Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MAY 2020 33 PREP PROFILES Notre Dame made initial contact with Gaithersburg (Md.) Quince Or- chard class of 2021 defensive back Ryan Barnes in December when de- fensive line coach Mike Elston visited his school and inquired about him. Elston stayed in touch with the 6-2, 175-pounder before Irish defensive backs coaches Mike Mickens and Terry Joseph picked up the contact. Barnes was planning to visit Notre Dame April 7, but that visit had to be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Notre Dame may have offered him during the visit, but instead they ex- tended a scholarship to him March 25. "Coach Joseph wanted to talk, so I called him, and I got the good news," Barnes said. "It was very exciting. Notre Dame has been a team I've watched since I was a kid. I'm defi- nitely a fan of the school, and I have family that lives in Indiana." Some of his family members live near Winona Lake, about an hour drive from South Bend. Barnes has previously been able to check out Notre Dame. "Most of the times we went to go visit them, we would stop by the cam- pus and have a look around," Barnes noted. "I was looking forward to the visit I had coming up, but this whole situation ended up happening." Choosing among the dozens of schools that have offered is already a tough decision, and now with a recruiting dead period for the fore- seeable future, Barnes can't take any visits. He hoped to reach a decision before his senior year, but he is not tying himself to that. Notre Dame will contend with the likes of Clemson, Florida, Flor- ida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Tennessee and USC for Barnes. "I have a lot of interest in the school," he said about Notre Dame. "Growing up and watching them on TV, I've always been a fan. This is definitely an exciting opportunity for me and my family. They definitely rank high for me. I'm just really ex- cited about this." The Irish coaching staff likes Barnes' versatility in its scheme. "Coach Joseph mentioned he could see me at any of the [defensive back] positions on the field because of my physicality, athleticism and ability to play the ball," Barnes said. "They would love me at any position in the secondary." — Mike Singer Julian Armella has seen his recruit- ment blow up since the calendar flipped to 2020. The 6-6, 300-pound class of 2022 offensive tackle had several new schools offer him a scholarship early in the new year, and Rivals listed him with 27 offers from Division I schools entering this April. Among them was one from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, an offer he picked up Jan. 29. His head coach at Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas informed him of the news. "I walked into Coach [Roger] Har- riott's office, and he told me I had an offer from Notre Dame's running backs coach [Lance Taylor]," Armella said. "It was mind blowing because the offensive linemen who come out of Notre Dame are insane. They go to the league and that's my main goal at the end of the day." Shortly after learning about the offer, Armella conversed with Notre Dame offensive line coach Jeff Quinn. "We talked about the education of- fered at Notre Dame," Armella noted. "I think it's awesome. They produce great offensive linemen, have great education and it's a nice school. "He basically informed me that he doesn't offer too many people, and the people he does offer, he looks for certain characteristics. He's very close with my head coach, and he said that Coach Harriott had a lot of good things to say about me." Armella is one of the top recruits in the 2022 class and holds offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon and many others. Rivals ranks him as a five-star prospect. "Coach Quinn said I'm aggressive, he likes my style of play, I'm smart, and that really intrigued him to offer me," Armella noted. The sophomore standout was fired up to add Notre Dame to his list of college options. "Growing up, I watched the movies about Notre Dame and saw them on TV a lot," he said. "Now that I have an opportunity to play at a school like that is an extreme blessing." Armella was hoping to visit Notre Dame this summer, but that is up in the air due to the coronavirus pan- demic. — Mike Singer Notre Dame Offer Excites Maryland Defensive Back Notre Dame After Five-Star Sophomore Offensive Tackle RYAN BARNES ✪ ✪ ✪ Quince Orchard H.S. Gaithersburg, Md. Status: Offered Class: 2021 Position: Cornerback Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 175 Rivals Rankings: No. 21 player in Maryland and No. 54 cornerback nationally JULIAN ARMELLA ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ St. Thomas Aquinas H.S. Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Status: Offered Class: 2022 Position: Offensive Tackle Ht.: 6-6 • Wt.: 300 Rivals Rankings: Currently unrated "Growing up and watching them on TV, I've always been a fan. This is definitely an exciting opportunity for me and my family. They defi- nitely rank high for me. I'm just really excited about this." Barnes on Notre Dame "Growing up, I watched the movies about Notre Dame and saw them on TV a lot. Now that I have an opportunity to play at a school like that is an extreme blessing." Armella