Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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prep profiles Irish On Top For Florida Speedster Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) American Heritage wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie took his first trip to South Bend in June, and spent nearly an entire week checking out Notre Dame and the surrounding area. The 5-8, 170-pound recruit went into the visit without a leader. He had the Irish, Michigan, West Virginia, Kentucky, Cincinnati and Rutgers as his main schools of interest. After his trip to South Bend, everything changed. "Notre Dame is on top," he said. "They are my top school. I liked everything about the trip, and I even thought about committing at one point. I want to visit Cincinnati, West Virginia and Rutgers, and then I'll make a final decision on Oct. 6. "I have my Notre Dame official visit on October 19. I'll be there for the USC game. I'll have a decision made before then, but I'll make that trip no matter what I choose." While his primary recruiter, Notre Dame running backs and slot receivers coach Tony Alford, did a great job of selling the school prior to his visit, it was his time spent with wide receivers coach Mike Denbrock that McKenzie especially enjoyed. "Coach Denbrock was just telling me that I have all the things to be a really good slot receiver in this offense," McKenzie noted. "He said that I have the speed, the hands and the quickness to score every time I touch the Isaiah McKenzie ✪✪✪ American Heritage HS Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Status: Offered Position: Wide Receiver Ht.: 5-8 • Wt.: 170 40-Yard Dash: 4.3 247Sports Rankings: No. 128 player in Florida and No. 122 wide receiver in the country ball. "I really liked how they thought I could be used in so many ways. He was talking about deep balls, short balls, reverses and all that. It was crazy." McKenzie spent plenty of time on campus visiting with the coaching staff and seeing what life would be like as a Notre Dame student-athlete, and his discussions with current Irish players put the trip over the edge, he said. "The players were real helpful with everything," McKenzie said. "They said that the winter weather can be rough around here, but it's not that big of a deal. I prefer warm weather, but snow is probably pretty cool once in a while. "They also told me that they love going to school here, and I could tell they weren't making that up." — Tom Loy