Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM APRIL 2024 43 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ROUNDUP • Wallingford (Conn.) Choate Rosemary Hall offensive tackle and Notre Dame commit Will Black was the fifth-biggest riser in On3's updated rankings revealed in late February. Black moved up from the No. 207 overall player to the No. 6 recruit in the 2025 class. On3 now considers the 6-foot-7, 280-pound Black the top offen- sive tackle in the 2025 cycle. He is also now the top prospect in Connecticut. Black's new ranking now gives the Irish their top-ranked overall recruit since On3 began rating prospects in the 2021 cycle. Previously, On3 ranked offen- sive tackles Guerby Lambert (2024) and Charles Jagusah (2023) as the No. 18 and No. 25 overall players in their respective recruiting classes. • On Feb. 29, Indianapolis Ben Davis High four-star cornerback Mark Zack- ery — a big riser in On3's latest 2025 rankings update — revealed his top four schools. The 6-foot, 155-pounder's list is down to Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Florida and Michigan. Zackery climbed up On3's rankings two days earlier and is now the No. 2 prospect in Indiana, and the No. 10 cornerback and No. 76 overall player nationally. A notable omission from Zackery's list was Ohio State. He grew up a Buck- eyes fan, and they were Notre Dame's toughest competition for Zackery in the fall. However, OSU already has three cornerback commits, including five-stars Devin Sanchez of Houston and Naeem Offord from Birmingham, Ala. Former Notre Dame target Blake Woodby from Baltimore St. Frances, On3's No. 27 cornerback and No. 259 overall player in the land, pledged to the Buckeyes Oct. 14. The Irish did not offer Sanchez or Offord. Zackery will return to South Bend on an unofficial visit from March 22-23. It would not be surprising if he shut down his recruitment in favor of the Fighting Irish after that trip. • Another list of note was four-star running back James Simon's top seven. The Shreveport (La.) Calvary Baptist junior is down to Notre Dame Alabama, Louisiana Tech, LSU, Miami, Texas and Texas A&M. Simon is On3's No. 4 recruit in Louisiana, and No. 8 running back and No. 103 overall player in the country. Although the Irish already have the nation's No. 54 and No. 75 running backs in 2025 committed in Tampa (Fla.) Jesuit's Justin Thurman and Bry- ant (Ark.) High's Daniel Anderson, Notre Dame is still targeting the 5-11, 190-pound Simon. Anderson is the No. 9 player in Arkansas, while Thurman is the No. 93 player in the Sunshine State. Currently, LSU is the team leading for Simon. The No. 2 running back in the Bayou State has reported eight college visits to Baton Rouge, more than any other school. Still, it is worth noting Notre Dame head coach Marcus Free- man and running backs coach Deland McCullough visited Simon at his school during the NCAA January recruiting contact period. Rules permitted Freeman and McCullough to talk to Simon during that trip. — Kyle Kelly Follow @ByKyleKelly on X for daily recruiting updates on BlueandGold.com! ON3 CONSENSUS 2025 TEAM RECRUITING RANKINGS As of March 12 1. LSU 10 2. Ohio State 8 3. Georgia 5 4. Clemson 10 5. Notre Dame 17 6. Oregon 5 7. Alabama 5 8. Florida State 4 9. Texas 5 10. Oklahoma 10 Rk. School Commits Rk. School Commits PRAYER TO THE BLESSED MOTHER - Oh, most beautiful flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of Heaven. Blessed Mother of the Son of God; Immaculate Virgin, assist me in this necessity. Oh, Star of the Sea, help me and show me you are my Mother. Oh, Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succour me in my necessity. There are none that can withstand your power. Oh, Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. (3 times). Holy Mary, I place this prayer in your hands. (3 times). Sweet Mother I place this cause in your hands. (3 times). Thank you for your mercy to me and mine. Amen. This prayer must be said for 3 days and after 3 days your request will be granted and the prayer must be published. Thank you. M.D.N. PRAYER TO THE BLESSED MOTHER - Oh, most beautiful flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of Heaven. Blessed Mother of the Son of God; Immaculate Virgin, assist me in this necessity. Oh, Star of the Sea, help me and show me you are my Mother. Oh, Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succour me in my necessity. There are none that can withstand your power. Oh, Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. (3 times). Holy Mary, I place this prayer in your hands. (3 times). Sweet Mother I place this cause in your hands. (3 times). Thank you for your mercy to me and mine. Amen. This prayer must be said for 3 days and after 3 days your request will be granted and the prayer must be published. Thank you. S.T.D. POWERFUL PRAYER - to the Holy Spirit. You who solve all problems, who lights all roads so that I can obtain my goals. You who give me the Divine gift to forgive and to forget all evil against me and that in all instances of my life, you are with me. I want in this short prayer to thank You for all things and to confirm that I never want to be separated from You, even and in spite of all material illusions. I wish to be with You in eternal glory. Thank You for your mercy toward me and mine. The per- son must say this prayer for three consecutive days. After three days the favor requested will be granted even though it may appear difficult. This prayer must be published immediately after the favor is granted without mentioning the favor. M.D.N. POWERFUL PRAYER - to the Holy Spirit. You who solve all problems, who lights all roads so that I can obtain my goals. You who give me the Divine gift to forgive and to forget all evil against me and that in all instances of my life, you are with me. I want in this short prayer to thank You for all things and to confirm that I never want to be separated from You, even and in spite of all material illusions. I wish to be with You in eternal glory. Thank You for your mercy toward me and mine. The per - son must say this prayer for three consecutive days. After three days the favor requested will be granted even though it may appear difficult. This prayer must be published immediately after the favor is granted without mentioning the favor. S.T.D. MEMORABILIA Vintage Notre Dame Memorabilia Augie's Locker Room Stop In And See Our Vintage Notre Dame Artifacts In Augie's Locker Room Museum! VOTED BEST NOTRE DAME MEMORABILIA STORE IN THE NATION! NEW LOCATION! 1733 N. Ironwo od Drive South Bend, IN 46635 574-277-NDND (6363) www.augieslockerroom.com FACEBOOK.COM/AUGIESLOCKERROOM NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL GAMES on VHS or DVD for sale, from 1928 to present. Contact Peter Rahas at 7700 Golden Filly St., Las Vegas, NV 89131 or call 1-702-395-2974 PERSONALS M A R K E T P L A C E Call 800-421-7751 to advertise in BGI RECRUITING NOTES