Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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PREP PROFILES Ramsey, N.J., cornerback Yuri Wright wasn't exactly sure where he stood with Notre Dame early in the process. But once both parties got on the same page, the five-star prospect decided to take an official visit to see the school over the Dec. 16 weekend. "Everything I saw there this Irish Leave Lasting Impression On Five-Star Cornerback YURI WRIGHT ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Don Bosco Prep Ramsey, N.J. weekend caught my eye," the 6-2, 180-pound Don Bosco Prep player told 247Sports after returning to the East Coast. "I was amazed by every- thing. I wouldn't say they're my top school, but I would say they're one of my top schools." Wright's leaders heading into the visit were Michigan and Rutgers, which he plans to take official visits to on Jan. 13 and Jan. 20, respectively. He used one of his official visits on Colo- rado Dec. 9, and he'll take his last trip to Georgia on Jan. 27. Other programs of note include Cal and USC. The Irish, which made the defen- Position: Cornerback Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 180 40-yard dash: 4.4 247Sports Ranking: No. 1 cornerback in the land, No. 3 recruit in New Jersey and No. 24 overall player nationally sive backfield one of their priorities heading into the 2012 recruiting cam- paign, impressed the New Jersey na- tive with the total package the pro- gram presented. "It definitely was more than I ex- pected," Wright said. "I really liked it out there. Just everything about the school is great. The campus is beauti- ful. The players are cool. And the city is nice." The nation's top cornerback was hosted by junior wide receiver/run- ning back Theo Riddick, who also hails from the Garden State. In ad- dition to getting along with the cur- rent players on the team well, he also enjoyed his time around the coaches. "The coaches are just like the play- ers," said Wright. "It seems like ev- eryone around the place was real cool." Don Bosco went undefeated in the 2011 season and finished with a 42-14 victory over Bergen Catholic in the state title game. Wright will end his prep career playing in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio on Jan. 7. He may not have been sure where he stood on Notre Dame's recruiting board early on, but Wright is now well aware of the program's interest and the Irish look to be in a good po- sition to land the New Jersey native. — Jason Sapp Joshua Garnett, the final realistic tar- get for Notre Dame along the offen- sive line, was able to take his official visit to campus on Dec. 16. "I loved the place and the Basilica," the 6-5, 304-pound Puyallup High player reported to 247Sports about the visit. "I was born and raised Cath- olic, and that really stood out to me. I really just got a great vibe from the school and the people I met." Heading into the visit it appeared as though Michigan and Stanford had emerged as the two leaders, but the time that Garnett spent in South Bend has resulted in the Irish being added to that group. "Those are my final three schools," he shared. "I plan on making my de- cision at the end of January." Garnett, who took an official visit to Michigan on Nov. 25 when the Wolverines hosted Ohio State, had been considered as a package deal with fellow Washington native Zach Banner much of the process, but the two prospects have a different set of finalists at this point. Banner — a dual-sport athlete that wants to play www.BLUEANDGOLD.com Touted Washington Lineman Has Notre Dame In Top Three JOSHUA GARNETT Puyallup, Wash., offensive tackle ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Puyallup High Puyallup, Wash. Position: Offensive Lineman Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 304 40-yard dash: 5.38 247Sports Ranking: No. 6 offensive tackle in the country, top player in Washington and the nation's No. 46 overall prospect basketball at the collegiate level as well — has USC and Washington at the forefront. While the two prospects will part ways on their decisions, Garnett spent time with Notre Dame's most recent commitment, offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley of Las Vegas, during their official visit to South Bend, and he could see himself pairing up with him instead at the college level. "We got along really well," Gar- nett said. "I didn't talk too much with anyone else, just mostly him and the existing players." The nation's No. 46 overall player was hosted by sophomore quarter- back Andrew Hendrix because he has an interest in following the same path and studying pre-med. Garnett was joined by his parents on the trip to Notre Dame, which tends to be a relevant factor when the college option is far from home. Luck- ily for the Irish, the entire Garnett family gave the visit high remarks. "They both had a great time on the visit with me," he noted. "We spent time talking to the coaches, and they just talked about the legacy and the direction of the program. It was a good meeting, and I enjoyed the trip." Puyallup finished 6-4 in the 2012 campaign, falling short of the play- offs. Garnett will finish off his high school career playing in the Under Armour All-America Game on Jan. 5 in St. Petersburg, Fla. With the touted offensive lineman being the last one on Notre Dame's radar screen for the class, the coach- ing staff has made his recruitment a priority for the final stretch. Based on the feedback from the trip, this could be a battle until the end for his services. — Jason Sapp FEBRUARY 2012 41