Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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42 SEPT. 7, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY MIKE SINGER S ome of Notre Dame's moves regard- ing 2025 wide receiver recruiting be- came public in late August. Ever since the Irish struck out on a few key targets over the summer (including LSU commit Derek Meadows, who the Notre Dame staff is continuing to re- cruit), they've been working on identify- ing new receiver prospects and have been in contact with at least a few of them. And three new prospects announced offers from the Irish: Downey (Calif.) Warren's Jace Brown, Cibolo (Texas) Steele's Jalen Cooper and Greenville (Ga.) High's Antavious Richardson. Each pass catcher spoke to On3's Steve Wiltfong to give their thoughts about Notre Dame. Cooper is the highest ranked of the bunch, checking in as the No. 19 wide receiver and No. 145 overall player in the land according to On3. "Notre Dame is a guaranteed 12-team playoff contender," Cooper told Wilt- fong. "They are a good team with a lot of success, and I feel it's a good spot for me to make it to the league." Cooper has been committed to SMU since July 5 but will officially visit Notre Dame Oct. 12 when the Fighting Irish host Stanford. He held scholarship of- fers from several schools before com- mitting to SMU, including Baylor, Okla- homa State, Kansas State, Texas A&M, Michigan State, Boise State and others. The 6-1, 160-pounder had a massive junior season. He helped Steele High reach the Texas 6A D2 semifinals and caught 63 passes for 1,578 yards with 23 touchdowns. Brown, a UCLA commit since July 4, will take his Notre Dame official visit Sept. 28 when the Louisville Cardinals come to town. "It was very big," Brown said about the Notre Dame offer. "It gave me a lot of exposure. … What excites me the most about them is their high ranking in both sports and academics." Brown is rated as a three-star player and the No. 160 wide receiver in the country according to On3. However, Rivals lists him as the No. 27 wideout in the land. Brown picked the Bruins over offers from Arizona, Utah, Minnesota, Wash- ington State, Kansas and a few others. It won't be easy to flip him from the local program with his high school quarter- back, Madden Iamaleava also commit- ted to UCLA. Last season for Warren High, Brown caught 46 passes for 560 yards and 6 touchdowns. He was a bit of a late riser on the recruiting trail — his first offer came after his junior season. Former Irish receivers coach and current UNLV staffer Del Alexander extended offer No. 1 to Brown in January. Richardson, a three-star prospect and the No. 51 athlete in the land per On3, is a highly intriguing prospect. From a town of less than 1,000 people, Rich- ardson — a South Florida commitment — is starting to see his recruitment blow up with more power conference offers. Notre Dame is squarely in the mix for Richardson, and he appears to be offi- cially visiting for the Miami (Ohio) game Sept. 21. "The Notre Dame offer was very big to me," Richardson said. "What excites me is how they really want me and are willing to take the time to develop me." Richardson was once a South Florida pledge but is not on the Bulls' com- mit list. With where his recruitment is trending, it's very likely that he flips to another program. Alabama is likely to make a move on him this fall. Richardson is a state champion in the 400-meter race and a do-it-all athlete for his high school team, playing quar- terback and returning kickoffs. The Fighting Irish currently have two wide receivers committed in the 2025 class — Atlanta Woodward Academy's Jerome Bettis Jr. and Wayne (N.J.) De- Paul Catholic's Elijah Burress. Both are three-star prospects according to On3. The Irish could dish out more offers this fall. ✦ Latest Intel On Notre Dame 2025 Wide Receiver Recruiting Las Vegas Bishop Gorman's Derek Meadows, the nation's No. 17 wide receiver and No. 115 overall player according to On3, committed to LSU in July but Notre Dame is still in contact with him. PHOTO COURTESY ON3 F O O T B A L L RECRUITING