Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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44 OCT. 26, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING ROUNDUP Quarterback Blake Hebert, HHH, 6-3, 215, Greenwich, Conn. (Brunswick School) Running Back Justin Thurman, HHH, 6-0, 180, Tampa, Fla. (Jesuit) Wide Receiver Jerome Bettis Jr., HHH, 6-3, 185, Atlanta (Woodward Academy) Elijah Burress, HHH, 6-0½, 175, Wayne, N.J. (DePaul Catholic) Jalen Cooper, HHHH, 6-1, 160, Cibolo, Texas (Steele) — SMU commit Isaiah Mizell, HHH, 6-0, 160, Orlando, Fla. (Boone) — Arizona commit Antavious Richardson, HHHH, 6-2, 170, Greenville, Ga. (Greenville) Tight End James Flanigan, HHHH, 6-5½, 245, Green Bay, Wis. (Notre Dame de la Baie Academy) Offensive Line Matty Augustine, HHH, 6-7, 265, Greenwich, Conn. (Brunswick School) Will Black, HHHHH, 6-7½, 283, Wallingford, Conn. (Choate Rosemary Hall) Cameron Herron, HHH, 6-2½, 275, Indianapolis (Warren Central) Owen Strebig, HHH, 6-7, 295, Waukesha, Wis. (Catholic Memorial) Defensive End Christopher Burgess Jr., HHHH, 6-4, 240, Chicago (Simeon) Dominik Hulak, HHHH, 6-4, 240, Elmhurst, Ill. (Immaculate Conception) Defensive Tackle Davion Dixon, HHH, 6-3, 305, Miami (Palmetto) Joseph Reiff, HHHH, 6-5, 250, Elmhurst, Ill. (York Community) Gordy Sulfsted, HHH, 6-5, 235, Cincinnati (St. Xavier) Linebacker Madden Faraimo, HHHH, 6-3, 225, San Juan Capistrano, Calif. (JSerra Catholic) Ko'o Kia, HHH, 6-3, 220, Honolulu (Punahou) Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, HHHH, 6-0½, 200, Bradenton, Fla. (IMG Academy) Anthony Sacca, HHH, 6-2½, 225, Philadelphia (St. Joseph's) Cornerback Dallas Golden, HHHH, 6-0, 188, Tampa, Fla. (Berkeley Prep) Cree Thomas, HHH, 6-1, 170, Phoenix (Brophy College Preparatory) Mark Zackery, HHHH, 5-10½, 160, Indianapolis (Ben Davis) Safety JaDon Blair, HHHH, 6-4½, 195, Winston-Salem, N.C. (Mount Tabor) Ethan Long, HHH, 6-2, 185, Milford, Conn. (Brunswick School) Brandon Logan, HHH, 6-1, 190, Fort Wayne, Ind. (Snider) Athlete None Star ratings are from On3 as of Oct. 17 Commitments in bold italics Class Of 2025 Scholarship Offer Master List RECRUITING NOTES • Notre Dame has not completely bowed out of the competi- tion for Las Vegas Bishop Gorman four-star Derek Meadows, who is the No. 11 wide receiver and No. 80 overall player in the On3 Industry Ranking. After favoring the Fighting Irish for most of his recruitment, the 6-foot-5, 205-pound pass catcher committed to LSU July 20. However, communication between the Notre Dame coaching staff and the No. 2 senior prospect in Nevada is picking up per Steve Wiltfong, who is On3's vice president of recruiting and the transfer portal. "This is a well-rounded young man that loves what Notre Dame offers on and off the football field," Wiltfong said. "He's a guy that Notre Dame had at the top of their board, regard- less of position. "When he committed to LSU, Marcus Freeman and Company aren't taking no for an answer. They've hit that gas pedal even more for Meadows as this process has continued. They're try- ing to get him to campus. "We'll see if he makes it to a home game, maybe Florida State [Nov. 9], as Notre Dame's season continues. He's a guy who continues to have dialogue with the Irish." Notre Dame has the Nos. 118 and 178 wide receivers in the 2025 class cur- rently verbally committed in three-stars Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic's Elijah Burress and Jerome Bettis Jr. from College Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy. It also has the nation's No. 12 athlete in the fold in Greenville (Ga.) High four- star Antavious Richardson, the No. 36 player in Georgia and No. 294 overall recruit in the land. Bettis is the No. 107 player in the Peach State, and Burress is the No. 20 recruit in New Jersey. Meanwhile, the Irish still target Cibolo (Texas) Steele four-star Jalen Cooper and Orlando (Fla.) Boone three-star Isaiah Mizell, who are On3's Nos. 16 and 53 wide receivers in 2025. Cooper, the No. 22 prospect in Texas and No. 104 overall player in the country, and Mizell, the No. 47 recruit in the Sunshine State, are pledged to SMU and Arizona, respectively. Even if Notre Dame landed either Cooper or Mizell, increas- ing the wide receiver commit list to four, Meadows is a "take- no-matter-what" prospect. • A new contender has emerged in the recruitment of 2025 four-star linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy. Despite releasing a top six of Notre Dame, Florida, Michi- gan, Ohio State, Southern Cal and Texas Sept. 16, the 6-0½, 200-pounder officially visited Colorado the weekend of Oct 11. And he left Boulder with the Buffaloes as one of his top schools, he told On3's Hayes Fawcett. "Understanding the opportunity that is at play, I could come in and make an everlasting impact," Owusu-Boateng said. Notre Dame is set to host Owusu-Boateng on campus for the Florida State game Nov. 9. Then, he will officially visit Texas Nov. 23. He is eying making a commitment sometime in early December. Owusu-Boateng is the No. 40 prospect in Florida and No. 30 linebacker nationally in the 2025 class. — Kyle Kelly ON3 INDUSTRY 2025 TEAM RECRUITING RANKINGS As of Oct. 17 1. Alabama 22 2. Ohio State 26 3. LSU 27 4. Auburn 27 5. Georgia 22 6. Texas 21 7. Oregon 16 8. Tennessee 23 9. Texas A&M 22 10. Miami 22 11. Oklahoma 21 12. Southern Cal 22 13. Notre Dame 23 Rk. School Commits Rk. School Commits Las Vegas Bishop Gorman 2025 class wide receiver Derek Meadows visited Notre Dame four times before com- mitting to LSU in July. PHOTO COURTESY ON3 2025 Master List Changes Prospects Committed: QB Blake Hebert of Greenwich, Conn., and OL Cameron Herron of Indianapolis. Prospects Decommitted: None. Prospects Removed: None.