Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/181992
football recruiting Irish Focus On Top Targets Notre Dame's top remaining target on its board is Norcross, Ga., product Lorenzo Carter, who is rated as a five-star prospect, the No. 1 weakside defensive end nationally and the No. 4 overall player in the class of 2014 by 247Sports. photo courtesy 247sports By Tom Loy W ith September winding down, Notre Dame was at 16 commitments for its 2014 class and was expected to add eight more by National Signing Day in February 2014. Here is a look at the situation with the top Irish targets remaining on the board. Five-star linebacker Lorenzo Carter is the top overall target for the Notre Dame staff. The Irish are in better shape for the Norcross, Ga., native than many expect. Alabama, Georgia and Florida remain the teams to beat, but if Notre Dame can get the 6-5, 235-pound recruit on campus for an official visit, particularly for the USC game Oct. 19, the school's chances of landing Carter increase dramatically. 247Sports ranks Carter as the No. 4 overall recruit in the country, the No. 1 weakside defensive end in the nation and the No. 1 prospect in Georgia. While Carter is the top-ranked target on the board, five-star defensive tackle Matt Elam may be the biggest need for the Notre Dame staff. Replacing All-American defensive lineman Louis Nix III after this season is a top priority, and the 6-6, 350-pound Elam would fill that role perfectly. The Elizabethtown, Ky., standout has a top three of Alabama, Kentucky and Notre Dame, and the Irish are hoping to gain a commitment from him during his official visit to South Bend for the USC game in October. 247Sports