Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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36 OCT. 10, 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED PREP PROFILES Las Vegas Bishop Gorman's Zion Branch is ranked as the nation's No. 4 safety and No. 39 overall prospect in the 2022 class by Rivals. His offer list includes Alabama, Clemson, Geor- gia, LSU, Ohio State and Oklahoma. It's safe to say the recruiting pro- cess — other than the dead period that will extend through the rest of this year — has been going pretty well for the 6-3, 196-pounder. One of Branch's recent offers came Aug. 21 when he got on a phone call with Notre Dame wide receivers coach Del Alexander, who recruits the West Coast for the Fighting Irish. " We ' v e h a d some other con- versations before the offer," Branch noted. "Right af- ter last season, I had my first con- versation with him, and he was tell- ing me about the school and really building a relationship with me. Sure enough, they offered me. We talked on the phone and I was really excited." Branch's safeties coach at Bishop Gorman, a national powerhouse ev- ery year, is a name that Irish fans should be familiar with. Nicco Fer- titta played safety and was a regular on the special teams units for Notre Dame from 2015-18. Fertitta played his prep career at Bishop Gorman, and has returned to coach there. "I know he's a Notre Dame alum- nus, and we've had long conversa- tions about Notre Dame," Branch said. "When I called him and told him about the offer, he was so excited for me and really proud of me. " H e ' s b e e n telling me what Notre Dame is like and what his ex- perience was like. He's given me the insight that if I wanted to go to Notre Dame that it's a really great school and he loved it there. He told me about the good and the bad of his experience there. It was a really good conversation with him." While Branch is not at a shortage of scholarship offers and has just about every major program in pur- suit, earning an opportunity from the Irish was an important moment. "This is a really big offer for me and my family," Branch said. "There aren't too many schools that are really big in academics and athletics and they are in both. It's great to know that they see me as their caliber of player." When it comes crunch time for Branch, he knows picking a college won't be an easy task. Of course, choosing a free ride from dozens of great schools isn't a bad problem to have. — Mike Singer Notre Dame's coaching staff first made clear to Tyler Morris he was of high interest to them when they of- fered him before his sophomore year of high school. A year and a half later, and after a bit of a communication lull, the Irish staff is once again prioritizing the 2022 four-star wide receiver from La Grange Park (Ill.) Nazareth Academy. Coaches were allowed to directly con- tact 2022 recruits on Sept. 1, and Mor- ris heard from Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and wide re- ceivers coach Del Alexander that day. "We talked about the opportunity it could provide me with football and school, and how they'd use me in the offense to try and get the ball in my hands any way they can," Morris said. "They think I can play outside or inside and just move me around." For Morris, more contact with Notre Dame is welcomed. He main- tains high interest in the school and last visited in December, one of his final recruiting visits before the dead period began in March. All told, it was his third trip to South Bend. "I've been talking to them a lot more recently in the last month," Morris said. "Just about the oppor- tunity. They're al- ways a top-15 team and the academics are great. It's only two hours away. Those are all pretty big deals." The 6-0, 175-pound Morris is the No. 70 overall player in 2022 and holds more than 20 offers. He has visited Michigan multiple times and his for- mer high school teammate, four-star quarterback J.J. McCarthy, is commit- ted there. Penn State and Missouri are also in frequent contact. He has yet to visit either school but plans to soon after the dead period is lifted. It is cur- rently in effect through the end of 2020. "I've been talking to the coaches a lot and they're really interested it me," Morris said of Missouri. "So I defi- nitely want to go check out the school." Morris had plans to visit Missouri in mid-March, but all in-person recruit- ing was shut down the week before. Morris' junior season was post- poned until Feb. 15. His plan is to wait until after it is com- pleted before mak- ing any decision. "I'll probably start narrowing down whenever I start feeling it," Morris said. "But committing, definitely next summer after my junior season." — Patrick Engel Elite 2022 Safety Says Notre Dame Is 'A Really Big Offer' Fighting Irish Making 2022 Rivals100 Wide Receiver A Priority ZION BRANCH ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Bishop Gorman H.S. Las Vegas Status: Offered Class: 2022 Position: Safety Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 196 Rivals Rankings: No. 1 player in Nevada, and No. 4 safety and No. 39 overall player nationally TYLER MORRIS ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Nazareth Academy La Grange Park, Ill. Status: Offered Class: 2022 Position: Wide Receiver Ht.: 6-0 • Wt.: 175 Rivals Rankings: No. 2 player in Illinois, and No. 7 wide receiver and No. 70 overall player nationally "This is a really big offer for me and my family. There aren't too many schools that are really big in aca- demics and athletics, and they are in both. It's great to know that they see me as their caliber of player." Branch on Notre Dame "They're always a top-15 team and the academics are great. It's only two hours away. Those are all pretty big deals." Morris on Notre Dame