Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JANUARY 2017 33 FOOTBALL RECRUITING Wills is ranked by Rivals as the No. 4 tackle and No. 17 overall player in the country. His lowest national ranking among the other three ser- vices is No. 89 (ESPN). He is listed as the No. 53 overall prospect nationally by 247Sports and is No. 63 according to Scout. Lugg is rated as the nation's No. 140 overall player by Scout, No. 160 by ESPN and No. 276 by 247Sports. His value is varied a bit according to the major services, but he possesses the potential to be an elite tackle, according to Driskell. BROCK WRIGHT TIGHT END • CYPRESS (TEXAS) CY-FAIR Rivals Rankings: Four-star talent, and the No. 1 tight end and No. 56 overall player nationally. Like Ewell, Wright has the chance to make a quick impact at Notre Dame, especially with his early en- rollment. He will get a jump-start on the rest of his future teammates. Wright is the top-ranked tight end in the country for good reason. He projects well as a blocker at the next level and has excellent pass-catch- ing abilities with his 6-5, 238-pound frame. He has long arms, finds ways to get open and shows a large catch radius to go with his speed, athleti- cism and strength. Landing a player such as Wright from a state like Texas was a coup for the Irish. Driskell believes Wright is comparable to former Irish tight end Anthony Fasano (2002-05). AVERY DAVIS QUARTERBACK • CEDAR HILL (TEXAS) HIGH Rivals Rankings: Three-star recruit, the No. 63 talent in Texas and the No. 16 dual-threat quarterback nationally. While he is not the highest-rated player in the 2017 class, keeping Da- vis is essential. With the departure of DeShone Kizer to the NFL Draft and transfer of Malik Zaire, Notre Dame would be left with redshirt sophomore Brandon Wimbush, redshirt freshman Ian Book and redshirt junior Mont- gomery VanGorder at the position. Davis is a playmaker with both his arm and his feet. He has good arm strength and can make the tough throws, possesses pocket awareness and is a pass-first quarterback. Los- ing Davis would take a dynamic playmaker out of the class and would put the Irish in a tough spot at the position in terms of depth. He may not be the "sexy" name given his size at 5-11 and 188 pounds, but he was the top target for the Irish after Brownsburg (Ind.) High five- star Hunter Johnson committed to Tennessee. ✦ FIVE KEY REMAINING TARGETS ANTJUAN SIMMONS • Linebacker • Ann Arbor (Mich.) Pioneer Rivals Rankings: Four-star prospect, the No. 5 player in Michigan and the No. 25 outside linebacker nationally. Linebacker wasn't much of a worry for this class until the recent decommitment of Indianapolis Cathedral four-star Pete Werner. While Werner may have more upside compared to Simmons, the 6-1, 199-pound four-star, who decommitted from Ohio State Nov. 30, would be a good close for the staff at the position. He is also considering Arizona, Michigan State and Ohio State. THOMAS GRAHAM • Cornerback • Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) High Rivals Rankings: Four-star talent, and the No. 11 cornerback and No. 110 overall player nationally. Graham is one of the highest ranked targets left on the board and adding him would be a strong fol- low up the stellar 2016 group of Julian Love, Donte Vaughn and Troy Pride Jr. Nebraska, Oregon and Arizona are other contenders for the 5-10, 173-pounder. JAMIRE CALVIN • Wide receiver • Los Angeles Cathedral Rivals Rankings: Four-star recruit, and the No. 36 wide receiver and No. 187 overall player nationally. Calvin took an official to Notre Dame Dec. 9 during the Echoes weekend and has Notre Dame in his final four along with Nebraska, Alabama and Washington State. Nebraska is seen as Notre Dame's biggest threat. The 5-10, 165-pound Calvin is set to announce Jan. 7 at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Adding another wide receiver has been a priority for the staff and even more so with the transfer of Corey Holmes. OLIVER MARTIN • Wide receiver • Iowa City (Iowa) West Rivals Rankings: Three-star prospect, the No. 1 player in Iowa and the No. 63 wide receiver nationally. Martin, who checks in at 6-1 and 190 pounds, is the other top target at wide receiver, and Notre Dame is in a four-team battle with Iowa, Michigan and Michigan State. Martin took an official during Echoes weekend and could make a decision Jan. 7 during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. The Martin camp is fairly quiet, and this a close battle. EVAN FIELDS • Safety • Midwest City (Okla.) High Rivals Rankings: Three-star talent, the No. 14 player in Oklahoma and the No. 47 safety nationally. The 6-2, 190-pound Fields, who was offered by Notre Same Dec. 8, was scheduled to announce a commitment Dec. 13. However, he backed off that date and is now completely wide open. He told Rivals Midwest analyst Josh Helmholdt he will be taking an official visit to Notre Dame in January. Fields has two remaining official visits after touring Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Arizona State. Mississippi State and a couple other schools are also involved. As of Dec. 13, he did not have a revised timetable for making a decision. The Irish beat out Alabama, UCLA and Tennessee, among many others, to earn a commitment from Joshua Lugg, a 6-7 and 280-pound four- star offensive tackle from Wexford (Pa.) North Allegheny. PHOTO BY COREY BODDEN With DeShone Kizer heading to the NFL and Malik Zaire transferring, it is imperative that the Irish hold on to Cedar Hill (Texas) High three-star quarterback Avery Davis for depth purposes. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM