Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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campus, the Gators coaching staff was unable to make him second guess his thoughts on the Irish. Hoge committed directly to Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly during a one-on-one meeting Dec. 7, and the Gem State prospect became the third four-star recruit in the Irish's 2015 class. Shreveport, La., offensive tackle Jerry Tillery was Notre Dame's first commitment June 22, and Corona, Calif., prostyle quarterback Blake Barnett became commitment No. 2 Nov. 24. Hoge's pledge vaulted Notre Dame from No. 20 to No. 11 nationally in the 2015 team rankings on 247Sports. "I've been in contact with Blake," Hoge said. "We've been contacting each other a lot. He's a quality guy, and it will be an honor to snap to him for four years. Also Jerry is a key piece to our offensive line. He's a quality guy from what I've heard. I definitely look forward to keeping in contact with my future teammates. Film Analysis Strengths Hoge is an old-school, blue-collar type of player … He loves contact and the physicality of the sport … Off the field he is soft spoken, but on the field he plays with anger and intensity … Technically, he is a better run blocker than pass protector, although he's above average in both categories … He has tremendous strength and size, and overpowers his opponents, especially in the run game. Areas To Improve Hoge's high school team runs the football most of the time, so pass protection is an area in which he needs to develop … He's shown athleticism and solid footwork in a camp setting, but he will need to become more technically sound before he contributes in a Notre Dame uniform. — Tom Loy "One more year, and we'll be up there all together. It's going to be a good experience, but this is only the beginning. This 2015 class is going to be something special."