Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 8, 2022 45 PREP PROFILES Five-star Chicago St. Ignatius 2024 defensive lineman Justin Scott had to put his phone on do not disturb all day Sept. 1. The texts and phone calls kept rolling in during school hours. More than 100 of them, he estimated. Notre Dame was among them — and among the first. In all, he heard from four Irish coaches Sept. 1, the first day college coaches could directly contact 2024 recruits. Defensive line coach Al Washington was one of them. Head coach Marcus Free- man, defensive coordinator Al Golden and director of recruiting Chad Bowden were the others. "I felt grateful and extremely excited that they want me there and they took the time to recruit me," Scott said. Sco t t h a s b e co m e a n i m p o r ta n t Notre Dame defensive target in 2024 since the Irish offered him in early May. He has been to campus for two visits, first for a game last Novem- ber and again in late July. The second visit allowed for more personal in- teractions with Notre Dame's staff, including one-on-one conversations with Washington and Freeman. The highlight was playing "Irish ball," a game similar to ultimate Frisbee, with Washington. "I liked it a lot," Scott said of the visit. "Seeing Coach Washington get athletic, it was fun." Washington has taken the lead in re- cruiting Scott to Notre Dame and con- nected with him long before the July visit. That trip, though, helped their bond grow even more and moved the needle with Notre Dame. "My relationship with Coach Wash- ington is really strong, I'd say the stron- gest of all the Notre Dame coaches," Scott said. "He's always checking in on me. I can tell he's happy to recruit me." Scott has seen his recruitment picked up national attention this summer. Or- egon, Ohio State, Texas A&M and Au- burn have offered so far in September. Miami, LSU, Oklahoma, Michigan State and Washington offered earlier in the summer. His list also includes USC, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Tennessee and Missouri, among others. The Hurricanes, Sooners, Buckeyes and Wolverines are among the schools in consistent contact in addition to Notre Dame, he said. Most of those teams are recruiting him on the defensive line, but Scott plays defensive tackle and left guard for his team. A basketball player through grade school, he is in his third year of football and second season of varsity action. He has played defensive line since his freshman year and added guard to his résumé this season. — Patrick Engel Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller class of 2024 defensive back Karson Hobbs went into his Sept. 17 Notre Dame visit with expectations, but his experience in South Bend went better than he thought. "I came in with the mentality of just meeting Coach [Marcus] Freeman and Coach [Mike] Mickens face to face and getting to interact with them," Hobbs told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "I didn't expect to get an offer. I'm a diehard Notre Dame fan and just wanted to en- joy the experience. I wanted to take in the atmosphere and be in the stadium." He didn't expect it, but Hobbs did pick up an offer from the Fighting Irish, occurring before Notre Dame kicked off against Cal. It's a big one for Hobbs, who notes that he grew up a big sup- porter of the Fighting Irish. However, he is committed to South Carolina, a pledge he gave July 29. "Coach Mickens and I were talking, and I told him I was committed to South Carolina, but at the same time, I'm a diehard Notre Dame fan," Hobbs ex- plained. "I told my school [South Caro- lina] that I'm not going to be taking a lot of visits and that this is probably the only other one I'll take. I couldn't miss the opportunity to take the visit. You only get the recruiting process once. "While I was talking with Coach Mickens, he told me at the end of the conversation that I had an offer from them, too. The rest is history." For a lifelong Notre Dame fan, picking up the offer from the Irish was a big mo- ment for him. "It's a dream come true," he said. "I remember as a kid hearing the fight song and going home after my Saturday morning games to watch the Irish. It's a huge accomplishment, and I got more than what I expected with the visit. I'm extremely grateful for it." What happens next in Hobbs' re- cruitment remains to be seen, but it seems clear that the visit and offer has made Notre Dame a contender for him moving forward. "Time will tell," he said. "I'm com- mitted to South Carolina right now, but I have two years until signing day comes. We'll see what happens." — Mike Singer Notre Dame A Contender For Five-Star Chicago D-Lineman Lifelong Irish Fan Earns Offer, Enjoys Visit To South Bend JUSTIN SCOTT ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ St. Ignatius H.S. Chicago Status: Offered Class: 2024 Position: Defensive line Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 310 On3 Rankings: No. 1 player in Illinois, and No. 1 defensive lineman and No. 3 overall player nationally KARSON HOBBS Archbishop Moeller H.S. Cincinnati Status: Offered Class: 2024 Position: Cornerback Ht.: 6-1 • Wt.: 180 On3 Rankings: Currently un- ranked "My relationship with Coach [Al] Washington is really strong, I'd say the strongest of all the Notre Dame coaches." Scott