Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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PREP PROFILES Jaylen Kelly-Powell thought there was a chance that Notre Dame might offer him a scholarship, but he didn't think it would come the day that he was visiting Ohio State. K e l l y - P o w e l l , who was in South Bend for the Texas game Sept. 5, said t h a t o n N o v. 7 , while he was in the car on his way to see the Buckeyes h o s t M i n n e s o t a , he got a message from Irish assistant coach Keith Gilm- ore telling him to call. Kelly-Powell wasn't sure what to think, but the conversation resulted in a scholarship offer from Notre Dame. "I wasn't really expecting an of- fer," Kelly-Powell said. "On Twitter, Coach Gilmore was telling me to call him, and I was at Ohio State, but I did. He was talking to me about my grades and he said that he loved my film, and then he just offered me." While Kelly-Powell, who is ranked as the No. 8 prospect in Michigan and the No. 19 safety in the country for the class of 2017, might seem like a name that's new to the board for the Irish, he's actually a player that the coaching staff has grown familiar over the past few months. I n l a t e O c t o b e r d u r i n g N o t re Dame's bye week, Gilmore and Irish head coach Brian Kelly were both at Cass Tech to see Kelly-Powell practice. "It just meant a lot, especially for Coach Kelly to be there," Kelly- Powell said. "I think they have a great team," he added. "I love it there. The envi- ronment is pretty cool. "I like that it's an independent school, and I like that they have great academics." The curriculum at Notre Dame isn't the only thing that might draw Kelly-Powell to South Bend. The Irish have also offered his cousin, Detroit Martin Luther King four-star cornerback Ambry Thomas, and the two have discussed playing together at the next level. "We have talked about it," Kelly- Powell said. "But I just want to take my time." The 6-0, 180-pound Kelly-Powell also holds offers from Ohio State, UCLA, Michigan, Stanford, North- western, Wisconsin and Pittsburgh. — Andrew Ivins Irish Extend Offer To Motown Junior Safety JAYLEN KELLY-POWELL ✪ ✪ ✪ Cass Technical High School Detroit Status: Offered Class: 2017 Position: Safety Ht.: 6-0 · Wt.: 180 40-Yard Dash: 4.5 Rivals Rankings: No. 8 recruit in Michigan and No. 19 safety in the country