Blue and Gold Illustrated

FOOTBALL RECRUITING "They said I can be the next Michael Floyd," McKinley said. "I watched some film with Coach Denbrock the last day that I was there … it was such an honor to be compared to such a high-quality player like Floyd. I liked it a lot." McKinley has already taken an offi- cial visits to Washington and Tennes- see, and plans to see Oregon and UCLA before making a decision at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in January. The 6-2, 205-pound Craig-Myers has visited North Carolina, but is considered a Florida lean. THE COMMITS Prospects like Hayes, McKinley and Craig-Myers will get most of the atten- tion while on campus because of their rankings and status as top targets for the staff, but there will be a number of current Notre Dame commits on cam- pus and prospects committed to other schools that will also get attention from the coaches. El Dorado Hills (Calif.) Oak Ridge three-star quarterback Ian Book will be making his first trip across the country to South Bend since flipping from Wash- ington State to Notre Dame in August. The 6-0, 193-pound Book, who is ranked as the No. 19 pro-style quarter- back in the country and No. 73 recruit in California, said he's excited to talk with offensive coordinator Mike San- ford again in person, but he also wants to start recruiting fellow prospects like McKinley, who could potentially be a teammate down the line. "I just want to get back there and be around the coaches and check out a game, Watching it on TV is a lot dif- ferent. I feel like it's crazy there," Book said. "I also want to recruit a little. I talk to Javon McKinley a lot actually, so I plan to just hang out with him." Book isn't the only commit that has that mentality. Cincinnati Elder four-star offensive tackle Tommy Kraemer, Bra- denton (Fla.) IMG Academy three-star running back Tony Jones Jr., Jacksonville (Fla.) First Coast three-star wide receiver Kevin Stepherson and Chesterfield (Va.) L.C. Bird three-star safety Jalen Elliott are all planning to make the trip to cam- pus, and each one of them in the past has said that they want to try and swing some of the uncommitted prospects that will be visiting. "I'm very excited to get up there," said Stepherson, who is ranked as the No. 68 wide receiver in the country by Rivals. "I know it's going to be a big game. I know they don't like those guys, so it's going be a big crowd. I know the coaches and the players are going to be real hyped up for that game. "I'm also going to recruit," he added. Two prospects that Stepherson might try to work are Pride, who is committed to Virginia Tech, and Robinson, who has been pledged to Kentucky since last October. Notre Dame coaches watched Pride play in person Oct. 2, and he said that's one of the reasons why he set up the visit. "The coaches there are just great over- all people," Pride said. The 6-0, 165-pound Pride is ranked by Rivals as the No. 11 prospect in Virginia and has also been hearing from Ten- nessee. Robinson is the No. 7 recruit in Kentucky and won a Class 3-A state title

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