Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING THE VISITORS Notre Dame will host a few differ- ent recruiting events to coincide with spring football practices, but Junior Day March 21 will be the most impor- tant with the Irish expected to wel- come at least 10 four-star prospects. Here are some of the headliners: TOMMY KRAEMER Offensive Tackle • Cincinnati Elder Rivals.com Rankings: Four stars, No. 1 recruit in Ohio, No. 2 offensive tackle in the land and No. 31 overall pros- pect in the nation. The Skinny: The lone Notre Dame ver- bal commit remains solid to the Irish despite recently picking up an offer from Georgia and a recent push from Ohio State. JOSH KING Defensive End • Darien (Ill.) Hinsdale South Rivals.com Rankings: Four stars, No. 1 prospect in Illinois, No. 4 strongside defensive end in the country and No. 59 overall player in the nation. The Skinny: King won the Illinois 220-pound Class 3-A state wrestling title last month. He'll visit five schools this spring, but Notre Dame is the first stop, which could be a telling sign. RON JOHNSON Defensive End • Camden (N.J.) High Rivals.com Rankings: Four stars, No. 5 player in New Jersey, No. 5 weakside defensive end nationally and No. 96 overall recruit in the land. The Skinny: New Jersey is a battle- ground state for Notre Dame this cy- cle, and Johnson is a top target. He's paying his way to make this trip, which shows the interest level he has in the program. ELIJAH HOLYFIELD Running Back • College Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy Rivals.com Rankings: Four stars, No. 16 recruit in Georgia, No. 5 running back in the land and No. 113 overall pros- pect in the nation. The Skinny: Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly has made the son of for- Junior Day Hit Rate Notre Dame has had success with Junior Day ever since Irish head coach Brian Kelly arrived in South Bend in 2010. The first Junior Day of the cycle normally produces a number of future Notre Dame signees. March 20, 2010 — Roughly 40 prospects attended one of the largest recruiting events of the Kelly era. The Irish signed six players that were on hand: defensive end Brad Carrico, wide receiver DaVaris Daniels, linebacker Jarrett Grace, defensive back Eliar Hardy, offensive lineman Matt Hegarty and defensive end Tony Springmann. Feb. 26, 2011 — Notre Dame welcomed eight recruits to watch a men's basketball game against Seton Hall. It was a more regionalized group given the low scholarship numbers that year, but defensive back Nicky Baratti and offensive lineman Mark Harrell both ended up inking with the Irish. March 24, 2012 — One of the most successful recruiting events this past decade, Notre Dame had more than 20 prospects on campus for a spring football practice. Eight recruits ended up at Notre Dame: of-