Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/187176
football recruiting Expected Unofficial Visitors For The Notre Dame-USC Game OT Alex Bars (2014 prospect) — committed WR Justin Brent (2014 prospect) — committed QB DeShone Kizer (2014 prospect) — committed TE Nic Weishar (2014 prospect) — committed RB Shaq Vann (2014 prospect) — interested Skinny: While former Notre Dame running back commit Elijah Hood was supposedly solid to the Irish, recruiting coordinator Tony Alford kept in touch with Scarbrough just in case Hood decided to back out of his pledge. That is exactly what happened in August when Hood switched to the North Carolina Tar Heels. Although Scarbrough is committed to Alabama, the super-talented back has expressed a great deal of interest in the Fighting Irish football program. If there is one school that could flip the Crimson Tide commit, it's Notre Dame. This is a recruitment to keep a very close eye on leading up to National Signing Day. John "JuJu" Smith S, 6-1, 205, Long Beach, Calif. (Poly) Junior Season: Recorded 51 tackles and six interceptions on defense, and caught 49 passes for 752 yards and had nine touchdowns on offense. 247Sports Rankings: Fivestar recruit, the No. 30 player in the land, the No. 4 athlete in the country and the No. 4 prospect in California. Skinny: Not only is Smith an excellent OL Logan Plantz (2014 prospect) — interested QB Blake Barnett (2015 prospect) — interested OL Mirko Jurkovic (2015 prospect) — interested OL Matt McCann (2015 prospect) — interested WR Austin Mack (2016 prospect) — interested football player and a terrific student, he and his family are very religious. They are looking for a school with a quality football program, a top-notch academic institution and a university that has a religious background. Notre Dame offers all that to the nation's premier safety, and it sits in better shape than most give it credit for. Nick Watkins CB, 6-1, 185, Dallas (Bishop Dunne Catholic) Junior Season: Recorded 62 tackles and intercepted seven passes. 247Spor ts Rankings: Four-star recruit, the No. 25 cornerback in the land and the No. 34 prospect in Texas. Skinny: Most feel that Watkins will end up staying in the state of Texas and playing for the University of Texas or Texas A&M. However, his strong relationship with Notre Dame cornerbacks coach Kerry Cooks could be a huge factor in his final decision. Cooks has made Watkins his top priority, and he and his teammate Hendrix, could commit to the Fighting Irish during their official visits.