Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 28, 2016 45 FOOTBALL RECRUITING and El Cerrito (Calif.) High four-star Aaron Banks, the No. 15 tackle and No. 101 overall player in the land. Sarell (Oct. 15) and Banks (Sept. 17) have officially visited Notre Dame. Both came away impressed with the game-day atmosphere, but it ap- pears staying on the West Coast is the more likely option for them. Stanford and Washington are major players for Sarell, along with Notre Dame. Banks is considering Oregon, Michi- gan, Cal, USC, UCLA, Arizona State and Nebraska, and will announce his decision between Dec. 4 and Dec. 18. Smith was scheduled to officially visit for the Virginia Tech game Nov. 19, but did not make the trip. He has unofficially visited South Bend before, and has said publically that any of his top six schools — Ten- nessee, Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Clemson and Ole Miss — have a shot at landing him. Notre Dame is in the race for each player, but it isn't a favorite to land one of the three. New offers could go out from the staff or they could decide to stick with their current three-man class and bring back Colin McGovern, Hunter Bivin and John Montelus, who are all eligible for a fifth year, and focus on the 2018 class. DEFENSIVE LINE The defensive line class also in- cludes three players: four-star Dar- nell Ewell of Norfolk (Va.) Lake Tay- lor, the No. 8 defensive tackle and No. 127 overall player nationally; three-star Jonathon MacCollister of Orlando (Fla.) Bishop Moore; and three-star Kurt Hinish of Pittsburgh Central Catholic, the No. 38 defen- sive tackle in the country. Another edge player would fill out this group, but Olney (Md.) Good Counsel four-star Joshua Paschal, the No. 8 strongside defensive end and No. 232 overall player in the country, is the only remaining target on the board. He will take an official visit during the weekend of the Echoes Banquet (Dec. 9-11). DEFENSIVE BACK The class is made up of four-star athlete Isaiah Robertson of Naper- ville (Ill.) Neuqua Valley, the No. 17 athlete and No. 190 overall player in the land; four-star athlete Elijah Hicks of La Mirada (Calif.) High, the No. 27 athlete in the country; and three-star Paulson Adebo of Mans- field (Texas) High. Robertson is destined for safety, while Adebo and Hicks will start at cornerback. The pure cornerback board is not littered with targets, but one could be a betting favorite to wind up in the class. Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) High four-star Thomas Graham, the No. 7 cornerback and No. 68 overall player in the country, took an of- ficial for the Michigan State game Sept. 17 and is very high on the Irish, as are his parents. Arizona, Oregon and UCLA are also players in his recruitment. The safety board features Braden- ton (Fla.) IMG Academy four-star Grant Delpit, the No. 9 safety and No. 92 overall player nationally; three-star Jaiden Cole of Monroe (La.) Neville; and recent offer three- star and Louisville commit TreSean Smith of Cincinnati La Salle. Cole appears destined to stay in a warmer climate in the South or the West, and Delpit will likely stick with his commitment to LSU depending whom the Tigers hire as their next head coach. Adding Graham and one of the remaining safety targets is the dream scenario for the staff, but with Hicks' versatility to play safety landing just Graham would cap an excellent de- fensive back class to follow up the talented 2016 group. Smith will be a name to watch if he takes a visit to Notre Dame. He has been unsure about taking a trip to South Bend since receiving the offer. ✦ If the Irish want to land another wide receiver, Iowa City (Iowa) West three-star Oliver Martin may be the most probable candidate left on the board. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM Daily Team Coverage Expert Analysis Recruiting Scoop Prospect Videos Expert Message Boards BlueAndGold.com Football Recruiting Is HERE! * *Use Promo Code BGI30 Go behind the scenes with exclusive coverage on the Irish throughout the season. In-depth analysis by our seasoned experts in the field. Breaking news, team and individual rankings, features on every commitment, over 10 years of archived recruiting information. See all of tomorrow's top Irish prospects in action on our top quality prospect videos. Interact with other Notre Dame fans across the country and discuss the state of the Irish.