Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/542018
BY ANDREW IVINS Kevin Stepherson initially was a question mark for Notre Dame. The Irish coaches watched his film and saw a wide receiver with plenty of potential, but they weren't sure if he had the breakaway speed that they wanted on the outside. That's why assistant coach Scott Booker was at Jacksonville (Fla.) First Coast High to see Stepherson in early May. Booker watched him practice and then sent film back to South Bend. The clips proved to be Stepherson's golden ticket to Notre Dame. The staff evaluated the wide receiver as a group, and saw that he was just what they were looking for on offense. The race was on. The coaches talked Stepherson into visiting for the Irish Invasion on June 19, but they knew that he was planning to visit LSU the following week. That put the pressure on the Irish to land a commitment before he saw the SEC school, and Notre Dame sold itself. "I didn't know I was going to do it," Stepherson said minutes after the Notre Dame Sold Itself To Speedy Florida Wide Receiver Stepherson, a 6-1, 180-pound wide receiver from Jacksonville, Fla., pulled in 33 passes for 756 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior, while playing behind two wide receivers that signed Division I football scholar- ships. PHOTO BY ANDREW IVINS COMMITMENT PROFILE KEVIN STEPHERSON