Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com AUGUST 2020 41 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ROUNDUP RECRUITING NOTES • In May, reports surfaced that Mansfield (Texas) Legacy's David Abiara, the nation's No. 22 strong-side defensive end per Rivals, would be backing off of his Notre Dame commitment that he gave in March. As of late July, he is still verbally committed to the Fighting Irish, but Okla- homa and Texas are hoping to keep him in Big 12 country, while SMU is push- ing as the close-to-home option in the Dallas-metro area. Notre Dame offered two other high-level defensive end prospects around the time the reports surfaced, but both have since committed elsewhere. Tiffin (Iowa) Clear Creek Amana's TJ Bollers pledged to Wisconsin, while Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas' Dallas Turner picked Alabama. Notre Dame would like to keep Abiara in its 2021 class, but if he does go elsewhere it's likely that the Irish would look to replace him. A name to keep an eye on is La Grange Park (Ill.) Nazareth Academy's Ryan Keeler, who is Rivals' No. 32 strong-side defensive end nationally. Notre Dame defensive line coach Mike Elston has been in contact with Keeler recently. • Notre Dame has 12 commitments in its 2021 class and will take around 20 prospects total. The Irish are closing in on a pledge from Encino (Calif.) Crespi cornerback Chance Tucker, a Rivals three-star prospect. He's choos- ing between Notre Dame and Washington, and his decision should come in late July. • Another prospect on commitment watch for the Irish is Wadsworth (Ohio) High's Mitchell Evans, the No. 28 tight end in the land. He took a mid-July visit to South Bend, even though he couldn't see the coaching staff in person due to a dead period enacted by the NCAA. The top contenders for Evans are Georgia Tech, Louisville, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh. Evans stands at 6-7 240 pounds and could turn into an offensive tackle at the next level if he continues to grow, but the Irish would take his commit- ment as a tight end, giving them two in the class, joining Hartwell (Ga.) Hart County's Cane Berrong. • Notre Dame does not have a commitment in the 2022 class yet but that may change wtih the Irish closing in on Milton (Ga.) High's Jack Nickel, a Rivals three-star tight end. The Irish offered the 6-4, 230-pounder in May and have been in close contact with him throughout the summer. LSU and Penn State offered in July, hoping to give him something to think about, but by all accounts, Nickel wants to be a part of the Notre Dame football program. — Mike Singer Follow @BGI_MikeSinger on Twitter for daily recruiting updates! The Fighting Irish have been in contact with La Grange Park (Ill.) Nazareth Academy product Ryan Keeler, who is listed as the No. 32 strong-side defensive end in the country by Rivals. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM BlueAndGold.com BlueAndGold.com Football RecRuiting is HERE! Go behind the scenes with exclusive coverage on the Irish throughout the season. In-depth analysis by our seasoned experts in the field. Breaking news, team and individual rankings, features on every commitment, over 10 years of archived recruiting information. See all of tomorrow's top Irish prospects in action on our top quality prospect videos. Interact with other Notre Dame fans across the country and discuss the state of the Irish. Daily Team Coverage Expert Analysis Recruiting Scoop Prospect Videos Lively Message Boards * *Use Promo Code IRISH60