Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING DEFENSIVE END Notre Dame had already offered a number of defensive ends across the country, so the staff's urgency to eval- uate more targets once on the road shows just how important the position is this cycle, especially after losing its lone defensive end signee (Bo Wallace) in 2015 for reasons not disclosed by either party. The Irish find themselves in the hunt for Fort Wayne (Ind.) Wayne four- star defensive end Auston Robertson (No. 2 prospect in Indiana, and No. 9 weakside defensive end and No. 202 overall player in the country according to Rivals) and Darrien (Ill.) Hinsdale South four-star defensive end Josh King (Rivals' No. 1 recruit in Illinois, and No. 4 strongside defensive end and No. 59 overall prospect nation- ally). With summer decisions looming for both, the staff still has plenty of ground to make up, which means it could very well miss on both targets. That's why VanGorder offered Su- wanee (Ga.) Collins Hill three-star de- fensive end Tomon Fox. The Irish need targets at end, and Fox is a prospect that can generate a rush from the edge at 6-3, 232 pounds. In addition to the interest that Notre Dame expressed in Fox, the staff checked up on Allen (Texas) High three-star Levi Onquzurik while mak- ing the rounds. The 6-3, 230-pound Onwuzurik is ranked by Rivals as the No. 21 weakside defensive end in the country and the No. 55 prospect in Texas. Fox is the No. 21 weakside end nationally and No. 42 player in Geor- gia. OFFENSIVE LINE The Irish already have two offensive tackles committed to the class in Cin- cinnati Elder four-star tackle Tommy Kraemer (No. 1 player in Ohio, and No. 2 offensive tackle and No. 31 over- all recruit in the land according to Ri- vals) and Cleveland St. Ignatius three- star tackle Liam Eichenberg (Rivals' No. 16 prospect in the Buckeye State and No. 37 offensive tackle in the na- tion), but Hiestand would like to add two more lineman to the fold. Hartland (Wis.) Arrowhead four- star tackle Ben Bredeson (No. 1 re- cruit in Wisconsin, and No. 3 offen- sive tackle and No. 41 overall player nationally according to Rivals) and Orlando (Fla.) Bishop Moore four-star tackle Parker Boudreaux (Rivals' No. 42 player in the Sunshine State and No. 22 offensive tackle in the country) are both considering Notre Dame, but there aren't many names behind them on the board, and that's why the Irish had to find a backup plan. Hiestand was at Fort Pierce Central High in early May to extend a schol- arship offer to four-star tackle Stew- art Reese. The 6-6, 330-pound tackle claims offers from Florida, Miami and Nebraska, but is open to everyone, including Notre Dame, at this stage. Rivals ranks Reese as the nation's No. 19 offensive tackle and No. 244 overall prospect. ✦ VISIT BLUEANDGOLD.COM FOR THE LATEST NOTRE DAME RECRUITING NEWS