Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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46 OCT. 14, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED PREP PROFILES Recruiting is always full of surprises, and the Irish had an official visitor for the Ohio State weekend that the public didn't see coming. Before he stepped foot on campus, it wasn't known that Notre Dame had quietly been working behind the scenes on flipping Garner (N.C.) South Gar- ner class of 2024 three-star interior de- fensive lineman Nnamdi Ogboko away from Georgia. But it's no secret anymore. Notre Dame has been in communication with Ogboko for the past month or so. "The interest was pretty sudden," Ogboko said about Notre Dame Sept. 26 to On3's Ethan McDowell. "They need another person to play the three- tech, and they think I'm one of the best three-techs in the country. "I also have the grades to play there. If I didn't have the grades, they wouldn't be able to recruit me. That's a main part." Ogboko hasn't announced an offer from Notre Dame publicly, but the Irish are certainly in pursuit of him. "It's great having interest from them," he said. "I didn't know a top school like that would be interested in me." As far as the weekend official visit goes, Ogboko had a great time in South Bend. "The highlight of the weekend was meeting a new coaching staff, people and all the recruits," Ogboko said. "I got to know them. They tell me that how if I go there, I'll be playing early and make a big impact on their defense. "The game was crazy. Every time Notre Dame scored, the student sec- tion would do shoulder presses with the students; I've never seen anything like that. "I liked the game day walk — when you walk right behind the players. The love the fans showed was great." Ogboko enjoyed getting to spend time with Notre Dame defensive line coach Al Washington and head coach Marcus Freeman. "He's a great coach who knows what he's talking about," he said of Washing- ton. "I can tell he's great with his players and is a player's coach. "He's an awesome head coach," Og- boko said of Freeman. "He's young and grinds out there. He loves his players, too." Ogboko notes that he's still commit- ted to Georgia, but it seems as if he's not closing the door on the Fighting Irish, though. "Right now, I'm still committed to the Dawgs," he said. "That's still my team. That's that." — Mike Singer Coveted 2025 wide receiver Talyn Taylor had two important unofficial college recruiting visits in back-to-back weekends. Following the most recent one, a Notre Dame return visit for the Ohio State game Sept. 23, the four-star recruit from Geneva (Ill.) Community High could not choose which environ- ment impressed him most. Notre Dame and Georgia knocked their game-day visits out of the park. "Both were really just great," Taylor told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "I feel like both were really great games. Both had electric atmospheres." Notre Dame wide receivers coach Chansi Stuckey offered Taylor a schol- arship March 17 during the program's Pot of Gold Day recruiting event. That same day, 64 other recruits reported new Irish scholarship offers, including six wide receivers. Taylor has since risen to the top of Notre Dame's wide receiver board. He first visited Notre Dame March 25 for spring practice and returned July 30 for the program's "Grill & Chill" recruit- ing event. The showdown with Ohio State was the first time he attended a Notre Dame game as a recruit. And it did not disappoint, despite the outcome. "It was a great game," he said. "The crowd, the student section and everybody there were loud and really into the game. So were the recruits, players and coaches. It was just really great to see that." During his Notre Dame visit, Taylor also connected with Irish 2025 quar- terback commit Deuce Knight. The four-star passer from Lucedale (Miss.) George County is courting him to team up in South Bend. "I talked to him when I was there," Tay- lor said. "He's advocating for me to go to Notre Dame. He really wants me there." After the conclusion of the game, Freeman, Stuckey and director of re- cruiting Chad Bowden all had conversa- tions with Taylor. "They said, 'We had that one the whole game,'" said Taylor, recalling his ex- changes with the Notre Dame staff. "They felt like they won the game. But they also said that there's still stuff to work on." Although Taylor has plenty of time left in his recruitment, getting to know recruits like Knight will help him make a more informed decision when it comes time to make a commitment. "I'm getting to know recruits from both schools [Georgia and Notre Dame]," he said. "They're all going to be playing at the level I'm playing at. They're all good, and that's where I want to be. It helps me build relationships." — Kyle Kelly Irish Looking To Flip Massive D-Lineman Away From Georgia Elite Wide Receiver Has Another Successful Notre Dame Visit NNAMDI OGBOKO ✪ ✪ ✪ South Garner Garner, N.C. Status: Offered Class: 2024 Position: Defensive lineman Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 355 On3 Rankings: No. 21 player in North Carolina and No. 42 defensive line- man nationally TALYN TAYLOR ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Geneva Community Geneva, Ill. Status: Offered Class: 2025 Position: Wide receiver Ht.: 6-1 • Wt.: 165 On3 Rankings: No. 1 player in Illinois, and No. 12 wide receiver and No. 63 overall player nationally