Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY ANDREW IVINS W hen Mike Elston took over as Notre Dame's recruiting coor- dinator last March, he made it clear that he thought the best way to re- cruit top prospects was to get them on campus early in the process. Elston said that it was important to host recruiting events and get the dates out as early as possible to the prospects. It hasn't taken long for the Irish to reap the benefits from Elston's approach. Notre Dame hosted its first Junior Day of the recruiting cy- cle Jan. 23 and welcomed 12 top targets to South Bend. While there's no ques- tion that the one-day meet and greet was pro- ductive, that event ap- pears to be just an appe- tizer to the volume of high-end talent expected to be on hand for Elston's sec- ond Junior Day of the spring March 19. Pittsburgh Central Catholic four- star linebacker David Adams, Gorton (Mass.) Lawrence Academy four-star running back AJ Dillon, Cheshire (Conn.) Academy four-star wide receiver Tarik Black, Atlanta Pace Academy four-star offensive tackle Andrew Thomas, Cincinnati Colerain four-star cornerback Amir Reip and Cedar Hill (Texas) High three-star quarterback Avery Davis are all plan- ning to be in town for the Junior Day, and each one of them is considered a top target for the Irish at their respec- tive positions. "Notre Dame really wanted me to get back there, and the interest is mutual," Dil- lon said. "I haven't really been there as a recruit before. I was there for the Irish Invasion, but there's a lot more to it than that with the tours and stuff." Dillon, the grandson of Notre Dame legend T h o m G a t e w o o d , i s ranked by Rivals as the No. 16 running back in the country. He was also on campus last June for the Irish Invasion and was invited back by Elston & Co. with the thought that the Irish might be able to land a commitment from the top prospect in Massachusetts. That's similar to what Notre Dame is hoping to get out of Adams, who is ranked as the No. 4 inside linebacker and No. 100 overall prospect in the nation. He visited campus Oct. 17 for the USC game and, like Dillon, was invited back. "Coach Elston says he really wants me on board," Adams said. "They have an amazing school and an amaz- Irish Set For Second Junior Day P i t t s b u r g h C e n t r a l C a t h o l i c R i v a l s 1 0 0 l i n e b a c k e r D a v i d Adams, who has visited campus multiple times and is a priority for the Irish, will return to Notre Dame March 19. PHOTO BY ANDREW IVINS