Blue and Gold Illustrated

FOOTBALL RECRUITING Greer (S.C.) High three-star corner- back Troy Pride, Lexington (Ky.) Henry Clay three-star cornerback Davonte Robinson, Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) High three-star safety Devin Studstill and Smyrna (Tenn.) High three-star safety Ikenna Okeke are also expected to be on campus for official visits, and they are set to be joined by Lexington (Ky.) Lafayette five-star junior offensive tackle Jedrick Wills, Pittsburgh Central Catholic four-star junior linebacker Da- vid Adams and Cincinnati St. Xavier junior three-star guard Matt Bockhorst, who will all be in for unofficial visits. It's a wide-ranging cast of talent, and one that will likely form the base of Notre Dame's recruiting classes for years to come. Blue & Gold Illustrated takes a look at some of the notable names. THE BIG FISH Two positions of need for the Irish in the class of 2016 are linebacker and defensive end, and one of the staff's top targets at both positions will be on cam- pus in Hayes. The five-star prospect, who happens to be committed to the Trojans, is listed as a linebacker, but he has the ability to put his hand on the ground and rush the quarterback from the edge, and that's exactly what the Irish are looking for this cycle. Hayes took an unofficial visit to Notre Dame for the Texas game Sept. 5 and left campus with high remarks for the pro- gram, but a few weeks later he signed an early financial-aid agreement with USC. While the signature and paperwork are non-binding, it will make it difficult for the Irish to flip the No. 3 outside linebacker in the country, but he still ap- pears to at least be giving Notre Dame a fighting chance. "One of the biggest reasons I got back down to Notre Dame was because of how hard head coach Brian Kelly has been recruiting me," Hayes said. "You don't get head coaches that often recruit you. You'll get a position coach, this, that, and the other thing. "But the head guy himself sending you messages saying you're a priority recruit stuck out." The 6-3, 254-pound Hayes, who is listed as the No. 13 overall recruit in the nation and the No. 1 player in Michigan by Rivals, will be an obvious "big fish" for the staff, but he won't be the only recruit in the stands that the coaches are trying to reel in. Craig-Myers, a former Auburn commit and the No. 1 wide receiver in the country according to Rivals, will also be on hand. He'll be joined by McKinley, who is listed by Rivals the No. 18 wide receiver and No. 96 overall prospect in the land. He is making his third visit to South Bend since the end of March. Both Craig-Myers and McKinley are considering a number of different schools, but the two represent what could be the missing piece in this class at wide receiver, and that's a big body that can make plays on the outside. The 6-2, 196-pound McKinley said that last time he was on campus, Irish associate head coach and wide receivers coach Mike Denbrock compared him to a former star at Notre Dame, which is one of the reasons why he wanted to get back.

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