Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 30, 2021 43 PREP PROFILES Notre Dame has three commitments at wide receiver in the 2022 class and is already getting a head start at the posi- tion in next year's cycle. The Irish don't have a receiver pledge yet but have established themselves as a top contender for Miami Gulliver Prep's Jalen Brown, the nation's No. 5 wide receiver and No. 53 overall player in the 2023 class per Rivals. Brown was one of the first few class of 2023 prospects to claim an offer from the Fighting Irish, receiving the news in November 2020. The Notre Dame staff has stayed in consistent contact with him since. The four-star prospect visited No t re Da m e i n June and was go- ing to visit for the Cincinnati contest Oct. 2 before he had to cancel that trip at the last minute. He's hoping to make his return visit to South Bend soon. "Notre Dame is a good school," Brown told Blue & Gold Illustrated after his game Oct. 1 in which he caught eight passes for 101 yards and a touchdown. "They offer a great education and great football team. Coach Brian Kelly is a good guy. I had a great conversation with him on my last visit. He's funny and someone I like being around." Notre Dame wide receivers coach Del Alexander is leading the charge in Brown's recruitment. "Coach Alexander is a good guy, too," B r o w n a d d e d . "He knows what he's talking about and can develop me in the right way." M a n y p r o s - pects in the 2023 class are commit- ting during the fall of their junior years. Brown doesn't plan on deciding any time soon and would like to take official visits next spring. "I'm going to wait a bit longer," he said. "I don't think I'm going to make an early commitment." Through six games this season, Brown had caught 28 passes for 448 yards and five touchdowns. Brown is a teammate of Sedrick Irvin Jr., a four-star class of 2023 running back and Notre Dame commit. "What separates me [from other re- ceivers] is my speed, my ability to be physical when I need to be and my route running," Brown said. — Mike Singer Dearborn (Mich.) Divine Child class of 2023 offensive lineman Dylan Senda was one of the marquee visitors for Notre Dame when the Irish hosted Cin- cinnati Oct. 2. "It was a great time," Senda said. "It was fun and exciting. Notre Dame lost, but it was a good game to be at. The crowd and atmosphere were electric. They do a lot of fun things getting the crowd involved in the game." Dating back to the spring, Senda has had calls on a weekly basis with Notre Dame offensive line coach Jeff Quinn. Senda does not hold an offer from the Irish yet, but it's clear by the amount of contact between the two parties that Notre Dame is very interested in the 6-5, 274-pounder. "We talk weekly about how our weeks are going — work, school and how our individual teams are preparing for our upcoming games," Senda said. "He asks me where I visited last, when I plan to commit and more. "We also talk about our families each time as well. Coach Quinn is a great coach and an awesome man. He is a great, caring person. I am blessed to have met him and to have this oppor- tunity to build a relationship with him." Quinn recently asked Senda when he planned to make a commitment. "I let him know that I am going to look at all my options near the end of my season with my parents to come up with my top list that I will be concentrat- ing on going forward," Senda said. "He asked me to be patient and not rush." If Notre Dame does offer Senda, then the Irish will be tough to beat. Senda holds offers from Iowa, Miami, Mich- igan, Michigan State, Penn State and West Virginia. A number of other pow- erhouse programs are interested in him as well. Senda has already taken unofficial game day visits to Michigan and Penn State this fall, and trips to Alabama, Cincinnati, Iowa, Ohio State, Oklahoma and West Virginia are in the works as well. Rivals lists Senda with a 5.7 recruit ranking, the highest designation for a three-star prospect. He is listed as the No. 2 center in America and the No. 9 player in the state of Michigan for the 2023 class. — Mike Singer Fighting Irish Are In Pursuit Of Four-Star Miami Receiver Notre Dame Is Keeping Tabs On Michigan Lineman JALEN BROWN ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Gulliver Prep Miami Status: Offered Class: 2023 Position: Wide receiver Ht.: 6-1 • Wt.: 160 Rivals Rankings: No. 10 player in Florida, and No. 5 wide receiver and No. 53 overall player nationally DYLAN SENDA ✪ ✪ ✪ Divine Child H.S. Dearborn, Mich. Status: Not offered Class: 2023 Position: Offensive lineman Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 275 Rivals Rankings: No. 9 player in Michigan and No. 2 center nationally "Notre Dame is a good school. They offer a great education and a great football team. Coach Brian Kelly is a good guy. I had a great conversation with him on my last visit. He's funny and someone I like being around." Brown "It was a great time. It was fun and exciting. Notre Dame lost, but it was a good game to be at." Senda on his Notre Dame visit Oct. 2