Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING ROUNDUP Recruiting Notes • Notre Dame coaches spent much of early May out on the road recruiting. With NCAA rules allowing for all nine assistant coaches to visit high schools for in-person academic and athletic evaluations, the Irish took full advantage and handed out a number of new offers while also checking up on top targets around the country. Irish defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder was in Georgia and South Florida to see a trio of defensive linemen. VanGorder stopped at Atlanta Westminster to watch three-star defensive end Cortez Alston work out before offering the 6-3, 250-pound rising senior a scholarship. Alston, who is currently un- ranked, said the bid put the Irish right in his top group of schools along with USC and UCLA. VanGorder then made his way to Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas to evaluate and then of- fer three-star defensive tackle Kivon Bennett and three-star defensive end Lashawn Paulino-Bell. Both Bennett and Paulino-Bell hold a number of different SEC and ACC offers and might be considered long shots to ink with the Irish. However, the 6-3, 230-pound Paulino-Bell was in South Bend last June for an unofficial visit and told Blue & Gold Illustrated that a return trip is likely in the works. The 6-3, 255-pound Bennett — who is ranked by Rivals as the No. 28 defensive tackle in the class of 2017 — could also make the trip, but Alabama looks to be the early favorite. With VanGorder busy expanding the defensive line board, offensive line coach Harry Hiestand was trying to gain some traction with his top targets. Hiestand visited Jackson (Tenn.) University School — twice — to see four-star offensive tackle Trey Smith. He was also at Atlanta Pace Academy to inquire about four-star offensive tackle Andrew Thomas. Both Smith, Rivals' No. 32 offensive tackle, and Thomas, Rivals' No. 10 offensive tackle and No. 67 overall prospect, are considered priority targets for the Irish. The 6-4, 270-pound Smith said there is a chance that he could visit Notre Dame in June. That's also the case with the 6-5, 285-pound Thomas, who claims co-leaders in Georgia and Clemson, but wants to give Notre Dame a look. • The Irish continue to climb the board for one of their top safety targets. Detroit Cass Tech three-star safety Jaylen Kelly-Powell returned to South Bend May 14 with his father for an unofficial visit after taking in the Blue-Gold Game in mid-April. He said that the second trip was focused on showing his father the academic side of Notre Dame. "The coaches asked me what my dad would like to see, and I said mostly academics," Kelly-Powell said. "Football he understands, but academics is more important. … He thought it was nice. RIVALS 2017 TEAM RECRUITING RANKINGS As of May 17 1. Ohio State 13 2. Oklahoma 12 3. Alabama 9 4. Miami 14 5. Georgia 9 6. Clemson 10 7. Notre Dame 10 8. Michigan 12 9. Kentucky 12 10. Florida State 7 Rk. School Commits Rk. School Commits