Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1418303
42 OCT. 23, 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY MIKE SINGER T he Notre Dame coaching staff and recruiting department has been working for months on build- ing up Oct. 23 as the biggest week- end of the fall on the recruiting front. A full visitor list will be finalized as the date grows closer and will be reported on in-depth on our web- site BlueandGold.com. Here is a look at five key visitors we've confirmed to be coming in for the weekend but keep in mind that visit cancellations are always possible: • Pleasant Hill (Iowa) Southeast Polk's Xavier Nwankpa, the nation's No. 1 safety and No. 14 overall player in the 2022 class per Rivals, took an official visit to Notre Dame over the summer, so the Oct. 23 trip to South Bend will be on his own dime. During the weekend of Oct. 9, Nwankpa took an official visit to Iowa. The in-state Hawkeyes will be tough to beat for the five-star prospect, and many pundits consider Iowa the favorite to land him. On Oct. 2, Nwankpa named a final three of Iowa, Notre Dame and Ohio State from his 30 scholarship offers. His visit to Notre Dame for the USC game will be key for the Irish to pull ahead, since he's expected to visit Ohio State Oct. 30 for the Buckeyes' matchup with Penn State. Irish junior safety Kyle Hamilton is expected to declare for the NFL Draft after this season. How will Notre Dame replace him? The staff hopes it's with Nwankpa, who could play a big role on the Notre Dame defense next year, simi- larly to how Hamilton did as a freshman in 2019. • Landing a pledge from Scottsdale (Ariz.) Chaparral's Anthony Lucas, Rivals' No. 7 strong-side defensive end and No. 80 overall prospect in the land, is as important to the Irish staff in the 2022 class as adding Nwankpa. Like Nwankpa, Lucas took his official visit to Notre Dame in June. He took all five of his allotted officials with the other four being to Alabama, Miami, Oregon and Texas A&M. This fall, he's taking a handful of unofficial game-day visits. He saw Miami in September and has the following unofficial visits scheduled: Texas A&M Oct. 9, LSU Oct. 16, Notre Dame Oct. 23 and Alabama Nov. 6. The Fighting Irish are pulling out all of the stops to earn a commitment from Rivals' No. 1 recruit in Arizona. The visit for the USC game will go a long way in helping them do just that. • Notre Dame will host Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Catholic four-star Hero Kanu, who Rivals ranks as the No. 8 defensive tackle and No. 87 overall player in America, for an official visit during USC weekend. Notre Dame offered Kanu over the summer, which was later than most schools, but the Irish shot to near the top of his list. In fact, Notre Dame is among Kanu's final five along with Georgia, LSU, Ohio State and Okla- homa. He's reportedly set official vis- its for Oklahoma Oct. 16, Ohio State Oct. 30 and Georgia Nov. 6. It is unknown when he will take an official to LSU, but that is likely to happen this fall. Kanu doesn't plan on making a public announce- ment on his school of choice until the All-American Bowl in January 2022. LSU is considered the slight fa- vorite as of right now, but the elite recruit could end up anywhere de- pending on how his visits go. • Notre Dame has three offen- sive line commitments in the 2022 class but would like a fourth, and Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne's Aamil Wagner is a top-of-the- board target. Rivals' No. 23 offensive tackle and No. 202 overall prospect nationally took his five official visits over the summer to Kentucky, Maryland, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Penn State. He's making the rounds for game-day unofficials, having al- ready checked out Kentucky, Ohio State and Penn State. It's believed that Wagner will end up deciding between Kentucky and Notre Dame. Wayne High is where Notre Dame defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman and cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens both went to high school. • Notre Dame has a class of 2023 commitment in Miami Gulliver Prep's Sedrick Irvin Jr., the No. 4 running back and No. 81 overall player in the land according to Rivals. But it appears that Notre Dame will take a second running back in the 2023 cycle, and Roswell (Ga.) Blessed Trinity's Justice Haynes, Rivals' No. 1 ball carrier and No. 17 overall pros- pect in America, is a big target who is visiting for the USC game. In fact, Irvin will also be visiting the same weekend, as will Lake Stevens (Wash.) High's Jayden Limar, the No. 10 running back and No. 221 overall pros- pect nationally per Rivals. Limar is an- other prospect the Irish staff would like to add along with Irvin. Haynes is considered a Georgia lean because his father, Verron, played for the Bulldogs about 20 years ago, but the Irish are a top contender. ✦ Five Key Visitors For Notre Dame's Showdown With USC The Irish are working hard to finish the 2022 class strong, and Pleasant Hill (Iowa) Southeast Polk's Xavier Nwankpa, the nation's No. 1 safety and No. 14 overall player per Rivals, is a priority target. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM