Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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reem plans to enroll early at Notre Dame, and he said that what he likes about the system in South Bend is that Gilmore sees him as a strongside de- fensive end at the next level. "Coach Gilmore broke it down, be- cause he would be my position coach," Kareem said. "He said I would be playing [as] one of the strongside de- fensive ends. It fits my playing style well. I feel I can transition from high school to that position well." Kareem held more than 30 offers that ranged from schools such as Or- egon, Michigan and Michigan State to Stanford, Harvard and Yale. His family said that once he decom- mitted from Alabama, they heard from Tennessee and Louisville — but there was a reason why they immediately booked a trip to Notre Dame. "It's just because he had narrowed it down to Notre Dame and those other schools [when he first committed], and he had been there before," Kareem's mother, Phillicia Kareem, said. "He wanted to see it another time, and while it was like the unofficial, I think it went real good. "I had a lot of questions about the academic side of things as far as how they focus on grades and balance it with sports. I also asked them about how long it would take to get his de- gree and how the professors work, and they answered all that." Rivals ranks the 6-4, 257-pound Ka- reem as the No. 9 recruit in Michigan and the No. 19 strongside defensive end in the country. He finished the regular season with 52 tackles, 16 sacks and five forced fumbles. ✦ 1-800-421-7751 • www.BlueGoldOnline.com Notre Dame "Eglomise" Framed Print $59.95 FREE S&H* Notre Dame "Eglomise" style digital photos reproduce the transparency effect of an image reverse-painted on glass. Choice of Campus or Stadium style. • Digital matting resembles real mats • Official interlocking ND logo • Image size 11x14, MDF frame size 13x16 • Protective glass front • Made in U.S.A.