Blue and Gold Illustrated

Oct. 3, 2016

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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46 OCT. 3, 2016 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED PREP PROFILES St. Louis Chaminade four-star de- fensive tackle Trevor Trout did not hold an offer from Notre Dame as of late September, but that has not had an adverse effect on his intrigue with the Fighting Irish. "Pretty high because they are a his- toric program," Trout said of his in- terest in Notre Dame. "They've done it before, no matter how long ago it was. They've still done it." Another item the Irish have going for them is defensive line coach, and lead recruiter for Trout, Keith Gilmore. "Coach Gilmore and I get along pretty well, and they're pretty inter- ested in me," Trout said. "He seems like a great guy for the most part. I haven't found any cons about him, all pros." The 6-3, 295-pound Trout — the top-ranked defensive tackle and No. 22 overall prospect in the 2018 class — said he thinks Notre Dame is close to offering, but "it's all about patience." "They're a historic program with a great coaching staff — and a strong academic school most importantly," Trout noted. Trout said he knows quite a bit about the Irish program already and is hoping to visit Notre Dame during the recruitment process. "I would look for how the team plays, look around the campus, see how campus life is and things of that nature," Trout said of what he would assess during a visit to Notre Dame. Nebraska, Texas A&M, UCLA and in-state Missouri are among the early offers for Trout. He doesn't have a top list, and even if he did Trout said he likely wouldn't release it until his senior season. More schools figure to get involved moving forward. "Any remaining questions we had about Trout's ability to compete with the best in the nation were answered at the Five-Star Challenge in June, where he was one of the best inte- rior defensive linemen, regardless of class," Rivals Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt said. "The 300-pounder is explosive off the snap and is effective with his hands." Trout took visits to Nebraska, Ohio State, Missouri and Indiana this sum- mer. He also went to Ole Miss for a team camp. As of now, he has plans to attend games this fall at Nebraska and Iowa. — Corey Bodden Notre Dame's 2018 class currently leans toward the defensive side of the ball with four of the six commit- ments projected to play on that unit at the next level. However, the offense is off to a strong start with four-star Gibsonia (Pa.) Pine Richland quarterback Phil Jurkovec and four-star Indianapo- lis Cathedral running back Markese Stepp. One piece that is missing is someone for Jurkovec to throw to. One player Notre Dame is in good shape for is Gurnee (Ill.) Warren Township Rivals250 four-star wide receiver Micah Jones. Notre Dame still resides in Jones' top five along with Illinois, Northwestern, Michi- gan State and Iowa. "They stand pretty high," Jones said of the Irish. "It's a program I've been watching for a while. It's some- where that I will look at playing at in the future." Jones said all five schools are even as of now in terms of his interest level. When the clock struck midnight Sept. 1, the class of 2018 took a ma- jor step forward with coaching staffs across the country able to begin di- rectly contacting prospective junior student-athletes. Many of the top national players heard from numerous schools, Jones included. Notre Dame was one of the schools which reached out to the 6-5, 200-pounder. "It was crazy," Jones said. "I had a lot of coaches contact me, and coaches can now contact you throughout the school day. It's just a lot of hectic stuff, and you have to deal with it the right way. [Irish assistant] Coach [Mike] Denbrock said they want to get me down for the games, want to talk more, call as much as possible and create a relationship." Jones said he will be in South Bend this fall, but is unsure when a visit will take place. He is hoping to im- prove his relationship with the Irish coaching staff. "I'll most likely be getting together with the coaches and studying film, working on the little things I can get better at," Jones he noted. "The games are fun, but I want to get to know the coaches better." Jones earned his offer from the Irish following an impressive showing in June at the Irish Invasion camp. — Corey Bodden Irish Check In On The No. 1 Junior Defensive Tackle Notre Dame In The Top Group For Talented 2018 Receiver TREVOR TROUT ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Chaminade H.S. St. Louis Status: Interest Class: 2018 Position: Defensive Tackle Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 295 Rivals Rankings: No. 1 pros- pect in Missouri, and No. 1 defensive tackle and No. 22 overall player in the nation MICAH JONES ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Warren Township H.S. Gurnee, Ill. Status: Offered Class: 2018 Position: Wide Receiver Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 196 Rivals Rankings: No. 27 wide receiver and No. 144 overall player in the nation "ANY REMAINING QUESTIONS WE HAD ABOUT TROUT'S ABILITY TO COMPETE WITH THE BEST IN THE NATION WERE ANSWERED AT THE FIVE-STAR CHALLENGE IN JUNE." RIVALS MIDWEST RECRUITING ANALYST JOSH HELMHOLDT ON TROUT "THEY STAND PRETTY HIGH. IT'S A PROGRAM I'VE BEEN WATCHING FOR A WHILE." JONES ON NOTRE DAME

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