Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 26, 2019 43 PREP PROFILES Olney (Md.) Good Counsel class of 2021 offensive tackle Landon Teng- wall placed Notre Dame in his top three schools list, along with Michi- gan and Penn State. It wasn't much of a surprise that he narrowed his list down to those three programs — they've been the perceived favorites for him for the past several months. "They all have great coaching staffs, and I've been to all of them," Tengwall said. "They have great players, and the atmospheres are great. I'm looking to get up to all of them for a game." Tengwall has visits set to see Michi- gan and Penn State this fall, but it does not look like he'll travel to Notre Dame. He would like to, but the elite prospect may not get back to South Bend until the offseason. He informed Blue & Gold Illustrated that he plans to unofficially visit his top three schools in the offseason, and officially visit those three schools in the spring before his senior season. Tengwall's first visit to Notre Dame came in March, and he connected with Fighting Irish offensive line coach Jeff Quinn. They have contin- ued to strengthen their relationship, and it is a big reason why Notre Dame is a top contender for Tengwall. "He's a great coach," Tengwall said. "I love talking to him about technique. I hit him up all the time. He's a great guy. You can just see that they keep getting great players, and I know I'd have great teammates at Notre Dame." It's no secret how big of a target Tengwall is for the Irish. Even some of Notre Dame's current committed pros- pects are reaching out to Tengwall, trying to get him to join them in South Bend. Irish class of 2021 offensive tackle commit Blake Fisher texts Tengwall often. "Blake is like another recruiter," Tengwall said. "He's great, though; that's my guy. I love Blake. I was just texting him. Hopefully, I'll meet up with him again soon." Tengwall's parents will support him no matter which school he chooses. "All of the schools aren't too bad distance-wise," Tengwall explained. "Penn State is about a three-hour drive, and the other two are about two-hour flights. Nothing is too crazy for my family, and the schools are all good academically." — Mike Singer Notre Dame is picking up steam in the recruitment of Matthews (N.C.) Weddington junior ball carrier Will Shipley. The four-star prospect is a big priority for the Irish, and running backs coach Lance Taylor is recruit- ing him hard. "[Taylor] pays attention to detail," Shipley said. "I've learned about how he coaches his running backs. One thing that I love is that he doesn't care who you are or what year you are. "If you come in and are the best guy, he'll put you on the field and give you a chance." Due to Shipley's ability to line up at receiver, catch passes out of the backfield, run in between the tackles and return kicks, he is often com- pared to Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, who is one of the best all-purpose offensive weapons in the NFL. From 2014-18, Taylor coached Mc- Caffrey at a pair of different stops. He served as Stanford's running backs coach from 2014-16, McCaffrey's three years playing for the Cardinal, and spent 2017-18 with Carolina, his first two years in the NFL. Shipley, who is a Panthers fan, loves Taylor's connection with McCaffrey. At Stanford, Taylor also coached Bryce Love, a star running back from the state of North Carolina who now plays for the Washington Redskins. "I love talking to [Taylor] and pick- ing his mind" Shipley said. "He's ob- viously coached and recruited some really great running backs. Christian McCaffrey and Bryce Love are two fan- tastic people to have in your portfolio." Shipley visited Notre Dame for the matchup against USC Oct. 12. For him to make the trip up to South Bend shows how serious he is about the Irish. He noted they were among his top five or six schools. Shipley will narrow down his re- cruitment after his junior season, look to officially visit his top schools next spring and summer, and then commit before his senior season. "I'd like to take some official visits before I commit," he noted. "I think those are important. I'm going to nar- row down the scope and then look into things. I'm not 100 percent sure of when the timeline could end, but it'll be as soon as I'm ready." — Mike Singer The Irish Are In The Running For Elite 2021 Offensive Lineman Notre Dame Is Trending For 2021 North Carolina Running Back LANDON TENGWALL ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Good Counsel Olney, Md. Status: Offered Class: 2021 Position: Offensive Tackle Ht.: 6-6 • Wt.: 315 Rivals Rankings: No. 4 prospect in Maryland, and No. 8 offensive tackle and No. 54 overall player nationally WILL SHIPLEY ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Weddington Matthews, N.C. Status: Offered Class: 2021 Position: Running Back Ht.: 5-11 • Wt.: 200 Rivals Rankings: No. 2 player in North Caro- lina, and No. 1 all-purpose back and No. 53 overall recruit nationally "They all have great coaching staffs, and I've been to all of them. They have great players and the atmospheres are great. I'm looking to get up to all of them for a game." Tengwall on his top three schools "We bond really well together. It's always a great conversation. It's not always about football either, which I appreciate and respect. Everything has been going really well with him." Shipley on relationship with Irish running backs coach Lance Taylor