Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/651219
PREP PROFILES If there's one thing that Notre Dame assistant coach Autry Denson proved in his first year on the recruiting trail for the Irish, it's that he isn't afraid to go head-to-head with in-state and regional powers for a prospect. Denson was able to go into South Carolina during the 2016 cycle and pull four-star cornerback Troy Pride Jr. away from Clemson, Virginia Tech and Tennessee. It was an impressive feat at the time given Pride's interest in the local schools, and one that Denson hopes to duplicate in the 2017 class. Notre Dame of- f e re d R o c k H i l l (S.C.) Northwest- ern three-star de- fensive end Logan Rudolph on Feb. 14. Rudolph — whose father, Brett, played at North Carolina and whose brother, Mason, is a quar- terback at Oklahoma State — holds offers from a number of ACC and SEC schools, but it's the Irish that have him intrigued early in the process. "I don't know much about Notre Dame," Rudolph said. "I didn't watch them as much as I should have this past season, but from what I know, it's an unbelievable academic school and a program with such good history and a winning tradition. "It excites me, and I want to get up there to check it out." While the interest in the academic side of the school might sound prom- ising for the Irish, it's Denson that has Rudolph wanting to check out South Bend before making a decision. "Coach Denson just laid the ground- work," the 6-4, 230-pound defensive end said. "He told me that they were interested and what direction the pro- gram was headed. "He then told me to call back when my parents were on the phone, and that's when he of- fered. It just meant a lot and was really cool." Rudolph doesn't have a set list of leaders, but has al- ready taken unoffi- cial visits to Florida, Florida State, Tennessee, Michigan and Clemson. He started his career as a tight end, but said that most schools — including Notre Dame — like him on the defensive line. "Pretty much everyone now out of the 30 schools that have offered see me as a defensive end or an outside linebacker depending on the scheme," Rudolph said. "Pretty much everyone wants me rushing the quarterback." — Andrew Ivins Notre Dame Offers South Carolina Defensive End LOGAN RUDOLPH ✪ ✪ ✪ Northwestern High School Rock Hill, S.C. Status: Offered Class: 2017 Position: Defensive End Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 230 40-Yard Dash: 4.8 Rivals Rankings: No. 16 strongside defen- sive end in the country