Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2017 21 2017 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE "It's an exciting day, obviously. You're coming to a culmination of sometimes a year and a half's work, and that work requires so many mov- ing pieces, this year more so than ever," he said. Hampton (Va.) Bethel High three- star linebacker/rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Washington (D.C.) St. John's College High three- star defensive end Kofi Wardlow and three-star Kapolei (Hawai'i) High defensive tackle Myron Tagovailoa- Amosa inked with the Irish in the af- ternoon, key additions to a class that stood at just 15 committed players as recently as mid-January. With a 4-8 finish to the 2016 sea- son and an exodus of five assistant coaches, Kelly complimented the faith the 15 longtime commits put in Notre Dame throughout the process. "We couldn't be where we are to- day unless we had 15 student-ath- letes that were committed to Notre Dame from the start to the finish," Kelly said. "This group of 15 really had to endure the things that would occur out there in recruiting during a very difficult season. "Other schools were reminding them about a very difficult season that we had. But they stuck together because of why they wanted to come to Notre Dame. "The 15 that really stuck together gave me an opportunity to reconsti- tute our staff, put our staff together, get back out on the road after the dead period, and finish it out really strong." The efforts were again spear- headed by recruiting coordinator Mike Elston, who enters his third season in that capacity in 2017. The second year of the annual summer recruiting camp Irish Inva- sion again proved beneficial, Kelly said, and the behind-the-scenes per- sonnel pulled their weight to Kelly's liking. Kelly said he likes the balance of the class — the 21 players represent 11 states and the District of Columbia — but doesn't expect the incoming recruits to be needed as much as last year's group. After 13 of the 24 sign- ees in the class of 2016 saw playing time as freshmen, Kelly is "hopeful" the Irish can lean more on their vet- erans in 2017. A year after going an entire cycle without a decommitment, a rarity in today's recruiting landscape, Notre Dame had six players back out on their pledge in the class of 2017 — Mansfield (Texas) High four-star de- MAKING IT HAPPEN Notre Dame starts fast and finishes strong with the class of 2017 ✦ 2017 NOTRE DAME SIGNEES Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) David Adams LB 6-0½ 222 Pittsburgh (Central Catholic) Jafar Armstrong WR 6-0 170 Lee's Summit, Mo. (Bishop Miege) Aaron Banks OL 6-5 320 Alameda, Calif. (El Cerrito) Avery Davis QB 5-11 185 Cedar Hill, Texas (Cedar Hill) Jonathan Doerer K 6-3 188 Charlotte, N.C. (South Mecklenburg) Darnell Ewell DL 6-4 280 Norfolk, Va. (Lake Taylor) Jordan Genmark Heath S 6-2 200 San Diego (Cathedral Catholic) Dillan Gibbons OL 6-4 315 Clearwater, Fla. (Central Catholic) Robert Hainsey OL 6-4 275 Pittsburgh (IMG Academy) Kurt Hinish DL 6-2 280 Pittsburgh (Central Catholic) C.J. Holmes RB 6-0 200 Hamden, Conn. (Cheshire Academy) Cole Kmet TE 6-4 235 Lake Barrington, Ill. (Saint Viator) Josh Lugg OL 6-6 280 Pittsburgh (North Allegheny) Jonathon MacCollister DL 6-3 244 DeLand, Fla. (Bishop Moore) Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah LB 6-2 205 Hampton, Va. (Bethel) Isaiah Robertson S 6-1 195 Bolingbrook, Ill. (Neuqua Valley) Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa DL 6-4 250 Ewa Beach, Hawai'i (Kapolei) Kofi Wardlow DL 6-3 210 Washington, D.C. (Saint John's College) Drew White LB 6-1 220 Boca Raton, Fla. (Saint Thomas Aquinas) Brock Wright TE 6-5 245 Cypress, Texas (Cy-Fair) Michael Young Jr. WR 5-10 170 Saint Rose, La. (Destrehan) Cedar Hill (Texas) High quarterback Avery Davis took part in the Under Armour All-America Game Jan. 1, making him one of six Irish signees to play in a national postseason all-star contest. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM BY MATT JONES N otre Dame had 19 players signed when head coach Brian Kelly began his annual Na- tional Signing Day press conference a little after 1:30 p.m. inside The Gug on Feb. 1. By the time Kelly was fin- ished the Irish had 21 players signed, finishing off a whirlwind last month of recruiting for the class of 2017.