football recruiting, visit BlueandGold.com. Use promo code Irish60 and get a FREE 60-day trial.