Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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42 NOV. 30, 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED PREP PROFILES Notre Dame has a pair of talented pass catcher commitments in the 2021 class from the Peach State. Hart- well (Ga.) Hart County's Cane Ber- rong, the nation's No. 7 tight end per Rivals, and Athens (Ga.) Academy's Deion Colzie, the No. 6 athlete in the land, both pledged to the Irish this year and boast skill sets that have the coaching staff excited. Notre Dame hopes to complete a Peach State trifecta by adding At- lanta Pace Academy's Jaylen Thomas to join its current Georgia commits, and to go with Picker- ington (Ohio) Central's Lorenzo Styles, the No. 4 receiver in the 2021 class according to Rivals, who committed to the Irish in October. Notre Dame offered Thomas, who is rated as the No. 20 receiver and No. 108 overall prospect in the land by Rivals, during his campus visit Nov. 2. The 6-2, 188-pounder has the Irish near the top of his list. "High," Thomas said of his Notre Dame interest. "When I went up there, it was a shock. I went up there last year for a camp, but I didn't get a whole feel for it. "When I went up there [in Novem- ber], I talked to some of the players and I really enjoyed the atmosphere, all of it." During his visit he spoke at length with Irish head coach Brian Kelly and has kept in touch with wide re- ceivers coach Del Alexan- der since the trip. "Coach Kelly is the one who offered me," Thomas said. "We had a good con- versation, and he talked about their interest in me. I really enjoyed that. "I like Coach Alexan- der a lot. He really knows what he's doing. With what he's do- ing with Chase Claypool, I could see myself going there." Notre Dame isn't a quick trip from Atlanta, but that doesn't matter to Thomas. "As long as it feels like home there, that's all that matters," he said. And South Bend is already starting to feel very comfortable to Thomas, which may play into the Irish's favor. "I loved the culture there," the four-star prospect said. "It just felt like it was home. It was small and felt like everyone knows each other. I liked it a lot." Pace Academy is a strong academic institution — one of the best in Geor- gia. Thomas wants to go to a college that offers s great education. "I value academics," Thomas said. "Pace instills academics; that's No. 1." — Mike Singer Blairstown (N.J.) Blair Academy class of 2021 defensive end Aaron Ar- mitage visited Notre Dame Nov. 16 to watch the Fighting Irish dismantle Navy, 52-20. "I enjoyed it. I was glad to get back," Armitage said. "I got to tour around the campus, and it was fun. I got to talk to Coach [Mike] Elston again, and I was glad to see him. "The game was amazing. It was fun to see a Notre Dame game, which I've been looking forward to." Armitage, who Rivals ranks as the No. 5 strongside defensive end and No. 106 overall recruit nationally, vis- ited Notre Dame over the summer, too. He planned to participate in a prospect camp, but unfortunately had an allergic reaction and needed to miss the event. The 6-5, 250-pounder holds nearly 30 scholarship offers, but doesn't have the Irish on his list just yet. "He said he loved the way I played this year, and he wants to get me back on campus again soon," Armitage said of Elston. "About the offer situation, he wants to wait until December to see who commits where and what hap- pens with that. "I wish the offer would've hap- pened during the visit, but I just have to keep working and see what hap- pens because it's a school I'd love to attend." Armitage plans to keep building a relationship with Elston in the mean- time. "Right now, they're already up there for me," he said. "If they offer, it'd be a school I'd love to attend. It'd be a top five school for sure." The four-star recruit chats with Elston about once or twice a week via text message. "It's good communication to see how we're doing every week," Armit- age noted. Ohio State, LSU, Virginia, Florida, Vanderbilt, Stanford, California, West Virginia, Texas A&M, and Duke have extended offers to Armitage and are recruiting him consistently. "My list is still so open," he said. "I want to narrow it down soon, but I want to pick up a couple more schools before I do that because I'm interested in a few others," Armitage explained. Academics are an important factor in Armitage's decision-making pro- cess. It's part of the reason why he's also interested in a few Pac-12 schools. "I'd love to pick up UCLA and USC because those are two schools that are highly academic, as well as Stanford and Cal," Armitage said. — Mike Singer Notre Dame Is High On Four-Star Georgia Wideout's List Four-Star DE From New Jersey Is Hoping For An Irish Offer "I like Coach [Del] Alexander a lot. He really knows what he's doing. With what he's doing with Chase Claypool, I could see myself going there." Thomas AARON ARMITAGE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Blair Academy Blairstown, N.J. Status: Interested Class: 2021 Position: Defensive End Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 250 Rivals Rankings: No. 2 player in New Jersey, and No. 5 strongside defensive end and No. 106 overall player nationally JAYDEN THOMAS ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Pace Academy Atlanta Status: Offered Class: 2021 Position: Wide Receiver Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 188 Rivals Rankings: No. 11 player in Georgia, and No. 20 wide receiver and No. 108 overall player nationally