Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING With high schools hosting spring prac- tices and workouts across the country before the start of summer break, there were plenty of opportunities to see new talent up close and in person. Irish defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder hit the back roads of Georgia in search of defensive ends and safeties, offensive coordinator Mike Sanford flew to Texas to find a quarterback and offensive line coach Harry Hiestand jetted down to South Florida to offer a tackle. The blitz has produced a number of new targets at vital positions for the Irish. As of May 19, Notre Dame had six prospects committed in the class of 2016. While that's a favorable start in a cycle where scholarship availabil- ity will play a factor, the class will in large part be judged by how the staff closes at safety, defensive end, offen- sive tackle and quarterback. The Irish have needs at all four posi- tions, and ideally some of the talent the staff saw during the evaluation period will eventually be inking with the Irish to round out the class. QUARTERBACK With National Signing Day a little more than eight months away, quarter- back has remained one of the biggest question marks for the Irish. That is in part because Potomac (Md.) Bullis School four-star Dwayne Haskins (Rivals' No. 3 prospect in Maryland, and No. 4 pro-style signal- caller and No. 68 overall player in the land) committed to Maryland May 15, which took Notre Dame's top target off the board. The staff would still like