Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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PREP PROFILES There are not many defensive backs that can match what Houston North Shore safety Eric Monroe does on the field. The 6-1, 183-pound five-star recruit has tremendous ball skills, top-end speed and the phys- icality to put fear in his opponents. It's no surprise that LSU, South Carolina, UCLA, Kentucky, Michigan State and Ohio State have offered the class of 2016 stand- out. Notre Dame joined the party this spring with an offer of its own. "I was shocked. I was like, 'Whoa, Notre Dame offered me.' It was a pretty cool feeling," Mon- roe said. "My coach told me they offered, and it was pretty cool. "It's definitely one of the biggest offers I have. I've been watching them over the years. They have a good program and they do some good things on the field." Notre Dame is just one of many schools that Monroe has high interest in early on. "UCLA, LSU, Ohio State, South Car- olina and Notre Dame," Monroe said when asked about who his top schools are right now. "Those are probably the biggest offers I have right now. I'm also looking a little at Texas A&M, too." LSU is a school that is widely regarded as the favorite to land Monroe. Per the 247Sports Crystal Ball, nine of the 10 predictions have him choosing to play for the Tigers. "They always put defensive backs in the league," Mon- roe said of LSU. "If I have a chance to ball out in college, that'll help me get to the league. They have a strong tradition of strong defenses. I've visited there four times already. It's a great campus and a nice school." UCLA is another school that is heavily in the mix to land Monroe. The Bruins signed two recruits from his high school in the 2014 class. "UCLA has a really good program," Monroe said. "Two of my former team- mates are there — [2014 linebacker signee] Zach Whitley and [2014 offensive guard signee] Najee Toran. The coaching staff is recruiting me hard, too." Monroe doesn't expect to make a deci- sion anytime soon. He continues to add offers weekly and would like to get a few more before making a final list. How- ever, he did state that Notre Dame "will be in it until the end." — Tom Loy Irish Offer Surprises Elite Junior Defensive Back ERIC MONROE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ North Shore High School Houston Status: Offered Class: 2016 Position: Safety Ht.: 5-10 · Wt.: 170 40-Yard Dash: 4.41 247Sports Rankings: No. 19 overall recruit in the land, No. 1 safety nationally and No. 3 player in Texas