Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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PREP PROFILES One of the top-ranked defensive ends in the class of 2017 will see a change of scenery this fall. Junior Luiji Vilain moved from Lester B. Pearson Catholic High in Ottawa, Ontario, to Alexandria (Va.) Episcopal High in late August to play against better c o m p e t i t i o n , i m - prove his game and add new colleges to his recruitment. One of the schools he believes could of- fer down the road is Notre Dame. The Irish are maintaining communication with the four-star line- man, but a scholar- ship offer still eludes him. "Hopefully it's close to happening," Vilain said. "I think they want to see me play one of my seasons down here first, since I'm just coming from Canada." The 6-4, 240-pounder visited campus June 6 with four-star defensive back Jonathan Sutherland, another Canadian transplant with Irish interest who will play alongside Vilain this fall at Episco- pal. During their visit, they toured cam- pus and watched a few videos about the school, among other activities. One of Vilain's favorite parts of the trip was a sit down with Irish defensive line coach Keith Gilmore. "I talked with him for about 20 min- utes," Vilain said. "The main thing we talked about was academics. He stressed that, and I feel like I fit what he's looking for. It was a good conver- sation; he's a great coach. I like where he's taking the D-line, and what his plans are there. "I came in expect- ing a lot, and I was still blown away. Ev- erything was really nice. I really liked the whole architecture of the campus, and I'm Catholic so it really means a lot to me to see all of that. I'm really interested in them." Penn State, Wis- c o n s i n , Vi rg i n i a , South Florida and Minnesota are among Vilain's early offers. He's also hearing from Rutgers, Ohio State and Michigan State, and thinks the latter two could be closing in on offers pend- ing his performance at his new school this fall. Despite the added competition, Vilain remains keen on the Irish. "They have great academics, and then the football team is looking good. They're a strong program," Vilain said. "It's great tradition there as well as a great coaching staff. My interest in them is definitely very high." — Jordan Wells New School, New Offers For Canadian End LUIJI VILAIN ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Episcopal High School Alexandria, Va. Status: Interest Class: 2017 Position: Defensive End Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 240 40-Yard Dash: 4.78 Rivals Rankings: No. 5 prospect in Vir- ginia, and No. 2 weakside defensive end and No. 150 overall player nationally