Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/542018
It was almost the perfect situation for Elliott — until he visited Notre Dame for the Irish Invasion June 19. While he was in South Bend with his family for the invite-only event, Elliott was taken back by what the Irish had to offer as a football program, and as a school. He met with VanGorder and the rest of the staff and just knew that Notre Dame was the place for him. "People were al- ways telling me that I had to check it out," Elliott said. "So I did. … We were coming out of the [Junior Day event at the Irish Invasion] and I was in the room with all of the DBs. I pulled Coach Van- Gorder and [defen- sive backs coach] Todd Lyght aside and I told them that I didn't know how many commit- ments they had, but I wanted to add my name to the list. "It was really just the right fit," he added. "There's not much to it — when you know, you know, and I knew. I just had a feeling about Notre Dame, and it was really a family deci- sion. We felt the family atmosphere at Notre Dame, and I made the decision because of that, and the academics." Elliott visited a number of schools before he saw Notre Dame, and ac- cording to him, that's what helped make the decision to commit on the spot easy. "To see Notre Dame, it was dif- ferent," Elliott said. "[Irish assistant coach Scott Booker] told me it was good that I was visiting these other schools, because he knew Notre Dame would be different — and they didn't compare." Some schools recruited the 6-1, 177-pound athlete as a slot receiver, but a majority of the programs saw him on defense, just like VanGorder. Still, it's hard to discount what Elliott did with the ball in his hands as a junior. He accounted for 2,007 yards of total offense (1,736 pass- ing and 271 rush- ing) and 31 touch- downs (24 passing and seven rushing) while leading his team to a 14-1 re- cord and a Class 5A state title. "A lot of people will watch my film and see a quarterback, but that's just because my school needed me to play there and make plays," Elliott said. And there's no question that he did just that. Elliott is ranked by Rivals as the No. 15 prospect in Virginia and the No. 53 athlete in the country. He also held scholarship offers from Auburn, Geor- gia, Miami, North Carolina State, Vir- ginia and Wake Forest. ✦ FILM ANALYSIS Strengths After defensive coordinator Brian Van- Gorder saw him during the spring, Elliott immediately became a high priority for the staff … Top-level athleticism for the safety position, but could play cornerback or wide receiver if the need arose, which speaks to his versatility … Instinctive football player that brings toughness and a competitive passion to the game … Led L.C. Bird to a state championship as a junior. Areas For Improvement Spent most of his career playing quarter- back, so has to learn the next-level tech- nique required in the secondary … There is a need for him to continue filling out his frame and adding strength. — Bryan Driskell