Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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PREP PROFILES Four-Star Wideout Gets Deeper Look At The Irish West Des Moines, Iowa, wide re- ceiver Amara Darboh has been to Notre Dame's campus on other oc- casions, but his official visit for the Boston College game on Nov. 19 pro- vided him with a closer look at what it's like to be a student-athlete for the storied program. "It's a place I can see myself going even if I didn't play football or wasn't an athlete," the 6-2, 205-pound player reported to 247Sports. "That was one thing I was concerned about. When you hear about Notre Dame you hear about the football tradition and all that, but I wasn't sure what my life in college would be like there outside of football. "I experienced that hanging out with the guys. It was just comfort- able. Everyone seemed like they were good people." His host on the trip was freshman wide receiver Matthias Farley. "They all seem like great guys, especially Matthias," Darboh said. "I felt comfortable around them. He took me around and introduced me San Diego tight end Taylor Mc- Namara was off Notre Dame's ra- dar following an early June com- mitment to Arizona, but the Irish were right back in the mix after he decided to open the process up a bit and made an official visit for the Boston College weekend. "I loved it. I really did," the 6-5, 240-pound player said. "I loved the tradition, seeing the campus and everything about it. … I was really blown away by the campus." McNamara was hosted by freshman walk-on linebacker Joe Schmidt. An important part of his visit was finding out directly from the coaches how he fits into the num- bers game and what factors come into play for a potential spot to open up. "The coaches talked to me about how they use the tight ends and where they're at if [junior] Tyler Eif- ert leaves [for the NFL]," McNamara shared. "Apparently [junior] Jake Golic has a really severe back injury, www.BLUEANDGOLD.com AMARA DARBOH ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Dowling Catholic High School West Des Moines, Iowa Position: Wide Receiver Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 205 40-yard dash: 4.42 247Sports Ranking: No. 1 player in Iowa, No. 19 wide receiver in the country and No. 189 over- all recruit nationally to a lot of people — on the team and not on the team." Darboh also spent time with the coaches. "With [Irish head] coach [Brian] Kelly, we just talked about football and how they felt about me," he added. "With [wide receivers] coach [Tony] Alford, we talked about the depth chart and the offense and how it all works and the things I'd have to know." Darboh's finalists are listed as Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Notre Dame and Wisconsin. Besides the trip to and they're not sure if he's ever go- ing to play again, so that could leave them with only two tight ends on the roster [sophomore Alex Welch and freshman Ben Koyack]. "[Tight ends] coach [Mike] Den- brock told me that Ben Koyack is more of an in-line blocker than a receiver, so he feels there's an open- ing for me." In the meantime, he'll continue to consider his other options. Mc- Namara has visited Colorado and Washington with his remaining of- ficials scheduled to Cal Dec. 9 and Oklahoma Dec. 16. "I'm verbally committed, and it's more of a wait-and-see situation," he said. "My mom is making me fin- ish my visits before I commit any- where. It's just because she knows I'm an instinctual guy and that I'd commit on the spot somewhere." McNamara is set to enroll at the school of his choice in January after ending his prep career by playing in the 2012 U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio Jan. 7. South Bend, he has taken official vis- its to see the Badgers play Oregon State Sept. 10 and the Hawkeyes host Northwestern Oct. 15. His next scheduled trip is for the rivalry game in Ann Arbor between the Wolver- ines and Ohio State Nov. 26, and he'll make his last stop in Florida Dec. 2. The trip to Notre Dame was a memorable one, but he's not ready to list any leaders until he finishes taking his visits. "It was a great atmosphere," Dar- boh said of the 16-14 victory over the Eagles. "I've been to the [2010] Pitts- burgh game there, and the spring game, and it's always a great atmo- sphere there. "It was a great visit to Notre Dame, but they're all still even. I haven't been everywhere yet." Darboh will have a surgical pro- cedure done on his shoulder by the New Year, so he'd like to have his decision made by then. Notre Dame's primary competition appears to be Michigan and Wisconsin. — Jason Sapp Notre Dame Set To Host Touted Tight End TAYLOR MCNAMARA ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Westview High School San Diego Position: Tight End Ht.: 6-5 · Wt.: 240 40-yard dash: 4.68 247Sports Ranking: No. 3 tight end in the land, No. 20 player in Califor- nia and the country's No. 173 overall prospect He's glad his mother is taking a firm stance on finishing his visits because he was close to switching over to Notre Dame. "It's a good thing that I have to wait, because I really loved Notre Dame," he said. "I'm going to see these other schools and go from there. I'd say a week or maybe two weeks after I'm done with my visits I'll have a decision for sure. "I don't want to name any lead- ers, but let's just say Notre Dame is up there. They definitely made a huge impact on me." — Jason Sapp DECEMBER 2011 33