Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING (Fla.) Trinity Christian Academy three- star safety Ben Edwards to Stanford on Dec. 29, the Irish staff will move on from its top target and pursue San Diego St. Augustine four-star Frank Buncom IV, Geismar (La.) Dutchtown four-star Jus- tin Reid and Dayton (Ohio) Wayne four- star Tyree Kinnel, a current Michigan commit. Buncom took an official visit to Notre Dame for the game against Stanford on Oct. 4, and from all indications he left South Bend with the Irish and Stanford tied at the top. However, over the past few months, it looks like the Cardinal has pulled slightly ahead. Kinnel, like Buncom, has the green light to commit to the Irish when he is ready. He remains committed to Michi- gan, and the hiring of new head coach Jim Harbaugh could be enough to keep him headed to Ann Arbor. However, he visited South Bend Dec. 12, and the Irish made this a close race. Reid, Rivals.com's No. 45 safety in the country, is a relatively new name for Notre Dame. The standout defensive back will visit South Bend on Jan. 23 and will be joined by his parents Stanford, Oklahoma and LSU are also in the mix. LSU is expected to get his final official visit Jan. 30, but the Tigers haven't been pushing hard for him. The Sooners are considered the favorite, with the Irish a dark horse. Heading into the 2015 season, Notre Dame will have only two scholarship running backs — juniors Tarean Folston and Greg Bryant. The Irish have a 2015 pledge from Warrington (Pa.) Central Bucks South four-star Josh Adams, but the staff would like to add a second back. Plano (Texas) West five-star running back Soso Jamabo and Miami Westmin- ster Christian School four-star running back Jordan Cronkrite each have the Irish in their top group. Jamabo, a 6-2, 210-pound recruit, has named Notre Dame and UCLA as his top two. He visited South Bend for the game against Michigan on Sept. 6 and was in Los Angeles for an official visit to UCLA on Oct. 10. The Under Armour All-American is planning to take official visits to Texas and Texas A&M, but it's expected that he pledges to the Irish or Bruins come National Signing Day. The California lifestyle is appealing to Jamabo, but the chance to step in as the No. 3 back at Notre Dame is weighing heavy on his mind. Cronkrite, a 5-11, 200-pound prospect who was once committed to the Univer- sity of Miami, is looking at Notre Dame, Louisville and West Virginia. He's al- ready taken official visits to see the Irish Dec. 12 and the Mountaineers Oct. 31. His trip to Louisville is set for Jan. 22. Rivals.com lists him as the No. 197 over- all player nationally, the No. 25 running back in the land and the No. 32 prospect in Florida. Notre Dame's depth chart could play a big role here because he could end up being the No. 3 back for the Irish in 2015. The Irish have only one other running back committed in 2015. In compari- son, six running backs are committed to Louisville, including two junior college transfers, and two backs have pledged to the Mountaineers. It's not a guarantee Cronkrite ends up Irish, but he looks like the most likely addition. ✦