Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY TOM LOY N otre Dame currently sits at 22 com- mitments for its 2015 class, and four more positions of need are expected to complete this class by National Sign- ing Day in February: receiver, tight end, safety and running back. The receiver Irish fans should keep a close eye on is Anaheim (Calif.) Servite four- star Equanimeous St. Brown. The 6-5, 205-pounder has always been a top target for Notre Dame, even when other schools cooled on him. Four-star wideout Lawrence Cager was set to visit Notre Dame for the awards banquet Dec. 12, and the expectation was that he would have given a behind-the-scenes verbal. However, two days before his trip, the Notre Dame staff informed Cager that there was no longer an open spot at receiver and his visit was can- celed. According to a source, Notre Dame landed a "silent verbal" from a target at receiver, and confidence is high that it was St. Brown. The Under Armour All- American will announce his decision on National Signing Day in February. At tight end, the top target has always been Las Vegas Bishop Gorman four- star Aliz'e Jones. The 6-4, 222-pound U.S. Army All-American is committed to UCLA, but sources close to the situ- ation do not expect that pledge to last. Following Jones' official visit to Notre Dame on Dec. 12 — his fourth trip to South Bend in the past two years — it was reported that Notre Dame held the edge in his recruitment. That same source informed Blue & Gold Illustrated that the UCLA staff expects Jones to end up with the Irish. Meanwhile, Avon (Conn.) Old Farms four- star tight end Chris Clark stated that UCLA head coach Jim Mora Jr. was personally re- cruiting him and that the staff had picked up their recruiting efforts for him in a big way. Confidence is high that Jones, Rivals.com's No. 2 tight end and No. 70 overall player nationally, will end up at Notre Dame. The Irish want to add a sixth safety before National Signing Day on Feb. 5. Notre Dame hold commits from Dal- las South Oak Cliff three-star Prentice McKinney, Indianapolis Warren Central three-star Mykelti Williams, Forestville (Md.) Bishop McNamara three-star Ash- ton White, Dayton (Ohio) Archbishop Alter three-star Nick Coleman and Las Vegas Bishop Gorman three-star Nicco Fertitta. However, sources indicate one of these defensive backs is expected to end up signing elsewhere due to an in- ability to qualify academically for Notre Dame. With the commitment of Jacksonville Strong Finish Expected For The Irish JORDAN CRONKRITE