Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2017 69 FOOTBALL RECRUITING relative to the position and continue to develop the back end of the defense." Here's a position-by-position out- look with projected needs and some early targets at each position: QUARTERBACK 2017 QB On Roster: 4 Projected Take: 1 Gibsonia (Pa.) Pine-Richland quar- terback Phil Jurkovec was the only sig- nal-caller Notre Dame pursued in the class, and it paid off when he pledged to the Irish in May. When new offensive coordinator Chip Long was hired he made it a pri- ority to get out to Western Pennsylva- nia to make sure that Jurkovec knew he was still their man. The rising senior made it clear he is fully committed to Notre Dame, and Rivals' No. 55 pros- pect nationally serves as the founda- tion to the 2018 class. RUNNING BACK 2017 RB On Roster: 5 Projected Take: 2 Notre Dame has a talented back- field with five players returning with at least two seasons of eligibility re- maining. Rising junior Josh Adams has rushed for 1,771 yards and 11 touch- downs his first two seasons, and he'll be joined in the backfield by classmate Dexter Williams plus a pair of talented young backs in Tony Jones Jr. and in- coming freshman C.J. Holmes. By the time the 2018 class arrives on campus, Adams and Williams will be entering their final season, and sopho- more Deon McIntosh could end up at wide receiver. With that in mind, expect the Irish staff to look to add a pair of backs to the roster. Indianapolis Cathedral running back Markese Stepp was the first pledge in the group, committing to Notre Dame in June following the Irish Invasion. Despite missing most of his junior campaign with a hamstring injury, Stepp remains a consensus four-star back and is ranked as high as the No. 168 overall player in the country (by ESPN). Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy run- ning back T.J. Pledger — Rivals' No. 30 overall player in the country — is likely Notre Dame's top uncommitted back on the board. Pledger is a light- ning-quick runner who can do damage in the run and pass game. Stepp has helped lead the charge for Pledger, using Twitter and other forms of communication to convince him to join him in the class. Notre Dame recently offered Keaontay Ingram of Carthage (Texas) High, but the Irish are still in the early stages with his re- cruitment. WIDE RECEIVER 2017 WR On Roster: 9 Projected Take: 2-3 Notre Dame's 2016 wide receiver class was one of the nation's best, and its 2017 haul added another two qual- ity players to the position. With the 2018 class, the Notre Dame staff will look to add impact players to the ros- ter. The top two targets on the board are Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei ath- lete Amon-Ra St. Brown and Braden- ton (Fla.) IMG Academy pass catcher Brian Hightower. St. Brown is a Ri- vals five-star and the No. 11-ranked prospect nationally thanks to his elite speed and playmaking ability. He's the game changer Notre Dame wants in this class. Hightower is a long and physical pass catcher, and is ranked as the No. 44 overall player in the country by Rivals. Notre Dame is in good position with Hightower, but he'll be pursued by every top program in the country. St. Brown is the younger brother of Notre Dame's leading receiver Equanimeous St. Brown, but like his other brother Osiris, who chose Stanford, Amon-Ra will base his decision on more than his sibling's success with the Irish. Gurnee (Ill.) Warren Township wide receiver Micah Jones is another player high on the board for Notre Dame. The 6-5, 196-pounder, a physically impos- ing pass catcher, has been on campus several times. Rivals ranks him as the top prospect in Illinois, and the No. 27 wide receiver and No. 158 overall player in the country. Notre Dame will also make a hard run at Hightstown (N.J.) The Peddie School standout Jahan Dotson (Rivals' No. 17 wide receiver and No. 102 over- all prospect nationally); Houston St. Pius X speedster Bryson Jackson; Yoa- kum (Texas) High pass catcher Joshua Moore (No. 19 wide receiver and No. 107 overall recruit in the land), who will play at IMG Academy for his se- nior season; and Portland (Ore.) Tigard burner Braden Lenzy (No. 21 wide- out and No. 238 overall player in the country). TIGHT END 2017 TE On Roster: 6 Projected Take: 1 Notre Dame's 2017 class added the best pair of tight ends in the country in Brock Wright and Cole Kmet. Landing that duo means Notre Dame enters this cycle with the option of being ex- tremely picky. The board is still shaking out, but Notre Dame has offered and is pur- suing Jacksonville (Fla.) Providence product Will Mallory (the nation's No. 53 tight end) and Tampa (Fla.) Plant big man Judge Culpepper (No. 10 tight end and No. 215 overall player in the country), and is still trying to get in the mix with Missouri City (Texas) Ridge Point standout Mustapha Muhammad (No. 12 tight end and No. 235 overall prospect nationally), although the Irish are on the outside looking in with him. Lindenhurt (N.Y.) High standout Jeremy Ruckert (No. 5 tight end and Wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown, the younger brother of Notre Dame junior receiver Equanimeous St. Brown, is ranked as the No. 11 overall player in the junior class by Rivals. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM