Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING said. "The coaches were awesome, and the campus was beautiful. I can't wait to get back again, especially when it's nice out." Barajas had many great moments to take away from his visit to Notre Dame, but nothing will top his one-on- one time with Kelly. "Coach Kelly and I were laughing in the office," he said. "You could tell he was a real down-to-earth guy. It seemed like he really loved Notre Dame, and he was passionate about the school. He made it clear Notre Dame doesn't throw out offers and they're real selective about it. Coach Kelly gave me a great first impres- sion." 247Sports ranks Barajas as the No. 145 overall recruit in the country, the No. 3 inside linebacker in the na- tion and the No. 1 player in Indiana. New Lenox (Ill.) Providence Catho- lic athlete Miles Boykin also picked up an offer from the Irish on Junior Day. The 6-5, 208-pound recruit is consid- ered as an offensive athlete. He plays wide receiver and tight end in high school, but a collegiate position hasn't been set for the junior standout. Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech and others have offered Boykin, but the Irish will be tough to beat. "I don't have any leaders, but I re- ally like Notre Dame," Boykin said. "It's just too early for me to commit anywhere right now. I'm going to take my time and let things play out a little more. "Notre Dame is a pretty special place. My mom loves it up there and I do, too. The coaches are always nice and friendly, and they treat you like family. That's important. If I went there, I wouldn't be that far from home, and there's a comfort with that staff that makes my family happy and makes this easier for me." While on campus, Boykin got a chance to spend time with offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock and hear about the changes com- ing to the offense. " C o a c h D e n b ro c k was great. He's really smart," Boykin men- tioned. "He just let me know all about how I would be used in the offense and why they need a big guy with speed like me. He said there would be cer- tain packages where I would be used more as a tight end and others where I would be lined JUNIOR DAY VISITORS Josh Barajas, ILB, 6-3, 210, Merrillville, Ind. (Andrean) Joey Belden, DE, 6-3, 235, Avon, Ind. (Avon) Miles Boykin, WR/TE, 6-5, 208, New Lenox, Ill. (Providence Catholic) Justin Hilliard, OLB, 6-2, 230, Cincinnati (St. Xavier) Noah Listermann, OT, 6-7, 293, Cincinnati (Winton Woods) Matt McCann, OT, 6-6, 305, Indianapolis (Bishop Chatard) Quentin Moon, OLB, 6-2, 215, Indianapolis (Pike) Kellen Overstreet, RB/CB, 6-0, 189, Hamilton, Mo. (Penney) Trevor Ruhland, OG, 6-4, 270, Cary, Ill. (Cary-Grove Community) Adam Solomon, OT, 6-6, 290, Indianapolis (Bishop Chatard) Elijah Taylor, DT, 6-3, 275, Cincinnati (Archbishop Moeller) Brandon Tiassum, DT/OG, 6-5, 285, Indianapolis (Park Tudor) Justin Tranquill, S, 5-11, 195, Fort Wayne, Ind. (Carroll) Mykelti Williams, S, 6-0, 195, Indianapolis (Warren Central)