Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/79481
James scheduled a last-minute visit to Notre Dame for its Blue-Gold Game on April 21, and while he expected to enjoy his first trip to South Bend he didn't expect the news that head coach Brian Kelly and his staff had for him. "Before the game started I got to Brookfield, Wis., defensive end Alec go into the locker room and then into Coach Kelly's office and talk to him," the 6-4, 225-pound Brookfield East player said following the visit. "He told me he loved my film and thought I would fit in perfect in their defense and that my character was great, and then he offered me. "Coach Kelly seemed like a great, respectable and smart coach and he likes how I fit the defense perfect as a defensive end/outside linebacker hybrid." The game-like atmosphere with Wisconsin DE Has Irish In Lead Group Following Visit ALEC JAMES PREP PROFILES Position: Defensive End Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 225 Rivals.com Ranking: No. 17 weakside defensive end in the nation ✪ ✪ ✪ Brookfield East Brookfield, Wis. most was just the class and character about everyone in the program, and the weight their name carries," he said. James, who recorded 84 tackles and "I think what stood out to me the "They talked to me about why they committed, but for me it's so much to take in. I couldn't commit, and I'm still taking my time with the process." Heading into the visit James had listed his two favorites as Michigan State and Wisconsin. He hadn't de- cided whether the Irish will be able to remove the two Big Ten programs from their position, but Notre Dame is in the top group. "I haven't had enough time to pro- Irish fans roaming the campus for the spring game caught the attention of the three-star prospect, but those within the program also left a mark on his trip. man Isaac Rochell has always taken the mentality in recruiting that what is meant to be will be. "I was given some good advice McDonough, Ga., defensive line- about not letting recruiting become what I am," the 6-5, 260-pound Eagle's Landing player said. "I decided that I was just going to stay humble and continue building relationships along the way." His plan worked. While landing offers from programs that are further away is a difficult task for high school prospects because schools are unsure whether there is legitimate mutual interest, that didn't stop traditional powerhouses like Ala- bama, Auburn, Oklahoma, Tennessee and others from offering the four-star prospect. Notre Dame, which is used to re- a school-record 12.5 sacks in his ju- nior season, earning him first-team all-state honors, turned out to be the only prospect on campus in his class with an Irish offer that hadn't commit- ted yet, including the verbal pledge from offensive tackle John Montelus of Everett, Mass., that occurred during the Blue-Gold Game weekend. "They seemed like a good group," he said of the 10 commits in town. cess the new offers from Notre Dame and Illinois, but I had a good time on the visit," he said. "Michigan State and Wisconsin are still tied just because I haven't been able to take in all of the experience yet." "The main factors for me are trust in the coaches, a place I feel comfortable about and dedication to winning. … I have no specific date on when I want to decide. I just want to take my time, and when I make my verbal I want to stick with it. I like to keep my word so I'm taking it slow." — Jason Sapp Irish Surge To The Top For Georgia Defensive Lineman ISAAC ROCHELL defensive tackle in the land and the No. 102 overall player nationally Position: Defensive Tackle Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 260 247Sports Ranking: No. 11 recruit in Georgia, No. 7 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Eagle's Landing McDonough, Ga. target for the defensive line," Rochell shared, noting that he learned about his offer from the Irish on National Signing Day (Feb. 1) during a phone conversation with head coach Brian Kelly. The Georgia native wanted to make cruiting nationally, also expressed its interest and happened to do so even more than some of the local programs. "If you asked me which school is re- www.BLUEANDGOLD.com coaches. I got to talk to them more about where they see me fitting in, how I fit the scheme and how much they want me to be a part of the pro- gram." Rochell recorded 97 tackles, 24 tack- les for loss and seven sacks in his ju- nior season. Despite continuing to have inter- est in a few other select programs, he noted the time he spent at Notre Dame gave him a feeling he hasn't experi- enced during any other campus visit. "At the top," Rochell shared of it known that he had Notre Dame in his sights as well and took a trip to campus on April 2 for spring practice after not being able to attend the junior day on March 24. "The visit was great," Rochell said cruiting me the hardest, I'd say Notre Dame because Coach [Mike] Elston told me they have me as the No. 1 of his time in South Bend. "Everything was literally perfect about it. "It was a great opportunity to con- tinue building a relationship with the where the Irish stood following the trip. "Notre Dame is my favorite. Flor- ida, Florida State and Clemson are all still in it, but Notre Dame is special." He admittedly considered wrapping up his recruitment, but he wanted to head back home first to let the high emotions from the visit settle and see how he felt afterwards. "I'm not going to rush a decision," Rochell said. "I'm going to take my time, pray on it and make a choice when I'm ready. I'm going to wait un- til I'm 100 percent positive." — Jason Sapp MAY 2012 45