Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/616353
FOOTBALL RECRUITING the No. 8 prospect in New Jersey and the No. 21 safety in the country, was named New Jersey's Gatorade Player of The Year after leading Old Tappan to a state title in early December. While he arrived with a "wide open" recruitment that included a top eight of Notre Dame, Michigan, Rutgers, Ohio State, UCLA, TCU, Penn State and Vir- ginia Tech, he said he left with a bet- ter idea of where things stand with the Irish, especially after talking with an old friend. "Hanging out with [freshman quar- terback] Brandon [Wimbush], that was real cool," the 6-2, 190-pound safety said. "I have known him for a long time, and he was my host." Wimbush, who signed with Notre Dame last cycle and visited for the banquet after flipping from Penn State, is a native of New Jersey and grew up running track alongside Fuller in middle school. Fuller said that while Wimbush did his best to push the Irish throughout the weekend, he didn't put too much pressure on the high school senior to make a decision. "He was telling me that he just loves it there, that the connections he made are just unbelievable and everybody just treats him right," Fuller said. "That was big." With Fuller taken back by the envi- ronment at Notre Dame, the school's support system for student-athletes opened Kelly's eyes. "The academics are different," Kelly said. "It's more important, you can tell. The guys and everything they do is a lot different than some other places, too." Kelly — who is ranked by Rivals as the No. 2 recruit in California, and the No. 4 outside linebacker and No. 17 BANQUET VISITORS Targets Caleb Kelly, LB, Fresno (Calif.) Clovis West — Five stars, No. 2 recruit in California, and No. 4 outside linebacker and No. 17 overall prospect in the nation Jordan Fuller, S, Old Tappan (N.J.) High — Four stars, No. 8 prospect in New Jersey and No. 21 safety in the land Commits Daelin Hayes, LB, Ann Arbor (Mich.) Skyline* — Five stars, No. 1 prospect in Michigan, and No. 6 outside linebacker and No. 21 overall recruit in the country Tommy Kraemer, OT, Cincinnati Elder — Four stars, No. 1 recruit in Ohio, and No. 3 offensive tackle and No. 36 overall prospect in the nation Chase Claypool, WR, Abbotsford (British Co- lumbia) High — Four stars, and No. 20 wide receiver and No. 100 overall prospect in the land Julian Okwara, DE, Charlotte (N.C.) Ardrey Kell — Four stars, No. 15 prospect in North Carolina and No. 16 defensive end nationally Julian Love, CB, LaGrange Park (Ill.) Nazareth Academy — Four stars, No. 8 recruit in Illinois and No. 19 cornerback in the country Liam Eichenberg, OT, Cleveland St. Ignatius — Three stars, No. 18 prospect in Ohio and No. 36 offensive tackle in the nation Jamir Jones, LB, Rochester (N.Y.) Aquinas Insti- tute — Three stars, No. 2 recruit in New York and No. 44 outside linebacker in the land Adetokunbo Ogundeji, DE, Walled Lake (Mich.) Central — Three stars and No. 30 prospect in Michigan John Shannon, LS, Wilmette (Ill.) Loyola Acad- emy — Two stars. * Denotes unofficial visit