Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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PREP PROFILES Notre Dame's Brian Kelly is ready to go to battle with Alabama's Nick Saban. At least that appears to be the case when it comes to the nation's top- ranked running back for the next re- cruiting cycle. Antioch (Calif.) Senior High five- star running back Najee Harris has been in contact with the Irish, and while he says that he's solid on his c o m m i t m e n t t o the Crimson Tide h e a d m i t s t h a t he's still looking at schools like Notre Dame. "They play a big role," Harris said when asked about Notre Dame on Jan. 4. "It's just the competition there … I like to compete." Harris — who is ranked by Rivals. com as the No. 1 running back and No. 5 overall prospect in the country in class of 2017 — gave a verbal com- mitment to Alabama in April after tak- ing an unofficial visit to Tuscaloosa. He said that he made the decision to com- mit early because he felt comfortable with what the SEC power has to offer as a program. "When you go there, you feel that vibe," Harris said. "That's what I felt." But just because Harris likes Saban and the Crimson Tide doesn't mean that Kelly and his staff are ready to give up. The Notre Dame head coach was at Antioch Senior High Nov. 30 to check up on Harris. That visit came just a month after Irish offensive coordina- tor Mike Sanford made the same trip during the team's bye week. "They have been visiting my school," Harris said. "The head coach came, but I wasn't there, so I felt pretty bad about that." While Harris might not have had a chance to bump into Kelly during the contact period, he hinted that he feels like a priority not only for Alabama, but the Irish as well. "I'm open to everybody," he said. The 6-2, 222-pound Harris added that he would like to visit Notre Dame, but he hasn't mapped out any dates for trips. He said that he would also like to see Ohio State, Georgia, Ole Miss and Miami at some point during the recruiting process. The No. 1 prospect in California ran for a school-record 2,744 yards (11.3 yards per carry) and 36 touchdowns during his junior season. — Andrew Ivins Irish Are Courting Five-Star RB And Alabama Commit NAJEE HARRIS ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Antioch Senior High School Antioch, Calif. Status: Offered Class: 2017 Position: Running Back Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 222 40-Yard Dash: 4.45 Rivals Rankings: No. 1 prospect in California, and No. 1 running back and No. 5 overall re- cruit nationally