Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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PREP PROFILES BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 19, 2026 45 Through three games, Tampa (Fla.) Carrollwood Day has allowed just seven points, making it difficult for a top cor- nerback prospect like James Allen to shine with so few passes coming his way. He's posted 5 tackles, 1 pass broken up, 1 fum- ble recovery and 1 interception (returned 45 yards for a touchdown) this season. "We're 3-0 and it's going well," Al- len said. "It's tough for me to get some targets. I didn't get one tonight and only have four on the season with one pick-six. I have to make the most of my opportunities." It's clear, though, just how talented Al- len is. At 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, Allen has excellent size at the position and is just a high school sophomore. Allen looks like a future five-star prospect, and the chances of him becoming one seem high. In mid-August, Rivals released its ini- tial top 100 national rankings for the 2029 class, and James checks in at No. 1 overall. The early ranking has gener- ated considerable attention, but Allen has three more years of high school and knows he must remain grounded. "I try to not focus on all the atten- tion," he said. "At the end of the day, I have to play football like everyone else and play to the standard of the ranking." It's obviously early in Allen's recruit- ment, and recruiting isn't his main focus at this point, but he is still paying atten- tion to it. He's scheduled to see Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, Miami, Auburn, Ohio State and Notre Dame this fall. His trip to South Bend is scheduled for the SMU game Nov. 21. "They've been showing a lot of love," Allen said of the Irish staff. "They came to one of my practices in the spring, and I'm very interested. My boy Dallas Golden is at Notre Dame, and I want to see how it is up there." Golden is a fellow Tampa native who trained with Allen before enrolling at Notre Dame in 2025. That connection is strong, and Allen likes Notre Dame defensive backs coach Aaron Henry and wide receivers coach Mike Brown. "I want to see what Notre Dame has to offer," Allen continued. "I've heard it's a great school with awesome academics. I want to see what the campus is about and build a relationship with the coaches. "Knowing Coach Henry's background — he put Devon Witherspoon in the league from Illinois," Allen added. "And now he's at Notre Dame and develop- ing those guys. He has a good history of putting players in the NFL." — Mike Singer Baltimore Mount Saint Joseph class of 2028 linebacker Cyrus Zuah has seen his offer list grow quickly. His first two offers came on the same day late in January from UCF and Bos- ton College. A few months later, Stan- ford, Ohio and Eastern Michigan joined the mix. His recruitment went to the next level Aug. 31 when Virginia Tech offered. Notre Dame joined the mix the fol- lowing day, and several other Power Four programs have followed suit since. "I prepared well for the season," Zuah told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "I sent out my highlights from Week 1 to a bunch of coaches, and they loved my physicality and everything I'm doing." He spoke to Notre Dame director of scouting DJ Bryant and linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary when receiv- ing the offer from the Fighting Irish. He spoke briefly with Jean-Mary at the top of the call before Bryant delivered the good news. "It did surprise me. It really did," he said. "I was super hyped." Zuah visited Notre Dame for the Navy game last November, but at that point, he wasn't a target for the staff. His trainer, Montre Gregory, helped de- velop former five-star cornerback and Notre Dame freshman Khary Adams, and that connection helped the Irish staff quickly learn more about Zuah. "Coach DJ was wanting to know more about me, and he told me how much he liked my film," Zuah said. "He gave me the full scholarship offer to Notre Dame. "This might be my favorite one," he added. "This offer is huge. It's honestly the biggest offer right now, and I've liked Notre Dame for a while." Zuah gave BGI that statement prior to adding offers from Alabama, Michigan and Penn State, so his answer may have changed, but it's clear that the Irish are one of the leading programs in his recruitment. "It was nice," he said of his visit last fall. "It was freezing and snowing out there, but it was all really nice." Zuah visited Michigan last week for the Wolverines' field-storming victory over Western Michigan, and he's sched- uled to visit Notre Dame for the Miami game Nov. 7. — Mike Singer Top-Ranked 2029 Recruit Is High On The Fighting Irish Notre Dame Extends Offer To Fast-Rising 2028 Linebacker JAMES ALLEN ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Carrollwood Day H.S. Tampa, Fla. Status: Offered Class: 2029 Position: CB Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 175 Rivals Rankings: No. 1 pros- pect in Florida, and No. 1 cornerback and No. 1 overall player nationally CYRUS ZUAH Mount Saint Joseph H.S. Baltimore Status: Offered Class: 2028 Position: Linebacker Ht.: 6-1 • Wt.: 200 Rivals Rankings: Not cur- rently ranked. "This might be my favorite one. This offer is huge. It's honestly the biggest offer right now, and I've liked Notre Dame for a while." ZUAH ON HIS IRISH OFFER