BY LOU SOMOGYI
W
hen it comes to elite football
talent, California, Florida and
Texas are the "Big Three."
In his recent research for
Scout NFL Network, Jamie Newberg
revealed that California has produced
the most NFL players with 275, fol-
lowed by Florida (252) and Texas
(233). A distant fourth is Georgia (130)
and then Ohio (100).
Notre Dame prioritizes a presence in
the Big Three, and Texas is where it has
been most successful of late. The Irish
signed three apiece in 2014 (defensive
end Grant Blankenship, linebacker Ko-
lin Hill and cornerback Nick Watkins)
and 2013 (wide receivers Corey Rob-
inson and Torii Hunter Jr., plus tight
end Durham Smythe). This year, it has
verbal commitments from wide receiver
Jalen Guyton and defensive back Pren-
tice McKinney.
Florida yielded four players in 2013,
headlined by running backs Tarean
Folston and Greg Bryant, but the
Irish inked only wide receiver Corey
California
Dreamin'
The Golden State
is Notre Dame's high-risk,
high-reward recruiting territory
Fullerton product Troy Niklas originally played out-
side linebacker before becoming a second-round NFL
Draft pick at tight end after his junior season.
PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA
