Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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class of 2015, the No. 41 power for- ward nationally and the No. 7 player in New Jersey by 247Sports. He pro- vides this Irish class some much needed size and flexibility. "My biggest strength is being versa- tile and being able to go inside-out," he said. "Another one is my ability to be a great teammate, which is very undervalued. I'm a pretty good re- bounder, but I want to work on my jump shot the most and handling the ball." Burns' relationship with head coach Mike Brey and assistant Anthony Solo- mon helped the Irish land the power forward, but the prospect listed educa- tion as his primary focus. "Coach Brey and Coach Solomon are the two that recruited me and did a great job," he said. "They treated me like everyone else did. I had my heart set on a really good academic school and Notre Dame provides me that. "After college their alumni base is amazing. That's what happened with my recruitment and what I was look- ing for in a school. It wasn't too hard for me [to commit]." With Burns' commitment, the last three players to commit to Notre Dame are from New York or New Jersey: point guard Matt Farrell, who joined the 2014 class in March, plus Ryan and Burns. The previous verbal came from Rhode Island's Bonzie Colson, mak- ing the last four from the Northeast, an area that has traditionally been a vital recruiting ground during Brey's tenure. ✦ Basketball Recruiting Update Recent commitment Elijah Burns is one of several prospects the Irish coaching staff watched closely at the Peach Jam Peach Jam Tournament in North Augusta, S.C., the second of three NCAA permitted observation periods in July. Burns said he wants to help persuade La Porte, Ind., four-star guard Jalen Coleman (also at the Peach Jam) to Notre Dame. Michigan is the perceived leader for Coleman, but the Irish have made a strong effort in recent months. With one scholarship offer remaining in the 2015 class — another could be available if junior forward Eric Katenda is placed on a medical scholarship later this summer — Coleman is Notre Dame's No. 1 priority moving forward. He is rated as the No. 25 overall player and the No. 5 point guard in the class of 2015. Cypress, Texas, center Samir Sehic popped up on Notre Dame's radar during the summer as a potential frontcourt match. The 6-9, 250-pounder is listed as a three-star recruit, the No. 129 overall player in the nation, the No. 15 center in the land and the No. 10 player from Texas by 247Sports. His performance at Peach Jam drew the attention of evaluators and coaches from across the country. He holds offers from a number of programs, including Iowa, Texas Tech, Wake Forest and Boston College. One other option for an addition to Notre Dame's roster for the 2015-16 season is Kansas transfer guard Andrew White, who has narrowed his decision to the Irish and Nebraska, two schools he visited in June and July. White, a 6-6, 210-pound guard from Richmond, Va., announced his intention to transfer from the Jayhawks this spring. He averaged only 5.0 minutes and 6.3 minutes the past two seasons. He played behind Ben McLemore two years ago and Andrew Wiggins this past season, a pair that went No. 7 and No. 1 overall in the 2013 and 2014 NBA Drafts, respectively. As of July 21, White had yet to decide, but indicated his announcement could come at anytime. — Andrew Owens