Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/424772
Holmes last year. This year, the Irish have a verbal pledge from linebacker Tevon Coney. California is the most volatile state for the Irish, the ultimate high-risk, high-reward territory in their recruit- ing efforts. Notre Dame signed one in 2013 with safety Max Redfield, another last win- ter with tight end Tyler Luatua (mak- ing it nine straight years it signed at least one player from the state), and this year it has a verbal from wide receiver C.J. Sanders — who actually played last season in the state of Ten- nessee. Making USC and Stanford "un- touchables" on the football schedules manifests Notre Dame's recruiting presence in the Golden State. Since 1956, USC has been the sea- son finale in even-numbered years, and that trip to Los Angeles allows Irish staff members to stay out there and mine the state for talent. Mean- while, Stanford has been scheduled as the regular-season finale in odd- numbered years almost every season since 1999. Among the prospects Notre Dame is still attempting to lure this year from California are wide receiver Equa- nimeous St. Brown (Anaheim), de- fensive lineman Joseph Wicker (Long Beach), and defensive backs Iman Marshall (Long Beach) and Ykili Ross (Riverside). Luring them away from the warm weather and familiarity of USC and UCLA, an academically elite school such as Stanford, or others, will eter- nally remain a challenge. Yet it's one Notre Dame has always been willing to accept, both the huge victories and bitter setbacks. A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD Notre Dame's recruiting in California can be like dating a glamorous Holly- wood woman such as Kim Kardashian. She might look alluring, but it can often be high maintenance and a lot of drama that makes you ask if it's worth it. Recent examples include several players decommitting, such as highly coveted quarterback Blake Barnett in the 2015 class, defensive tackle Matt Dickerson (now at UCLA) in 2014, defensive lineman Eddie Vander- does (UCLA) in 2013, cornerback Tee Shepard (Ole Miss) and wide receiver Deontay Greenberry (Houston) in 2012, and the nomadic Chris Martin in 2010. In the case of Vanderdoes, he actually reneged on a signed letter of intent. Since 2003, the Fighting Irish football program has signed or received a verbal commitment from 28 players who hail from the Golden State. Thirteen ended up transferring to another school or "decommitting," the most recent being Barnett (Alabama). Current Notre Dame offensive co- ordinator/wide receivers coach Mike Denbrock used to have California and the West Coast as his recruiting base, but added staff responsibilities have him working mainly in the Midwest, with first-year quarterbacks coach Matt LaFleur now handling the Golden State. Denbrock said the first objective when recruiting California is to pare down the list to not waste time and resources. "It's one thing to identify the top players that are out there, but then it's trying to match with what you know