Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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"Right now, my speed is pretty good. I am above average, but I know speed dominates in the game," MacCollister said. "I want to domi- nate this year, so I want to be above average and above being just OK." MacCollister and the Hornets de- feated Wakulla in the Florida Class 5A state title game this past Decem- ber, with Lewis catching the game- winning touchdown. Winning, clearly, is something that MacCollister is used to. "He's going to achieve his goals, and he's going to work really hard at it," Bishop Moore Catholic coach Matt Hedrick said. "If he's got the ability to be an All-American, he'll be one. If has the ability to play in the NFL, he'll play. "There's no doubt in my mind that he's going to maximize the gift that he has. He's always done that, and that's the kind of kid he is." The 6-4, 253-pound MacCollister — who is listed as a three-star strongside defensive end by Rivals and is ranked No. 2 on The Orlando Sentinel's Central Florida Super60 — chose the Irish over finalists Ohio State and Oregon. He said he anticipated pledging to Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly while on his visit to campus, but was looking for a sign once he got to South Bend. Evidently that didn't take too long. MacCollister said the first person he saw when he arrived for his visit was former Bishop Moore Catholic teammate Parker Boudreaux, now a freshman offensive lineman for the Irish. That set the tone for a trip that cul- minated with Kelly and defensive line coach Keith Gilmore picking up a player that the coaches think can anchor the strong side of the defen- sive line much like Isaac Rochell has done the past couple of seasons. "Throughout the day, I just kept getting the feeling over and over again, and then finally when I met with Coach Kelly I just had to tell him that I was ready to fight for the Irish," MacCollister said. Since he's made his commitment, MacCollister — who said he plans on studying either business or engineering at Notre Dame — hasn't wavered in his decision. "When I finally was going to FILM ANALYSIS Strengths Jonathon MacCollister is already 6-4 and 253 pounds with a muscular frame, and could eventually grow enough to slide inside … Has fast hands and a strong punch, and plays with great effort … At this point, he lacks the speed to be a pure edge rusher, but he shows a nice array of power moves against the run and enough speed to close around the edge when he does get to a blocker's outside … His strong burst off the line helps him penetrate and disrupt the backfield. Areas For Improvement He is raw from a technique standpoint and must continue building up his lower body; and he must learn how to properly use his hands to beat blockers … He has a tendency to narrow his base, which causes him to lose leverage and to struggle anchoring against double teams … Once his technique develops and matches his size, strength and quickness, his game should take off. — Bryan Driskell