Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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PREP PROFILES When Notre Dame, Alabama, Ari- zona State, Oklahoma, Penn State and Stanford have all offered, it's clear that you are one of the nation's top overall players. That's exactly the case for Fresno (Calif.) Clovis West four-star outside linebacker Caleb Kelly. "I'm a man of God and I'm just truly blessed," the class of 2016 stand- out said. "It's in- credible. It means so much having so many schools after me. It's very hum- bling. I can get a f r e e e d u c a t i o n , get to play college football and hope- fully end up play- ing in the NFL" The 6-3, 215-pounder has an offer list that includes the top programs in college football, but it was the Notre Dame offer April 24 that really hit home with him. "It was one of my first offers," Kelly noted. "I think it was my third one overall. I was so shocked and so ex- cited. It's one of the biggest schools in college football. For Notre Dame to come from Indiana and come to my school and offer me, it's incredible. I just thought it was really cool." After multiple conversations over Twitter, Kelly finally picked up the offer during a phone call with Notre Dame quarterbacks coach and West Coast recruiter Matt LaFleur. "Coach LaFleur is a fun guy to talk to. He's young, and I can relate well with him," Kelly said. "He's been in- volved in the NFL a n d h e k n o w s what it takes to get there. He's been at the highest level. I really like that. "He knows that t h r o u g h h a r d w o r k , d r e a m s c a n c o m e t r u e . He's lived it and coached the best players around." Kelly has been able to catch the Fighting Irish in action a few times on television. "Notre Dame has looked good this year," Kelly said. "They've lost some tough games, but they've lost to some really good teams. I could even see Arizona State getting in the playoff. "[Linebacker] Jaylon Smith has re- ally stood out to me. I like how he plays. He plays fast, and I like how they use him. They move him around in the middle, outside and anywhere. I could see myself doing the same thing." — Tom Loy Elite West Coast Target Is Impressed By Notre Dame CALEB KELLY ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Clovis West High School Fresno, Calif. Status: Offered Class: 2016 Position: Outside Linebacker Ht.: 6-3 · Wt.: 215 40-Yard Dash: 4.58 247Sports Rankings: No. 25 overall player in the land, No. 3 outside linebacker in the coun- try and No. 2 player in California