Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/259072
FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISAIAH MCKENZIE PROVIDES DOSE OF DRAMA Each recruiting cycle is not complete without at least one prospect keep- ing recruitniks and coaches guessing. Florida wide receiver/return man Isaiah McKenzie provided this year's requisite drama. Unlike in past years, this situation was wrapped up prior to National Signing Day. McKenzie, a four-star prospect and 247Sports' No. 23 wide receiver na- tionally from Fort Lauderdale's Amer- ican Heritage High School, is a former teammate and close friend of Notre Dame freshman linebacker Michael Deeb. The 5-8, 175-pound water bug receiver is touted as a dangerous play- maker in space and as a return man. McKenzie's strange dance with Notre Dame started last fall when he told his teammates at American Heri- tage that he committed to the Irish during a school pep rally. At the time, he wasn't academically eligible for a scholarship from the university. In January, he raised his résumé enough that Notre Dame was able to accept him as a student. By then a standout performance at the Un- der Armour All-America Game had Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) American Heritage standout Isaiah McKenzie, a four-star prospect and 247Sports' No. 23 wide receiver nationally, ended up signing with Georgia after receiving an 11th-hour offer from the Bulldogs. PHOTO COURTESY 247SPORTS