Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/462058
2015 RECRUITING ISSUE linebacker Asmar Bilal as a freshman, and the two are very familiar with each other, but he also knows four-star defen- sive back Mykelti Williams and four-star linebacker Josh Barajas, who hails from Merrillville. "Notre Dame is recruiting Indiana again, and that's great," Tiassum said. "Before Coach [Brian] Kelly came, they weren't really recruiting the state that much. Indiana doesn't have a real big reputation as a football state, but Notre Dame is a football school so for us to have the opportunity to play there is great. "It's just more people from Indianapo- lis at Notre Dame. We're going to have success and start a pipeline to ND." ✦ BGI FILM ANALYSIS: BRANDON TIASSUM Strengths More athletic than he looks … Has already started getting in shape, dropping bad weight and tightening up his body … Uses his hands well … Does damage when he gets his hands on offensive linemen … Very disruptive at the line of scrimmage … Is physical and strong, and is typically the most dominant player on the field … Good motor … Does a good job of finishing the play and pursuing the football … A ton of upside … He has raw skills at this point, but he can develop into an effective, multi-year starter. Areas For Improvement Doesn't have an explosive first step … Needs to add consistency with how he reacts off the snap … Can show a good burst at times, but not every time … Needs to work on lowering his pad level … He's very tall and the low man typically wins, so he needs to adjust that at the next level.