Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING ROUNDUP Recruiting Notes • A week after hosting Washington (D.C.) St. John's College High four-star linebacker Aaron Hansford for an official visit, the Irish welcomed another top linebacker target to campus. Orlando (Fla.) Oak Ridge three-star linebacker Jonathan Jones was on hand for the UMass game Sept. 26 and a two-night, two-day stay in South Bend. Jones, who previously named a top three of Notre Dame, Michigan and Duke, said after the visit that things went better than expected, but that he wasn't ready to name a leader in his re- cruitment. "It was great," Jones said. "It definitely opened up my eyes a little bit more, and I feel like a priority a little bit more. It's not like it didn't go perfect, but it never got to the point where I was like, 'I have to commit.' But it was just a great feeling I got there, and it was a good time." While he said that watching the Irish roll the Minutemen was a highlight of the trip, so was meeting with the academic support staff. "I talked to the administration, a business pro- fessor and the football academic advisors," Jones said. "I sat down and talked to them about the ed- ucation side of things. It was a little bit more [than I expected] in terms of the independence they give you. "They are going to help you as much as they can, but they are really pushing for you to eventually do it by yourself, because that's going to help you in the real world. That's just something I didn't think about." The 6-0, 207-pound Jones is ranked by Rivals as the No. 66 recruit in Florida and the No. 17 inside linebacker in the country. He said that he has trips lined up to Michigan, Duke and Syracuse, and wants Orlando (Fla.) Oak Ridge product Jonathan Jones, who is rated as a three-star recruit, the No. 66 player in the Sunshine State and the No. 17 inside linebacker nationally by Rivals, enjoyed his visit to Notre Dame the final weekend of September. PHOTO BY ANDREW IVINS RIVALS 2016 TEAM RECRUITING RANKINGS As of Oct. 1 1. Ohio State 19 2. LSU 18 3. USC 16 4. Florida State 17 5. Ole Miss 19 6. Michigan 22 7. Miami 22 8. Penn State 20 9. Alabama 18 10. Georgia 17 24. Notre Dame 15 Rk. School Commits Rk. School Commits