Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING at Notre Dame this past summer. He had a spot, but will instead walk on at Michigan, Illinois or Arizona State. Dublin (Calif.) High three-star of- fensive guard Matthew Gutwald vis- ited Notre Dame — twice — and had head coach Brian Kelly at his school in December, but he chose to walk on at Stanford. The Irish also offered Mission Viejo (Calif.) High quarterback Brock John- son a spot, but he decided to accept an offer at Georgetown. IRISH INVASION A CRUCIAL COMPONENT Particularly gratifying to Notre Dame's staff was the success of the Irish Invasion last June, which is ex- pected to be enhanced in years to come. The ability for prospects to learn about the school while also partaking in a camp setting proved invaluable. Nine players who inked with Notre Dame on National Signing Day Feb. 3 were on hand for the one-day Irish Invasion camp in June. Abbotsford (British Columbia) Secondary School wide receiver Chase Claypool, Ches- terfield (Va.) L.C. Bird cornerback Jalen Elliott, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy safety Spencer Perry, Jack- sonville (Fla.) First Coast wide re- ceiver Kevin Stepherson and Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) High safety Devin Studstill all worked out, while Cleveland St. Ignatius offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg, Cincinnati Elder of- fensive tackle Tommy Kraemer, Co- rona (Calif.) Centennial wide receiver Javon McKinley and Wilmette (Ill.) Loyola Academy long snapper John Shannon all stood on the sidelines and took in the festivities. "You really can't truly get to that yes, in our opinion, if you're reading about Notre Dame on the Internet," head coach Brian Kelly said. "You've got to get on this campus. "What we learned in our first couple of years is that you can go out and recruit in May, and you can talk about Notre Dame and you can talk about how this is what you're going to get at Notre Dame. "You've got to get them on campus, and we use that Irish Invasion as a great opportunity to get them on campus." Notre Dame ended up landing nine prospects that were on hand for the one‑day Irish Invasion camp last June. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND