Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/393046
Although it was not the first time the talented guard visited campus, Notre Dame felt it had rolled out the red carpet for Coleman in September. The program felt as if it had presented everything it had and that it was then up to Coleman to make the decision. The staff pressured him to commit and cancel his following two official visits elsewhere, but he chose not to do that. Coleman traveled to UNLV the weekend after the Notre Dame trip and the Rebels made quite an impact on the 6-3, 160-pound guard. The program jumped ahead of the Irish for his services, but would later be topped by Illinois, which hosted him the weekend of Sept. 20. Coleman committed to the Illini the next week. Coleman was not keen on pledging to a guard-heavy roster, and communication with the Irish staff ended in mid-September. Coleman is the No. 25 overall player in the country, the No. 4 point guard nationally and the No. 2 prospect in Indiana according to 247Sports. The silver lining for the Irish is that they now have a scholarship to give in the spring if a post player emerges during this upcoming high school basketball season or if the program finds a transfer they like this spring. Head coach Mike Brey conducted two in-home visits with Las Vegas Bishop Gorman five-star center Stephen Zimmerman during September, but the Irish have a substantial amount of ground to make up considering they are not scheduled to receive one of his five official visits. The good news for Notre Dame is time is on its side: Zimmerman does not expect to sign until late spring. Zimmerman is the No. 23 overall player in the country, the No. 4 center nationally and the No. 3 player from Nevada according to 247Sports. Brey also visited Fort Wayne (Ind.) Homestead five-star center Caleb Swanigan in September, and the odds of landing a commitment from him are even longer than those of Zimmerman. Michigan State, Louisville and Kentucky are the favorites to secure a commitment from Swanigan. He is the No. 18 overall player in the country, the No. 3 center nationally and the No. 1 player from Indiana according to 247Sports. — Andrew Owens Las Vegas Bishop Gorman five-star Stephen Zimmerman, the No. 23 overall player and No. 4 center nationally according to 247Sports, tops Notre Dame's wish list, but the Irish have a substantial amount of ground to make up in his recruitment. PHOTO COURTESY 247SPORTS