Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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42 OCT. 15, 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY MIKE SINGER N otre Dame's home matchup against Clemson Nov. 5 will be the Irish's marquee visit weekend of the fall, but don't discount the quality of pros- pects visiting South Bend when Stanford comes to town Oct. 15. One prospect the Fighting Irish faithful need to get fa- miliar with is Portsmouth (Va.) Churchland's Brandyn Hillman, a three-star recruit and No. 16 athlete nationally per On3. Heading into his senior sea- son, Hillman held just one scholarship offer — from FCS program Norfolk State. He's a high school quarterback, but once his early senior season film got out there, which included him playing safety, Power Five colleges started taking notice. Virginia Tech offered Sept. 27. The following day, Boston Col- lege, Virginia, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, East Carolina and Notre Dame offered him. Kentucky and Tennessee came the following day. And most recently, North Carolina offered Hillman Oct. 4. "It really came out of nowhere," Hill- man said of the new offers. "Once one came in, they all started rolling in one after another. The recruiting process has been good lately, but it is starting to get a little more stressful." There were two offers in particular that Hillman received that made him realize that his recruitment was taking off. "When I got the Notre Dame and Tennessee offers," he said, "that's when it really hit me." All of Hillman's new offers came in quickly, and Notre Dame was no dif- ferent. "I got a call from a Notre Dame coach a few days before I got the offer and they told me that they were going to make it happen," Hillman said. "They said I was the guy they want. That felt great get- ting the Notre Dame offer. They're a top school in the nation. Getting an offer from them really means a lot." Hillman spoke with Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, offensive co- ordinator Tommy Rees and defensive coordinator Al Golden when receiving the offer from the Irish. Hillman is listed as an athlete by On3, and that's exactly how Notre Dame is recruiting him. He could play as an offensive skill player or somewhere in the secondary. "I know I'll get a great opportunity on both sides of the ball," Hillman said. "They're not forcing me to play one po- sition. It was great talking to both coor- dinators, too." Hillman was the lone official visitor expected for the Stanford game, but there are a few notable unofficial visi- tors due in. St. Louis University High's Ryan Wingo is one of Notre Dame's top overall targets in the 2024 recruit- ing class. On3 ranks him as the No. 3 wide receiver and No. 14 overall prospect in America. The elite prospect has visited Notre Dame four times in total, including twice over the sum- mer. "The new coaches are a bet- ter fit for me," Wingo told BGI following a summer trip to South Bend. "I didn't get to see everything on my past vis- its as I did on this one. It was way better. I had a lot of fun. I'll probably try to get up there for a game this fall. "This visit was way different. It was a great experience. I like the coaches and everything." Another big-time recruit from St. Louis is expected in for the Stanford game. Christian Broth- ers' Jeremiyah Love, the No. 5 running back and No. 107 over- all player per On3's 2023 rank- ings, tells BGI that he'll make it in. Love visited Notre Dame for the Marshall game in Septem- ber, and despite the loss, he had a great time in South Bend. "The Notre Dame visit was good, and it was an excit- ing game day," he said. "Them losing doesn't really affect my decision. I got to meet with Coach Freeman, and as always, he made me feel like I am a wel- comed there. The vibe was great." The Notre Dame staff badly wants to add Love to their commitment list. His visit in mid-October should help the Irish make that happen. As of early October, BGI was aware of two verbals that planned to attend the game. Derby (Kan.) High's Dylan Edwards, a four-star recruit and the No. 19 running back nationally per On3, will get his first look at a Notre Dame game. Edwards flipped his commitment from Kansas State to Notre Dame in August. Cincinnati Lakota West's Ben Minich, a three-star player and the No. 35 safety in America according to On3, will also attend the game. Minich picked the Irish in August as well. ✦ Quality Visitors Expected For Notre Dame's Clash With Stanford Portsmouth (Va.) Churchland's Brandyn Hillman, a three-star recruit and the No. 16 athlete in the country per On3, is expected to make an official visit to Notre Dame for the Stanford game Oct. 15. PHOTO VIA INSTAGRAM @ BHILLMAN3_