Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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50 JAN. 1, 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING and the No. 39 cornerback in America. During his junior campaign in 2019, Tucker posted 58 tackles, 10 passes defended and three intercep- tions (one returned for a touchdown). At receiver, he caught 13 passes for 176 yards and two scores. His recruitment came down to Notre Dame and Washington, and he took self-guided tour visits of both schools before making his choice. 14. PAT COOGAN • OL • 6-4, 290 Palos Heights, Ill. • Marist H.S. Coogan was a near lock to choose the Irish after landing an offer from Notre Dame early in the spring, but then oppor- tunities rolled in from Ohio State, Oklahoma a n d Te x a s A & M t o make things interesting. The lifelong Irish fan still picked Notre Dame as expected and was a vocal recruiter for 2021 class throughout the process. Coogan is an interior player all the way, but has the versatility to help at tackle in a pinch. He may be the center of the future since his body profile fits that position well, or he could slide to guard. 15. KAHANU KIA • LB • 6-2, 210 Kaneohe, Hawai'i • Punahou School The last linebacker Notre Dame landed from Punahou School was pretty good — Heisman Trophy fi- nalist Manti Te'o. Kia, who is listed as the No. 5 player in his home state and the No. 37 outside linebacker in the country, looks to be Notre Dame's next great linebacker from the Ha- waiian Islands. Kia selected the Irish over Utah, his father's alma mater, a month before National Signing Day. He took a self- guided tour of campus during the weekend of the Clemson game Nov. 7 and fell in love with Notre Dame. Kia is a modern day, sideline-to- sideline linebacker who plays with aggression and pure athleticism. 16. MITCHELL EVANS • TE • 6-7, 240 Wadsworth, Ohio • Wadsworth H.S. Evans holds the title of most in- triguing recruit in Notre Dame's 2021 recruiting class. He is the No. 24 tight end in the country per Rivals, but played quarterback during his senior sea- son. He threw for 2,131 yards and 25 touch- downs, and added 400 yards and six scores on the ground. He was also a first-team punter in Ohio's Division II, and with his 6-7, 240-pound frame he could end up playing offensive tackle at Notre Dame. Evans is a jumbo athlete who committed to Notre Dame over Bos- ton College, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Michigan State and Pittsburgh. 17. CANE BERRONG • TE • 6-3, 215 Hartwell, Ga. • Hart County Comprehensive H.S. No recruit took as big of a tumble in the Rivals rankings as Berrong, and it's puz- zling. He debuted as four-star prospect and the nation's No. 178 overall recruit in the website's first rankings for the 2021 class, but is currently just a three-star prospect. Berrong uses it as fuel, and the Un- der Armour All-American will en- roll early to make an impact at Notre Dame as soon as possible. He is an all-around tight end who excels as a receiver and has improved tremen- dously as a blocker during his high school career. Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Oregon were among the schools that offered Berrong. 18. WILL SCHWEITZER • DL • 6-5, 205 Los Gatos, Calif. • Los Gatos H.S. Notre Dame liked Schweitzer early in the process, but couldn't quite figure out his best positional fit. He posted big num- bers as a junior, record- ing 130 tackles, nine tackles for loss, two sacks and three interceptions on his way to receiv- ing California All-Central Coast first- team defense honors as a linebacker. The Irish staff decided that Sch- weitzer would fit well in its defense as a vyper, and the Irish staff offered to replace wavering Texas defensive end David Abiara, who would later decommit from Notre Dame. Schweitzer was committed to Ne- braska at the time, but flipped to the Irish fairly quickly. Rivals ranks Schweitzer as the No. 43 player in California and the No. 30 weak-side defensive end nationally. 19. JUSTIN WALTERS • S • 6-1, 175 Bolingbrook, Ill. • Bolingbook H.S. Walters became Notre Dame's first defensive back commit- ment when he gave his verbal Feb. 2 following a visit. Michigan con- tinued contact with him throughout the year, but Walters never wavered and signed with the Fighting Irish. Illinois didn't play high school football, so Walters won't have a se- nior season as an early enrollee. That may also cause some folks to forget how talented Walters is. At the time he pledged, the feeling was that there was a strong chance he'd become a four-star prospect, but without more film it's understandable why he didn't receive the bump. On tape, Walters is a hard-hitting player with solid instincts. He could potentially make the move to line- backer during his Notre Dame career. 20. RYAN BARNES • CB • 6-2, 175 Gaithersburg, Md. • Quince Orchard H.S. Remember, this order is based on Rivals rankings. Barnes is listed with a 5.6 re- cruit ranking (mid- three-star designation), which is why he's lower on this list — but he'd be inside the top 15 if it was just our opinion. A big reason why Barnes isn't ranked very high is because he didn't have a senior sea- son with Maryland not playing high school football in 2020. Notre Dame loves versatility in its defensive backs, and Barnes offers the ability to be a lengthy, cover cor- nerback or move to safety with his outstanding range. Barnes is a dark horse to get playing time in the sec- ondary as a true freshman, a la Clar- ence Lewis in 2020.