Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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PREP PROFILES It seems like every year Notre Dame and UCLA go neck and neck with each other for a handful of high-profile Cali- fornia prospects. The class of 2016 isn't expected to be any different, and one re- cruiting battle between the two schools is already under- way. Notre Dame ex- tended an offer to Santa Ana Mater Dei three-star ath- lete Curtis Robin- son last month. Robinson, who projects best as an outside line- backer in college, h a s s t ro n g t i e s to UCLA, the lo- cal program. His mother graduated from there, and she is currently a profes- sor on the school's Westwood campus. But while the Bruins may run deep in Robinson's bloodline, that doesn't mean that Notre Dame won't be in- volved with his recruitment. The Fight- ing Irish joined Duke, Boston College, Washington and Nebraska as the initial programs to tender offers to Robinson, and according to him that was a big deal. "It was just exciting," Robinson said. "To have a school like Notre Dame offer this early in the process is great. It really makes me want to try and get out there for a visit." Robinson, who had 40 tackles, four sacks and an interception this past season for Mater Dei, claims that he is already familiar with UCLA and the coaching staff. But the Bruins have yet to offer. That has opened the door for Notre Dame and other schools like Duke to get in the mix. "I'm definitely focusing on the highest academic schools, because that's the first pri- ority for me," said Robinson, who is rated as the No. 37 player in the Golden State and the No. 31 athlete nationally by Ri- vals.com. "Obviously I'm going to be playing football at whatever school I go to, but I want to make sure I get the best academic opportunity I can." Notre Dame provides Robinson with both a high-level education and football, and that's what he likes about the Irish. The 6-3, 215-pound prospect claims that he has no leaders at the time, but that the Irish are definitely trending up in his recruitment. "It's kind of hard to put them on some list because I haven't take any visits or had time to think about it, but I'm high on them," Robinson said. — Andrew Ivins California LB Could Be Another Notre Dame-UCLA Battle CURTIS ROBINSON ✪ ✪ ✪ Mater Dei High School Santa Ana, Calif. Status: Offered Class: 2016 Position: Outside Linebacker Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 220 40-Yard Dash: 4.69 Rivals.com Rankings: No. 31 athlete in the country and No. 37 prospect in California