Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1194048
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JANUARY 2020 43 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ROUNDUP Quarterback Drew Pyne, 6-1, 175, New Canaan, Conn. (New Canaan) Running Back Chris Tyree, 5-10, 185, Chester, Va. (Thomas Dale) Wide Receiver Jordan Johnson, 6-2, 182, St. Louis (De Smet Jesuit) Xavier Watts, 6-1, 180, Omaha, Neb. (Burke) Jay Brunelle, 6-2, 200, Shrewsbury, Mass. (Saint John's) Tight End Kevin Bauman, 6-5, 225, Red Bank, N.J. (Red Bank Catholic) Michael Mayer, 6-5, 235, Park Hills, Ky. (Covington Catholic) Offensive Line Tosh Baker, 6-8, 275, Phoenix (Pinnacle) Michael Carmody, 6-6, 280, Mars, Pa. (Mars) Defensive End Jordan Botelho, 6-3, 217, Honolulu (St. Louis) Alexander Ehrensberger, 6-7, 235, Dusseldorf, Germany (Fryeburg Academy) Rylie Mills, 6-5, 270, Lake Forest, Ill. (Lake Forest) Defensive Tackle Aidan Keanaaina, 6-3, 305, Denver (Mullen) Linebacker None Cornerback Landen Bartleson, 6-0, 185, Danville, Ky. (Boyle County) Ramon Henderson, 6-3, 180, Bakersfield, Calif. (Liberty) Clarence Lewis, 6-0, 180, Middletown, N.J. (Mater Dei) Caleb Offord, 6-1, 175, Southaven, Miss. (Southaven) Safety None Athlete None Specialist Alex Peitsch, 6-2, 220, Washington, D.C. (St. John's Collegiate) Commitments in bold italics Class Of 2020 Scholarship Offer Master List 2020 Master List Changes Prospects Removed: None. RIVALS 2020 TEAM RECRUITING RANKINGS As of Dec. 16 1. Clemson 22 2. LSU 22 3. Alabama 25 4. Ohio State 25 5. Texas A&M 20 6. Florida 24 7. Michigan 24 8. Auburn 20 9. Miami 20 10. Washington 21 17. Notre Dame 17 Rk. School Commits Rk. School Commits RECRUITING NOTES • The early signing period was slated for Dec. 18-20. The traditional National Signing Day on the first Wednesday in February has largely been replaced by the three-day December period. The Fighting Irish were expected to sign all 17 of its current commits and Bakersfield (Calif.) Liberty defensive back Ramon Henderson — a 6-3, 180-pounder who is ranked as the No. 63 prospect in California by Rivals — during the early signing period. Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly, special teams coordinator Brian Polian and defensive coordinator Clark Lea had an in-home visit with Henderson in early December, and safeties coach Terry Joseph saw the big Irish target the following week. Henderson was expected to choose Notre Dame over Oklahoma, UCLA, Utah and others. • The news of offensive coordinator Chip Long's departure from Notre Dame had no impact on the Irish's 2020 class. Nine members of that group are on the offensive side of the ball: quarterback Drew Pyne, running back Chris Tyree, wide receivers Jay Brunelle, Jordan Johnson and Xavier Watts, tight ends Kevin Bauman and Michael Mayer, and offensive linemen Tosh Baker and Michael Carmody. All nine prospects gave indication to Blue & Gold Illustrated that Long's departure would have no effect on their respective recruitments. The com- mon theme from the recruits was that they committed to Notre Dame and not one specific coach. • Notre Dame may be closing in on a commitment from Aaron Armitage, a defensive end from Blairstown (N.J.) Blair Academy. The 6-5, 250-pounder, who is rated as the No. 6 strongside defensive end and No. 110 overall pros- pect in the 2021 class by Rivals, visited Notre Dame over the summer and returned to South Bend for the Navy game Nov. 16. Notre Dame defensive line coach Mike Elston visited Armitage's high school Dec. 9, and Elston got on the phone later that day with Armitage and gave him the news of a scholarship offer. "Coach Elston said that he'd love to have me as a part of the team and thinks I'm a dominant player who can really show that at Notre Dame," Armitage said. • Notre Dame dished out a new defensive back offer in the Peach State. Suwannee (Ga.) North Gwinnett's Jordan Hancock, a four-star talent and the No. 22 cornerback nationally according to Rivals, added an offer from the Irish after Joseph watched him practice in early December. — Mike Singer Follow @BGI_MikeSinger on Twitter for daily recruiting updates! Bakersfield (Calif.) Liberty defensive back Ramon Henderson is Notre Dame's top remaining target in the 2020 class. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM