Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 7, 2016 51 PREP PROFILES Cincinnati Moeller 2018 defensive tackle Aeneas Hawkins was sched- uled to be in South Bend for Notre Dame's game against Stanford Oct. 15, but he was not able to attend. The 6-3, 260-pound Hawkins is still look- ing to make a visit, but is not sure when it will occur. Hawkins told Blue & Gold Illustrated in August the Irish were high on his list, and that remained the case this fall. "Things are going well with Notre Dame," Hawkins said. "I'm still very high on them. The commits in 2018 may be the best recruiters that I know from any team. "Notre Dame is still one of my top schools. They are one of my favor- ites." One aspect keeps the Irish program near the top. "The academic portion of Notre Dame is second to none," Hawkins said. "That itself is probably the big- gest factor when I consider them." Hawkins listed both linebackers coach Mike Elston and defensive co- ordinator Greg Hudson as his lead recruiters for the Irish. Hudson and the Hawkins family already have a connection. "Coach Hudson is a Moeller guy," Hawkins said. "He coached my dad with the Bengals back in the day." Hawkins' father, Artrell, played 10 years in the NFL as a defensive back including a stint with the Cincinnati Bengals from 1998-2003. Hudson was on the Bengals' staff from 1997-2000. The junior believes Hudson has the Irish defense heading back in the right direction. "Their struggles can concern you if you don't look into what is really going on," Hawkins said. "They were struggling on defense, but with Coach Hudson running the defense now I feel like they're making the necessary changes." Hawkins doesn't have a list of top schools, and he doesn't plan to release one until "sometime after the season." He said Penn State and Ohio State are currently recruiting him the hardest. Hawkins has been to Ohio State and Cincinnati this fall and plans to take more visits, but didn't have any planned entering November. The early offer list for Hawkins in- cludes Notre Dame, Penn State, Ohio State, Clemson, Tennessee, Florida and Florida State. He is currently un- ranked, but that is expected to change when the class of 2018 ratings are re- visited. — Corey Bodden Notre Dame got its first crack at flipping four-star safety and LSU commit Grant Delpit during the weekend of the Stanford game in mid-October. Delpit, a Rivals100 prospect out of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy, officially visited the Irish for the matchup with the Cardinal Oct. 15 and said it was unlike any other school he has seen. "I think it's very unique in that all the buildings are made of the same brick," Delpit said. "It's a very his- toric place, very religious place. All the dorms are historic. I like it a lot. "It's definitely different up there. Different than any other college I've been to." Delpit committed to LSU July 9, but has said his recruitment is not over. He plans on taking two other official visits — to Florida and LSU. When Delpit committed to LSU, Les Miles was still the Tigers' head coach. Now, things are different in Baton Rouge, and Delpit said he's keeping an open mind. "I love Coach Miles," Delpit said. "He's a players' coach. I love talking with him. I think Coach O [interim head coach Ed Orgeron] can get it done, so we'll what happens with that. But I'm still taking all my visits and I'm still open." As for Notre Dame, Delpit said the visit went well, and the Irish are now a major player in his recruitment, and will be right up to decision time. "I really enjoyed the visit," Delpit said. "It was a great visit and my first time up there. I got to see the campus a little bit and got to see the atmo- sphere. I sat down with the academic people, the admissions people, and all the coaches. It went really well. "Very high," Delpit said of his in- terest in the Irish. "I'm taking official visits to only three schools. They're definitely in the running until I sign." Delpit — a standout student who holds an offer from Harvard — said what really sticks out to him about Notre Dame is the academic oppor- tunity it presents. "It was a very fun visit and very informational," Delpit said of his time in South Bend. "They really ap- peal to me as a student and an ath- lete." — David McKinney Ohio Junior Defensive Tackle Is Planning An Irish Visit Notre Dame Working On Flipping LSU Commit AENEAS HAWKINS No star rating yet Moeller H.S. Cincinnati Status: Offered Class: 2018 Position: Defensive Tackle Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 260 Rivals Rankings: Currently unrated GRANT DELPIT ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ IMG Academy Bradenton, Fla. Status: Offered Class: 2017 Position: Safety Ht.: 6-1 • Wt.: 180 Rivals Rankings: No. 9 safety and No. 92 overall player in the nation "THE COMMITS IN 2018 MAY BE THE BEST RECRUITERS THAT I KNOW FROM ANY TEAM." HAWKINS "IT'S A VERY HISTORIC PLACE, VERY RELIGIOUS PLACE. ALL THE DORMS ARE HISTORIC. I LIKE IT A LOT... THEY'RE DEFINITELY IN THE RUNNING UNTIL I SIGN." DELPIT ON NOTRE DAME