FOOTBALL RECRUITING ROUNDUP
BY ANDREW IVINS
W
ith less than five weeks remain-
ing before National Signing Day
Feb. 3, the biggest question for Notre
Dame when it comes to recruiting had
to do with how the Irish will finish at
linebacker — a position that needs to
be replenished next season following
the graduation of Joe Schmidt and the
expected early departure of junior Jay-
lon Smith for the NFL.
While Notre Dame already holds
commitments from a pair of lineback-
ers in Ann Arbor (Mich.) Skyline five-
star Daelin Hayes and Rochester (N.Y.)
three-star Jamir Jones, it's apparent that
those two won't be enough to fill out
the middle of the defense.
That's why the final month of recruit-
ing for Irish head coach Brian Kelly and
Co. will, in large part, be focused on
just four prospects: Gordo (Ala.) High
five-star linebacker Ben Davis, Fresno
(Calif.) Clovis West five-star linebacker
Caleb Kelly, Houston Aldine Davis
four-star linebacker Jeffrey McCulloch
and Orlando (Fla.) Oak Ridge three-star
linebacker Jonathan Jones.
Notre Dame has already hosted three
Irish Are Looking To
Close At Linebacker
Gordo (Ala.) High five-star linebacker Ben Davis (left) and Houston Aldine Davis four-star linebacker
Jeffrey McCulloch (right) are two of Notre Dame's top remaining targets on the board.
PHOTO BY ANDREW IVINS
