Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/81334
Turning The Tide By Jason Sapp Notre Dame has had its fair share of verbal commits flipping elsewhere in years past, most recently in the 2012 recruiting class. Five-star prospects Ronald Darby, a cornerback who ended up at Florida State, and Deontay Greenberry, a wide receiver who landed in Houston, both disappointed Irish fans in the end. The common denominator in those two situations was that the prospect always had the intention of taking official visits to other programs. Some college coaches even encourage their pledges to use official visits to get a “free” look at other schools and be sure of their decisions. However, the recruiting game is getting more and more hectic each year, and it’s causing college staffs to forbid their recruits from taking any other visits. Notre Dame’s 2013 campaign has a different tune with none of the 19 pledges scheduled to take an official visit to another program. On the flip side, the Irish are in position to host a number of players committed elsewhere that would like to get a closer look at the program before signing their letters of intent, and they all play an area of need in the class. Here’s a rundown of the five prospects committed elsewhere that are targeting an official visit to Notre Dame: Corey Clement — Pittsburgh RB, 5-11, 205 · Glassboro, N.J. (Glassboro High) Junior Season: Rushed for 2,510 yards and 36 touchdowns. 247Sports Ranking: Four-star prospect, the No. 11 player in New Jersey and the No. 19 running back in the land. Skinny: Clement is slated for an official visit to Notre Dame for its matchup against Michigan on Sept. 22 … The Irish may already have a player at his position committed in running back Jamel James of Katy, Texas, but the coaches like the versatility that Clement brings to the offense … He is considered to be an ideal fit at the running back/slot receiver hybrid position … Notre Dame has been able to remain a player in the race dating back to Clement’s verbal commitment to Pitt in June, and is in position to shoot up the list with a strong visit to campus … The only other schools in the race at this point besides the Panthers are Nebraska and Wisconsin, which he’ll visit prior to getting to South Bend. Altee Tenpenny — Alabama RB, 5-11, 212 · North Little Rock, Ark. (West High) Junior Season: Missed the season after suffering a broken ankle … Had 147 carries for 1,121 yards and 15 touchdowns as a sophomore. 247Sports Ranking: Four-star recruit, the top player in Arkansas, the country’s No. 2 running back and the No. 29 overall prospect nationally. Skinny: Tenpenny was adamant about getting to South Bend for an official visit earlier in the process, but has since began to keep in less contact with the coaching staff … Notre Dame would gladly take a verbal commitment from the touted player and will continue to work to stay in the mix, but other programs may currently have the edge in regards to securing a visit. Deon Hollins — UCLA LB, 6-2, 225 · Missouri City, Texas (Marshall) Junior Season: Recorded 70 stops, 22 tackles for loss and 16 sacks. 247Sports Ranking: Four-star player, the No. 35 recruit in Texas and the nation’s No. 11 weakside defensive end. Skinny: Hollins gave a blind commitment to UCLA (which means he did so without seeing the campus) last February, but took an early August trip to see the Bruins in person … Following the visit, he remained the same, a “soft” commitment at best, and he has an interest in getting to see other schools, Notre Dame included … Oklahoma and Texas A&M are two other programs that he has remained in contact with and would like to visit. Trey Johnson — Auburn LB, 6-2, 218 · Lawrenceville, Ga. (Central Gwinnett) Junior Season: Compiled 164 stops, 25 tackles for loss, six sacks, four forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries. 247Sports Ranking: Four-star recruit, the No. 13 player in Georgia, the No. 5 inside linebacker nationally and the country’s No. 156 overall prospect. Skinny: Johnson may have committed to Auburn over a year ago, but he remains consistent in that he’d like to take official visits to other programs with South Bend as a destination … Other programs that are under consideration include Miami and USC … Johnson may be listed as an inside linebacker, but he’s athletic enough to fill other roles at the second level of the defense and touted enough to remain on the radar for Notre Dame … He plans on using his visits before deciding if he’ll remain committed to the Tigers. Isaac Savaiinaea — Stanford LB, 6-3, 230 · Honolulu (Punahou) 247Sports Ranking: Four-star prospect, the top player in Hawaii, the No. 2 inside linebacker in the land and the nation’s No. 77 overall player. Skinny: Savaiinaea, who attends the same high school as Notre Dame star senior inside linebacker Manti Te’o, has been committed to Stanford since February, but Irish West Coast recruiter Mike Denbrock has kept the Irish involved … Savaiinaea’s slated to take an official visit to Notre Dame over his bye week — the the Stanford game on Oct. 13 … Texas A&M and UCLA are other programs that he’d like to visit before deciding whether he’ll keep his pledge to the Cardinal.