Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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2015 RECRUITING ISSUE BY LOU SOMOGYI It didn't take long for Miles Boykin to make an impact with his athletic skills at Providence Catholic High School in New Lenox, Ill. It just happened to be in basketball, where he had been starring since the fourth grade and was on an Illinois AAU travel team with current Notre Dame freshman tight end Nic Weishar, who hosted him on his Dec. 12 official visit. Boykin already was with the varsity as a freshman and made the All-Chicago Catholic League team as a sophomore. Recruited by local schools DePaul and the University of Illinois-Chicago for the hardwood, Boykin changed his direc- tion to football after the University of Illinois offered him in that sport follow- ing a relatively modest sophomore year. "It changed my mind completely when you see a big school like that offer you," Boykin said. "The whole plan of playing a sport in college is being able to go somewhere where you wouldn't be able to without that sport. "At Notre Dame, people with 4.0 GPA's can't get in sometimes. It was clear to me where I wanted to be, and I knew I wouldn't be able to go there without football, so I'm going to take full advantage of it. I don't think any- body goes to Notre Dame without hav- ing education as a huge factor in choos- ing the school." Boykin joined a long list of Notre Dame football players named The Cham- paign News Gazette Illinois Player of the Year since the award's inception in 1978: defensive lineman Tim Marshall (1979), linebackers Tony Furjanic (1981), John Foley (1985), Randy Scianna (1988) and Oliver Gibson (1989), quarterback Kent Graham (1986), running backs Rob- ert Farmer (1992) and Robert Hughes (2006), and linebacker Steve Filer (2007). Although he dislocated a finger four times during the playoffs that required a pin to be inserted, Boykin helped the Celtics to the 2014 Class 7A state title. "It was pretty painful to catch the ball after the pin was inserted," Boykin Miles Boykin Holds Court on tHe Gridiron Boykin hauled in 65 catches for 1,035 yards (15.9 yards per reception) and 19 touchdowns while helping New Lenox (Ill.) Providence Catholic cap- ture the Class 7A state crown as a senior. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM