Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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PREP PROFILES Groton (Mass.) Lawrence Academy junior running back AJ Dillon cherished his trip to Notre Dame's Irish Invasion event this June in a slightly different way than most prospects. Dillon's grand- f a t h e r , T h o m G a t e w o o d , w a s a consensus All- A m e r i c a n w i d e receiver at Notre Dame in 1970, haul- ing in a then-school record 77 passes for 1,123 yards. Gatewood has s h o w n D i l l o n plenty of photos from his playing days, where he snagged iconic catches on different parts of the field and reeled in touchdowns in front of screaming fans in the end zone. At the Irish Invasion, the junior was able to work out in the exact same sta- dium he saw in the photos. "That was awesome, just a once-in-a- lifetime experience," Dillon said. "Com- ing down to the locker room, there's the 'Play Like A Champion Today' sign, and we all took pictures with Coach [Brian] Kelly in front of it. I have it framed up on my wall. "I was playing in the same stadium and on the same field as my grandfa- ther did. It doesn't get much better than that." Notre Dame assistant coach Autry Denson communicates frequently with the junior via social media, Dillon said, but the Irish have yet to extend a schol- arship offer. He thinks that could come after his junior game film starts to emerge. In the meantime, Dillon's recruit- ment with other schools continues to expand. He vis- ited Virginia for the game against Notre Dame, his third trip to the Charlottes- ville campus. "I don't have like a top five or any- thing, but I do plan on cutting my list down to a few schools by the end of this football season," Dillon said. "I don't plan on holding out for my commit- ment; I think the latest is maybe this spring, if that." When that list cut does come for the Rivals250 junior, look for the Irish to be right near the top. "It's just a matter of if I get the offer or not," Dillon said. "Pretty much, it's Notre Dame. "If you get an offer from there, either you're going there, or you must be one of the top recruits in the country and you've got offers from everywhere." — Jordan Wells Notre Dame Legacy Is Hoping For Irish Offer AJ DILLON ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Lawrence Academy Groton, Mass. Status: Interest Class: 2017 Position: Running Back Ht.: 6-0 • Wt.: 228 40-Yard Dash: 4.6 Rivals Rankings: No. 1 player in Massachu- setts, and No. 13 running back and No. 247 overall prospect in the country