FOOTBALL RECRUITING
tremely prestigious program with great
history and tradition. They have a solid
history of quarterbacks and strong
coaching."
Lytle, who is ranked as a three-star
prospect by Rivals, might not appear on
paper to be on the same level as John-
son, who is ranked as the No. 1 pro-style
quarterback in the nation in the junior
class, but the early stars and rankings
can only tell so much.
The 6-4, 220-pound quarterback threw
for 424 yards and three touchdowns in
his first varsity start Aug. 31. Three days
later, he had offers on the table from Cal-
ifornia, Washington State, Miami and
Temple, and was in contact with Irish
offensive coordinator Mike Sanford.
"They want to get a better feel, get
some of my film and watch me play a
few games this season," Lytle told Ri-
vals' Adam Gorney.
While Lytle's conversation with San-
ford was brief and to the point, the mes-
sage is the same one that the offensive
coordinator has been telling quarter-
backs around the country.
On Sept. 1, the first day that the
NCAA allowed college coaches to con-
tact juniors on social media, Sanford was
a busy man on Twitter.
Blue & Gold Illustrated was able to con-
firm that the 33-year-old coach reached
out to New Orleans Landry-Walker
four-star quarterback Keytaon Thomp-
son, Norcross (Ga.) Greater Atlanta
Christian four-star Davis Mills and San
Antonio Ronald Reagan three-star Kel-
len Mond.
Sanford told all three quarterbacks
what he told Lytle: We like you, but we
want to evaluate you some more.
