Blue and Gold Illustrated

FOOTBALL RECRUITING ranked as the No. 7 prospect in Tennes‑ see and the No. 18 safety in the country by Rivals — at cornerback, but he's not the lone defensive back the staff wants to add to the class. Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco four‑star safety D.J. Morgan was also in town for the Texas game, and he too left campus with high praise for Notre Dame. The former Arizona State com‑ mit, who is ranked as the No. 47 recruit in California and the No. 22 safety in the country, doesn't have a timeline, but a decision is expected to come sooner rather than later in the process. WHICH "BIG FISH" ARE IN PLAY? Notre Dame has only one Rivals100 prospect committed to the class: Cin‑ cinnati Elder four‑star offensive tackle Tommy Kraemer (No. 34). The Irish are actively recruiting a number of top targets and recently hosted Ann Arbor (Mich.) Skyline five‑ star linebacker Daelin Hayes (No. 1 recruit in Michigan, and No. 3 outside linebacker and No. 13 overall recruit in the nation), Savannah (Ga.) Christian School five‑star athlete Demetris Rob‑ ertson (No. 1 prospect in Georgia, and No. 1 athlete and No. 7 overall player in the nation) and Detroit Martin Lu‑ ther King four‑star wide receiver Don‑ nie Corley (the No. 16 wide receiver and No. 82 overall prospect in the na‑ tion) for the Texas game. All three — including Hayes, who is committed to USC — are in play, but they aren't the only ones. Notre Dame is set to welcome Tampa (Fla.) Catholic five‑star wide receiver Nate Craig‑Myers (No. 2 player in Florida, and No. 1 wide re‑ ceiver and No. 11 overall recruit in the nation) and Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra four‑star athlete Brandon Burton (No. 11 recruit in California, and No. 3 athlete and No. 47 overall prospect in the land) to campus for the USC game Oct. 17. Meanwhile, Paramus (N.J.) Catho‑ lic five‑star defensive tackle Rashan Gary and Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra four‑star defensive end Wole Be‑ tiku both plan to take official visits, but have yet to set dates. Betiku, who is committed to UCLA, is rated as the No. 8 prospect in California, and the No. 4 defensive end and No. 36 overall player in the nation. Gary is listed as the top player in New Jersey, and the nation's top‑ranked defensive tackle and No. 2 overall prospect. WHICH POSITION IS A CONCERN? Two months ago, defensive back or defensive end would have been the answer, but that's not the case any‑ more. It's linebacker. The Irish are set to return just six scholarship lineback‑ ers next season if junior Jaylon Smith leaves early for the NFL, as expected. The Irish have cast a wide net, but outside of a few planned official visits there hasn't been much progress in this critical area. Washington (D.C.) St. John's four‑ star linebacker Aaron Hansford visited for the Georgia Tech game Sept. 19. He is ranked as the No. 14 outside line‑ backer and No. 148 overall recruit in the country, but is also eyeing a num‑ ber of other schools. That's also the case with Fresno (Ca‑

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