Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Notre Dame Lands A Top QB For 2015 By Tom Loy C orona (Calif.) Santiago quarterback Blake Barnett is one of the hottest names in recruiting for the 2015 class. In November alone, the junior signalcaller picked up offers from Colorado, California, Duke, Ole Miss and West Virginia. However, an offer that he picked up in October was too good to pass up. commitment profile blake barnett 247Sports lists Barnett as a four-star prospect, the No. 11 pro-style quarterback in the nation and the No. 36 player in California in the class of 2015. "I committed to Notre Dame and head coach Brian Kelly the day after the win over BYU," the 6-4, 200-pound prospect said. "It just feels right there. Everything that happened when I was there, from meeting the coaches and walking around the school, it felt welcoming and it felt like the place to be. It felt like home for me, and it's a place that felt ideal for my situation. "It's really exciting knowing that I'll be playing at Notre Dame, a school that has such a prideful history. It's a prestigious school, and everyone knows it. To be able to play under Coach Kelly is a dream and Coach [Chuck] Martin, too. I've been in close contact with him over the last couple weeks, and it's great to know them on a personal level." When the junior quarterback first added the offer from Notre Dame Oct. 19 during his unofficial visit to South Bend for the game against USC, Barnett's father, Lance, became quite emotional. "I was in tears when he offered Blake," the elder Barnett said. "Let me put it to you that way." Barnett's mother, Gina, couldn't believe it and was left shocked. "It's huge," she stated. "When Coach Kelly offered, we were sitting there and I was blown away. I totally didn't expect that." Barnett's parents think that Notre Dame is the perfect fit for their son. They've been on campus multiple times, and both academically and athletically they feel that that he will thrive in the environment offered in South Bend. "There are great opportunities for him beyond football and for the rest of his life and networking and all that," Gina Barnett said. "He's not going to photo courtesy Tom Loy