Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1527190
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 12, 2024 13 UNDER THE DOME "Notre Dame made a statement on the recruiting trail Wednesday, beating out Indiana and Michigan State for the 2025 class's No. 10 prospect [per ESPN], Jalen Haralson, the best boys' high school player in the state of Indiana. Micah Shrewsberry has recruited effectively since taking over in South Bend after the 2022-23 season, landing four ESPN 100 prospects in the past 18 months. [Sept. 25] was different. … "This is a monumental commitment for Shrews- berry and his staff — and it could be part of a ten- ure-shaping week for the second-year head coach. On Monday [Sept. 23], ESPN 100 prospect Brady Koehler announced his commitment to the Fighting Irish. On Wednesday [Sept. 25], it was Haralson. On Friday [Sept. 27], ESPN 100 wing Ryder Frost is expected to announce his commitment, with Notre Dame a front-runner heading down the stretch. Three top-100 commitments in one week, including the program's highest-ranked recruit of all time? Not a bad way to generate momentum." — ESPN's Jeff Borzello on Jalen Haralson, the No. 13 overall player in the On3 Industry Ranking, committing to the Irish "Elite college basketball prospects don't do what Jalen Haralson did early Wednesday [Sept. 25] eve- ning. They don't turn down official visits to Duke, Gonzaga and Kansas. They don't look at a scheduled visit to Purdue and say, 'Nah, I'm good.' They don't feel any added pull to go to that one state school — in his home state — with that tradition and those national championship banners and those candy- cane striped sweatpants and decide that, 'Yeah, I'll stay in state, but I'll go somewhere else.' "They don't do what Haralson, a high school senior, did during a live broadcast on social media from the La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana, and choose to play basketball for the University of Notre Dame. Haralson did that. He really did that. He stared down the winning and the tradition and the long lineage of elite players who often go to schools like Duke and Kansas and Indiana and Purdue and (insert any other Power Five program here) and say that he'd like to spend however many college basketball seasons in South Bend with a program coming off consecutive 20-loss sea- sons for the first time in program history. He did it. "In doing so, Haralson becomes the highest-pro- file recruit to choose Notre Dame since 1988. Not since former Irish power forward LaPhonso Ellis, a member of the school's all-century team who has his name and his jersey number in the arena's Ring of Honor, has Notre Dame landed such a coveted recruit. Ellis was a first-team Parade All-American and McDonald's All-American that year. If they had recruiting rankings back then (they didn't), Ellis would've easily been a top-10, maybe a top-five recruit. He was that good. He was that coveted." — Tom Noie of the South Bend Tribune "Health derailed Notre Dame's previous two seasons, so the news that fifth-year senior Maddy Westbeld will start 2024-25 on the sidelines be- cause of a foot injury must disappoint the fans in South Bend. It also somewhat dampens the excite- ment of Olivia Miles' return from her knee injury. The pairing of Miles and Hannah Hidalgo, a first- team All-American as a freshman, in the backcourt has tantalizing potential. "The additions of Liza Karlen (17.7 points per game at Marquette) and Liatu King (18.7 at Pitts- burgh) should help the Irish survive while Westbeld is out. Sonia Citron remains one of the country's most versatile players." — ESPN's Charlie Creme on dropping Notre Dame from No. 4 to No. 6 in his up- dated way-too-early top 25 for 2024-25 on Sept. 25 "Oh God, I hope so. I mean, that would be awesome for all of us, would it not? You hope that the natural progression continues to build and that he takes from the confidence-building that there was in last week's game and continues to push on the gas and cleans up some of the cupcake throws that maybe we missed that we've got to hit. And he knows that very well. "But I can see a progression. I don't know that it's obvious to everybody. Is it as fast as we all want it to be? It's not. I want it to be perfect tomorrow, just like you guys do, but I do see progress there. And I think it's attributed to the work that he's put into it and being mindful that he's got to be willing to do those things." — Notre Dame OC Mike Denbrock when asked if Riley Leonard was progressing like his former pupil, Jayden Daniels, did during their time at LSU Irish On Social Media PHOTO COURTESY USA BASKETBALL THEY SAID IT THEY SAID IT "I'm looking to come in and win. That's my main thing. I want to come in, win, change the culture and do my thing." — Notre Dame men's basketball commit and five-star recruit Jalen Haralson