Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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PREP PROFILES Each year Notre Dame tries to land some of the top talent from California. Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra four-star wide receiver Brandon Burton picked up an offer from the Irish Dec. 1, and the 6-2, 195-pounder called it "a great surprise." "It came out of no- where," the class of 2016 prospect said. "I talk to [Irish quar- terbacks coach] Matt LaFleur all the time, but he didn't hint that I was getting the offer. "It felt good to know that I have an offer from such a great institution like Notre Dame. The degree has a ton of weight behind it. Everyone knows what Notre Dame is and is about." Although he hasn't landed a commit- ment from the West Coast yet, LaFleur has made an impact on the trail. "Coach LaFleur is really cool," said Burton, who is listed by 247Sports as a four-star recruit, the No. 18 prospect in California, the No. 26 wide receiver in the country and the No. 125 overall player in the junior class. "I like him a lot. He's a big reason behind my inter- est in Notre Dame. I like his personality, and he keeps it real. He just seems down to earth." For many years, Burton has been best friends with Thousand Oaks (Calif.) Westlake five-star quarterback Malik Henry. Prior to committing to Florida State, Henry told Burton all about Notre Dame. "Malik was tell- ing me that it's a great school and he loved his visit there," Burton said. "He said the cam- pus is beautiful. He told me that ev- eryone was really nice and family ori- ented." With Henry now committed to the S e m i n o l e s , F S U could have the in- side track on landing a pledge from Burton. "That's always been the plan," Bur- ton said regarding playing with Henry at the next level. "We've known each other for so long and have been such good friends, it's something we've al- ways wanted to do. "We'll see what happens, but we both know we need to find the best fit for each of us." Burton would like to enroll early in January 2016, and he's trying to set up his senior schedule to allow him that opportunity. — Tom Loy West Coast Standout Receives 'Great Surprise' From Irish BRANDON BURTON ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Junipero Serra High School Gardena, Calif. Status: Offered Class: 2016 Position: Wide Receiver Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 195 40-Yard Dash: 4.51 247Sports Rankings: No 125 overall player in the country, No. 26 wide receiver nationally and No. 18 recruit in California