Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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2015 RECRUITING ISSUE BY ANDREW OWENS If you push for something long enough and with enough relentlessness, you might just get what you want. Since last April, when safety pros- pect Nicco Fertitta committed to Notre Dame, he ended one recruitment and started another with the goal of bring- ing Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High School four-star tight end teammate Aliz'e Jones to Notre Dame with him. Jones had committed to UCLA in November 2013, but remained open to the idea of eventually signing with the Irish throughout the process. Finally, on Jan. 15 of this year, Jones changed his commitment from the Bruins to Notre Dame. "Some of those guys going to other schools will persuade, too, but Aliz'e and Nicco hang out and our senior class was real tight, which is part of why we had so much success," Bishop Gorman head coach Kenny Sanchez said. "I'm sure in his own time Nicco was telling him to come there. "I know if I was going to any school in the country, I'm trying to get Aliz'e to come with me." Irish head coach Brian Kelly thinks Jones might be the best tight end he's seen at Notre Dame, which is saying a lot about Tight End U. "That's not to put any pressure on Aliz'e," Kelly said of the high praise. "But that's why he came here. He wants that. He's looking for that challenge, and he's a guy that certainly everybody is going to talk about his ability to catch, but he understands the tight end posi- tion and knows that he needs to con- tinue to get bigger and stronger. He'll stick his nose in there, and he'll be an in-line blocker if you need him." Like at quarterback with 2015 signee Brandon Wimbush, the tight end posi- tion was not a need for Notre Dame in this recruiting cycle with sophomores Durham Smythe and Mike Heuerman plus freshmen Tyler Luatua and Nic IrIsh BelIeve AlIz'e Jones Is The nATIon's Top TIghT end Jones was named a first-team All-American by MaxPreps.com and USA Today following a senior season in which he caught 41 passes for 930 yards (22.7 yards per reception) and 13 touch- downs. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM