Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING ROUNDUP Recruiting Notes • National Singing Day might be less than 11 months away, but it's already clear that the biggest threat to the Irish on the recruiting trail this cycle will be Ohio State. As of March 7, the Buckeyes held 13 com- mitments in the class of 2017 with 10 of those being prospects that Notre Dame had offered and six of them being recruits that had visited South Bend at one point during the recruiting process. "They were one of my first offers so I got to know them a lot," Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy Rivals100 safety Isaiah Pryor said when asked why he picked Ohio State over Notre Dame after visiting for the Blue-Gold Game last April. "I went a lot of places, but I just felt the most comfortable with the environment there. The coaches were nice at Notre Dame, but I just felt like I belonged at Ohio State." That's similar to what Ann Arbor (Mich.) Pioneer Rivals250 linebacker Antjuan Simmons said when he committed to the Buckeyes March 1. "Ohio State jumped out there real early, and in talking to the coaches they never told me a lie," Simmons said. "They stuck to their word and have been straight up with me and my family." While that might not sound promising for the Irish, it should be noted that Notre Dame hasn't lost every recruiting battle with Ohio State this cycle, and a few more remain. The Irish were able to lock up Arlington Heights (Ill.) St. Viator Rivals250 tight end Cole Kmet after he took multiple visits to both Ohio State and Notre Dame, which is what the coaches hope will happen with Las Vegas Bishop Gorman Rivals250 defensive tackle and Ohio State commit Haskell Garrett, who was at one time considered a Notre Dame lean. Garrett –– Rivals' No. 6 defensive tackle and No. 111 overall prospect nationally –– is expected to visit South Bend in late March before he makes his way to Columbus. If the Irish can sway him like they did with Kmet, that could take some of the sting away from the Buckeyes' impressive start on the recruiting trail. • Notre Dame was expected to host more than 20 prospects for the Junior Day March 19, and while that will make for a key recruiting date for the Irish, the next one-day recruiting event is starting to take shape. Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy Rivals100 offensive tackle Robert Hainsey is expected to be on campus April 16 for the annual Blue-Gold Game. Hainsey, who doesn't hold a scholarship from the Irish, has Ohio State and Michigan at the top of his list, but has been in contact with Notre Dame offensive line coach Harry Hiestand. "Coach Hiestand wants me up there and to meet me in person and see what I'm like," Hainsey said. "I respect that [mentality to wait to offer]. That's how you build a good program." Joining Hainsey — who Rivals ranks as the country's No. 8 offensive tackle and No. 56 overall prospect — on campus will be Snellville (Ga.) South Gwinnett three-star linebacker Mailk Robinson. Robinson, who is listed as the No. 69 prospect in Georgia by Rivals, was offered by the Irish Feb. 12 and said right away that the plan was to get to South Bend. He's also considering North Carolina and Auburn. — Andrew Ivins Follow @BGI_AndrewIvins on Twitter for daily recruiting updates available on BlueandGold.com!