Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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42 OCT. 12, 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY MIKE SINGER N otre Dame is set to have its big- gest recruiting weekend of the fall when USC comes to town Oct. 12. There will be 2020 official visi- tors, highly important 2021 targets and other notable underclassmen ex- pected to arrive in South Bend. Here is a rundown of the notable prospects who have given indication to Blue & Gold Illustrated that they will be making the trip. WILL SHIPLEY Running Back • 5-11, 200 Class Of 2021 Matthews (N.C.) Weddington Rivals Rankings: Four-star talent, No. 2 player in North Carolina, and No. 1 all-purpose back and No. 53 overall player nationally. The Skinny: Shipley may be Notre Dame's pri- mary offensive target in the 2021 class. Running backs coach Lance Taylor has made him a huge priority, and the two parties have built a strong bond since the Irish offered him May 1. Because of his playing style, Shipley receives a lot of comparisons to Christian McCaffrey, who Taylor coached at Stanford and with the Carolina Panthers. LORENZO STYLES Class Of 2021 Wide Receiver • 6-1, 170 Pickerington (Ohio) Central Rivals Rankings: Four-star talent, No. 2 player in Ohio, and No. 4 wide receiver and No. 28 overall player nationally. The Skinny: Styles is another significant target for the Fighting Irish offense, but many analysts believe that his greater upside may be as a safety. Notre Dame offensive coordinator Chip Long and wide receivers coach Del Alexander have made it known to Styles how valued of a recruit he is for the Irish. However, Styles is an Ohio State legacy — his father played for the Buckeyes in the '90s. Styles' recruitment is mainly a Notre Dame-Ohio State battle, but Auburn, Florida and other SEC schools are looking to make a run at him as well. DEION COLZIE Class Of 2021 Wide Receiver • 6-4, 205 Athens (Ga.) Academy Rivals Rankings: Four-star talent, No. 9 player in Georgia, and No. 6 athlete and No. 95 overall player nationally. The Skinny: The USC game will be Colzie's fourth trip to Notre Dame. He visited for a game last fall, made his way back to campus in the spring and camped at Notre Dame in June, which earned him an offer from the Irish. At this time, Notre Dame is the team to beat for Colzie, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him commit to the Fighting Irish this fall. He is a big- bodied receiver, who catches the ball very well and has a skill set similar to current Irish pass catcher Chase Claypool. ROCCO SPINDLER Class Of 2021 Offensive Lineman • 6-5, 290 Clarkston (Mich.) High Rivals Rankings: Four-star talent, No. 2 player in Michigan, and No. 3 offensive guard and No. 82 overall player nationally. The Skinny: Spindler is a vital target for the Fight- ing Irish in the 2021 class because of his versatility to complement his skill. He has the ability to play anywhere on the offensive line, and he could also help on the interior defensive line as well. Michigan is likely the team to beat early on for him, but Notre Dame should not be counted out. Irish offensive line coach Jeff Quinn has a strong bond with Spindler, and getting the Under Armour All-American back on campus is big news for Notre Dame. GARRETT DELLINGER Class Of 2021 Offensive Lineman • 6-6, 265 Clarkston (Mich.) High Rivals Rankings: Three-star talent, No. 9 player in Michigan and No. 31 offensive tackle in the country. The Skinny: Dellinger is a teammate of Spindler's at Clarkston High. While he's not ranked as high as Spindler by Rivals, he is ranked as the No. 27 overall prospect in the country by ESPN. Dellinger seems like more of a Notre Dame lean at this point than Spindler. He communicates regu- larly with Quinn and would be a great fit on and off the field for the Irish. His top three schools are Michigan, Notre Dame and Ohio State. DAYLAN CARNELL Class Of 2021 Defensive Back • 6-1, 185 Indianapolis Ben Davis Rivals Rankings: Four-star talent, No. 5 player in Indiana, and No. 29 athlete and No. 231 overall player nationally. The Skinny: Carnell is a two-way performer who the Irish see as a defensive back at the next level. While he doesn't have a gaudy offer list, he does hold an offer from the Irish, and the staff is con- tinuing to evaluate him. If Notre Dame prioritizes Carnell throughout the recruiting process, it's likely he picks the Irish. FOUR OFFICIAL VISITORS DUE IN The four Notre Dame commits in the 2020 class who have not officially visited will be on campus Oct. 12. New Canaan (Conn.) High standout Drew Pyne, the nation's No. 5 pro- style quarterback and No. 100 overall prospect per Rivals, is due in for the Irish. It will be a great weekend for Pyne to get on campus. He can bond with other prospects and help recruit them to Notre Dame. This will be his first visit to the campus since the spring. He has been committed to the Irish since April 16, 2018. Alexandria (Ky.) Covington Cath- olic's Michael Mayer will return to South Bend as well. He is Rivals' No. 3 tight end and No. 58 overall pros- pect nationally. He has put up huge numbers in his senior year with seven touchdowns in his team's first six games. In a strong offseason, he domi- Will Shipley of Matthews, N.C., the top all-pur- pose back and No. 53 overall player in the junior class, plans to visit for the USC game Oct. 12. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM USC Game Will Be A Big Visit Event Drew Pyne, the No. 5 pro-style signal-caller nationally, is one of four Notre Dame commit- ments who will be making their official visits for the game against Southern California. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM