Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 23, 2019 41 PREP PROFILES After opting not to take a linebacker in the 2020 class, Notre Dame is fo- cused on landing a couple of impact prospects at the position during the 2021 cycle. Jacksonville (Fla.) Sandalwood's Branden Jennings, the nation's No. 2 inside linebacker and No. 49 overall prospect per Rivals, would fit the bill. The Notre Dame coaching staff got in contact with Jennings' parents to arrange a visit to see what the univer- sity was all about. The Jennings family made it to South Bend for the USC game Oct. 12. "Everything was great," Jennings said. "It's a great school and a great program. I liked everything about it. I can't even put it into words. It was different than other schools I've visited before. It was nice. "I spent a lot of time around Coach [Clark] Lea. He talked to me and my parents. He's a great coach and person. I got a good vibe from him, and he was straightforward." It was clear that Jennings had high interest in Notre Dame, considering that he and his family made the trip up to South Bend on their own dime even though he didn't even hold an offer from the Irish at the time of his visit. Notre Dame ended up offering Jen- nings Oct. 30. He received it during a phone call with running backs coach Lance Taylor, who is his area recruiter, and defensive coordinator Lea, who would be his position coach at Notre Dame. "They were saying that they were really excited about me, and they'll be talking more with me," recalled Jen- nings, who holds offers from Clemson, Florida State, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech and others. The Irish clearly have stiff competi- tion to land Jennings, but they are a school near the top of his list. "Notre Dame is definitely one of the highest; they are up there," he stated. Don't expect Jennings to rush his recruiting process. As just a junior in high school, he has plenty of time until he needs to make a decision. "I won't make it fast pace. I'll be get- ting around and talking to schools," he said. His father is Bradley Jennings, a for- mer All-American linebacker at Flor- ida State in the late 1970s, and his older brother Bradley Jr. plays for the Miami Hurricanes. — Mike Singer Monroeville (Pa.) Gateway's Der- rick Davis is one of the most coveted defensive players in the 2021 class. Rivals lists the 6-0, 193-pounder as an outside linebacker, but a handful of schools — including Notre Dame — like Davis at safety. The website ranks Davis as the No. 6 recruit in Pennsylvania, and the No. 6 outside linebacker and No. 83 overall prospect nationally. The recruiting process has been put on the back burner a bit for Davis this fall, though. "I've lost a little bit of contact with coaches," Davis said. "I'm trying to get back to everybody. This year, I'm mainly trying to focus on school and getting my GPA up." He's kept in touch with Notre Dame, receiving messages from Irish staffers since Sept. 1, the first day col- lege coaches could directly contact class of 2021 recruits, and chats with safeties coach Terry Joseph. "They hit me up every here and there. It's not an everyday type of thing," Davis noted. "They send me a lot of [web] graphics, and I appreciate that a lot from them." Joseph reaches out to Davis on Fri- days to wish him good luck for his game. "We'll text," Davis said. "When I met him during my junior day visit [earlier this year], I thought he was really cool. He knows what it's like to be a player being recruited." At this point in his recruiting pro- cess, Davis doesn't seem to be very close to making a decision. The list of schools he is considering is still very long. However, it does feel like Notre Dame will be a factor for Davis for the long run. "It's a really good program," he said. "They're really focused on school, and they dominate on the field. There's a really good atmosphere there." Davis has a long list of schools he'd like to visit in the near future: Ohio State, West Virginia, Clemson, Notre Dame, Michigan and Michigan State. It's possible he could see a couple of those schools this fall, but it's more likely that he'll take a handful of visits in the offseason. He holds offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma and many others. — Mike Singer Fighting Irish High On The List For Stud 2021 Linebacker Notre Dame Is A Factor For Four-Star Pennsylvania Defender DERRICK DAVIS ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Gateway H.S. Monroeville, Pa. Status: Offered Class: 2021 Position: Linebacker/Safety Ht.: 6-0 • Wt.: 193 Rivals Rankings: No. 5 player in Pennsylvania, and No. 6 outside linebacker and No. 83 over- all player nationally BRANDEN JENNINGS ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Sandalwood H.S. Jacksonville, Fla. Status: Offered Class: 2021 Position: Linebacker Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 225 Rivals Rankings: No. 8 player in Florida, and No. 2 inside linebacker and No. 49 overall player nationally "It's a really good program. They're really focused on school, and they dominate on the field. There's a really good atmosphere there." Davis on Notre Dame "Everything was great. It's a great school and a great program. I liked everything about it. I can't even put it into words. It was different than other schools I've visited before." Jennings on his Notre Dame visit