Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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PREP PROFILES Paradise Valley, Ariz., athlete Davonte Neal didn't have Notre Dame on his list of 13 favorites at the start of his senior campaign, but the continued efforts of the Irish coach- ing staff put them in position to re- ceive his first official visit when the time came for him to turn his focus back to recruiting. "It was a great visit," the 5-9, Notre Dame Sets Bar High For Touted Athlete DAVONTE NEAL ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Chaparral High School Paradise Valley, Ariz. Position Athlete Ht: 5-9 • Wt: 170 40-yard dash: 4.49 247Sports Ranking: No. 8 170-pound player said of his Dec. 9 weekend trip to South Bend. "I've never been there before, and it was even more than I've heard about. "I had a lot of fun around the guys and enjoyed practice. The coaches were really great. They coached up the guys really well. That's some- thing that I look for — how the coaches coach. It was good watch- ing them work, and it was a great weekend." Neal had 1,300 yards receiving and 1,100 yards rushing in the 2011 season, winning Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year honors for the sec- ond straight campaign. While he may project as a slot receiver and return man at the collegiate level, the Irish athlete in the land, the No. 3 prospect in Ari- zona and the country's No. 85 overall player haven't closed the door on his defen- sive abilities and had him in a meet- ing for all three phases of the game. A key part of any recruit's visit to campus is meeting with the head coach, and Brian Kelly didn't disappoint. "I feel good about him," Neal shared. "I'm very comfortable around him, and we talked about how foot- ball is just the entry door. That's the door I can use to get in, but if that doesn't work out you have to have a solid background academically to take care of yourself financially for the rest of your life." Neal, who plans on studying sports broadcasting in college, has another official visit scheduled — to Arkansas on Jan. 20 — and has yet to decide what other three schools will receive visits. He does know, however, that the other programs will have their work cut out for them. "It's going to be hard to take four other trips and compare them to what I saw at Notre Dame," he said. "It's the standard now as my first one." Neal's father prepared him for his other trips by providing him with the questions to ask, but the trip to South Bend is the only one he will take with his son. After not being on the four-star re- cruit's list at all, the Irish are now in a strong spot. "I could definitely see myself there," Neal said. "I'm starting to learn that it's hard to go into the world and not be part of a great uni- versity, and Notre Dame could be that school that prevents that. "I definitely liked everything that happened on my visit." — Jason Sapp Irish Targeting Four-Star Wide Receiver Lombard, Ill., wide receiver Jordan Westerkamp committed to Nebraska in early May, and he hasn't really looked back since then. The four-star player's complete at- tention was on his senior season, and it paid off. He led his team to a 70-45 victory over Joliet Catholic, which features 2013 Irish offered running back Ty Isaac. Westerkamp had an impressive 11 catches for 331 yards and five touchdowns in the contest. Programs took notice, including Notre Dame, and he received an offer from the Irish. Recruiting coordina- tor Chuck Martin stopped by Wester- kamp's school and later met with him at his home to gauge the interest level. Programs such as USC and others have all come calling, but the only other school he's considering at this point is Notre Dame. "They want me to visit," the 6-1, 190-pound player told 247Sports. "I'm up in the air right now if I'm www.BLUEANDGOLD.com actually going to go [on Dec. 16 for an official visit]. I'm still committed to Nebraska." Arizona, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern and West Vir- ginia are among the other programs that have offered. "We'll figure out the visit stuff then," Westerkamp said the day be- fore his visit with Martin on Dec. 13. "He said Coach [Brian] Kelly really likes me, and I'm going to listen to what they have to say." There's one Westerkamp in the household that's well aware of the history of the program. "My mom is a life-long Irish fan," he noted. Nebraska has only eight verbal commitments at this point, four of which are four-star recruits, so the Cornhuskers certainly won't back down from hanging on to one of their prized commitments. Assistant coaches have visited him in the first JORDAN WESTERKAMP ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Montini Catholic Lombard, Ill. Position: Wide Receiver Ht: 6-1 • Wt: 190 40-yard dash: 4.45 247Sports Ranking: No. 41 wide receiver in the land and the No. 7 recruit in Illinois two weeks of the contact period, and head coach Bo Pelini will have an in-home visit with Westerkamp two days after the Notre Dame assistant stops through and the night before a possible visit to South Bend. The Irish wide receiver target has led his team to three consecutive state titles, and holds the state record in three categories —catches with 235, receiving yards with 4,658 and receiv- ing touchdowns with 68. — Jason Sapp JANUARY 2012 47