Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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34 JANUARY 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED PREP PROFILES De'Gabriel Floyd couldn't believe it. The class of 2019 athlete from Los Angeles Augustus Hawkins said when he got the call informing him he had been offered a Notre Dame of- fer he was in shock. "It's almost unreal," Floyd said. "The feeling is just overwhelming. It's really just a blessing, being able to have the opportunity to go to a col- lege of that high stature — it's great." Even though he was surprised by the offer, Floyd said he thought one might be on the way eventually. "I was pretty excited," Floyd said. "I had talked to Notre Dame multiple times. They've been recruiting me for a while now. It came, and I was ex- cited. I was at a loss for words." The 6-3, 218-pounder said the op- portunities Notre Dame presents on and off the field are what have him so jazzed up over the offer. "The campus is amazing," Floyd said. "The academic buildings are so unique. They look like medieval cas- tles. I know there's a lot of intelligence going on. There's a reason why they built those buildings. Their students are in the best environment to learn and get their degree. "Football-wise, it's a great program. They bring in great athletes, coach them up to the best of their ability and do what they do." For a sophomore in high school, Floyd holds a strong offer list. Twelve other schools have offered the young athlete along with Notre Dame, in- cluding the likes of Tennessee, Michi- gan and USC. That's a nice list for anyone, but it's even more impressive considering Floyd missed his entire freshman season at Hawkins. "Honestly, I really didn't think this was going to happen so fast," Floyd said. "I thought I was going to lay low a little bit. I thought I'd be recruited, but I didn't think the actual offers would come so soon." As for Notre Dame, the Irish are in a good spot early with Floyd and will likely be on the athlete's radar all the way through his process. "I'm pretty interested," Floyd said. "I like the school and I like the coaches. I've talked to [wide receivers coach Mike] Denbrock a few times, so we have kind of a cool relationship. "I just hope to learn more about the school as I get older and get closer to my decision." — David McKinney Heading into late November, Notre Dame had extended offers to five of the best players in the 2019 class. The list grew by one with Lewis Center (Ohio) Olentangy Orange defensive end Zach Harrison becoming the sixth sophomore to earn a scholarship ten- der from the Irish. "I was excited," Harrison said. "It means a lot. It's the first big-time offer I have." The 6-5, 220-pound Harrison experi- enced game day in South Bend for the first time during Notre Dame's 34-31 loss to the Virginia Tech Hokies Nov. 19. "It was fun. I enjoyed myself," Har- rison said. "We toured the facilities, went to the locker room, went on the field, [watched] pregame warm-ups on the sidelines. "I like it a lot more than I thought I would. I like their fan base and how everyone is so supportive of the team." Harrison was impressed by the sup- port of the Irish fan base even with the cold temperatures and snowy condi- tions. "At the beginning of the game not many people were there," Harrison said. "My mom said it was cold and they are probably at home watching it. As the game started the stands filled and everyone was standing, cheering and screaming. It means they are dedi- cated to Notre Dame. "Most of the other games I've been to haven't been good games. I got to watch a close game instead of a blow- out for once. That helped." The sophomore had a little bit of a different answer than most recruits who visit a program when asked what his favorite part of the trip was. "Probably watching their pregame," Harrison said. "I always enjoy that. And watching the game. It was a very good game. … It's just interesting to see how big the players are." Harrison admitted he hadn't paid much attention to Notre Dame before his trip to South Bend, but that will change with the offer now in hand. Harrison plays both tight end and defensive end for his high school and believes Notre Dame is recruiting him at the latter. This past season, Harri- son racked up 32 total stops, 11 tackles for loss, six sacks and five pass deflec- tions on defense. He also had 13 recep- tions on offense, five of which went for touchdowns. Cincinnati, Iowa State and Toledo have also offered Harrison. He has also taken visits to Ohio State, Michigan State, Cincinnati and Purdue this fall. — Corey Bodden L.A. Sophomore Excited To Land Offer From The Irish Notre Dame Gets The Attention Of 2019 Ohio DE "IT'S REALLY JUST A BLESSING, BEING ABLE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO A COLLEGE OF THAT HIGH STATURE — IT'S GREAT." FLOYD ON NOTRE DAME "I WAS EXCITED. IT MEANS A LOT. IT'S THE FIRST BIG-TIME OFFER I HAVE." HARRISON ON HIS OFFER FROM THE IRISH ZACH HARRISON Olentangy Orange H.S. Lewis Center, Ohio Status: Offered Class: 2019 Position: Defensive End Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 220 Rivals Rankings: Currently unrated DE'GABRIEL FLOYD Augustus Hawkins H.S. Los Angeles Status: Offered Class: 2019 Position: Athlete Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 218 Rivals Rankings: Currently unrated