Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Big Recruiting Weekend A preview of Notre Dame targets set to visit for the Michigan game By Jason Sapp Each college football season at Notre Dame entails a big recruiting weekend, and the contest that is drawing heavy interest this year is the primetime matchup against rival Michigan. The Irish may have 20 prospects already committed to the 2013 recruiting class, but there are remaining spots in the class to be filled. A total of 11 prospects are slated to be on campus when the Wolverines come to town, four of which are already committed to the program. Here’s a rundown of the recruits that are scheduled to be in South Bend for the Sept. 22 showdown on an official visit: Corey Clement RB, 5-11, 205, Glassboro, N.J. (Glassboro High) Junior Season: Rushed for 2,510 yards and 36 touchdowns. 247Sports Rankings: Four-star recruit, the No. 11 player in New Jersey and the No. 19 running back in the nation. Skinny: Clement remains committed to Pitt, but he has decided to use official visits on other programs to be sure of his college decision. Nebraska hosted him on Sept. 1, and Wisconsin was next up the weekend before the Notre Dame visit. His early preference was a pro-style offense, but the Irish will have an opportunity to show him how he fits their scheme as a slot receiver/running back. Michael Deeb LB, 6-2, 237, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (American Heritage) Junior Season: Racked up 90 tackles, two sacks, three interceptions and five forced fumbles. 247Sports Rankings: Three-star prospect, the No. 133 player in Florida and the No. 50 inside linebacker in the land. Skinny: Deeb knew shortly after his summer visit to Notre Dame for camp on June 24 that it was where he wanted to take his talent. He hasn’t budged on his pledge since then despite continued interest from Florida State, Penn State and others. The Florida native is scheduled to take a bus trip with his team, including 2014 Irish running back target Sony Michel, to the Notre Dame-Miami game at Soldier Field in Chicago on Oct. 6. Mike Heuerman TE, 6-4, 220, Naples, Fla. (Barron Collier) Junior Season: Made 23 catches for 340 yards and five touchdowns. 247Sports Rankings: Four-star recruit, the No. 29 player in Florida, the nation’s No. 9 tight end and the No. 208 overall prospect in the land. Skinny: Heuerman looked to have his sights set on Ohio State early in the process because his brother, Jeff, is currently a sophomore tight end for the Buckeyes. However, an impromptu return trip to South Bend assured him that it was where he wanted to play out his collegiate career. There’s a possibility that he may not be able to make it for the Michigan game after undergoing a tonsillectomy on Sept. 12, but the current plan is to get back to campus to be around a number of his fellow Irish pledges and targets. Torii Hunter Jr. WR, 6-1, 172, Prosper, Texas (Prosper) Junior Season: Reeled in 43 passes for 749 yards and 11 scores. 247Sports Rankings: Four-star prospect, the No. 30 player in Texas, the No. 26 wide receiver nationally and the No. 231 overall recruit in the land. Skinny: Hunter raved about his trip to Notre Dame over the summer, and he has kept the Irish among the programs he’s strongly considering. In addition to the trip to Notre Dame, he had also scheduled visits to Arkansas on Sept. 15 and Nebraska on Sept. 29. He looked to be Notre Dame’s best shot at landing another offensive player following his first visit to South Bend, but the Irish will have to see where the program stands following the other stops for the dual-sport athlete (football and baseball). Jamel James RB, 5-11, 215, Katy, Texas (Cinco Ranch) Junior Season: Carried the ball 182 times for 1,011 yards and 16 touchdowns. 247Sports Rankings: Four-star recruit, the No. 32 player in Texas, the No. 17 running back in the nation and the No. 241 overall prospect in the country. Skinny: James gave an early pledge to Arkansas prior to its coaching change and later popped up on Notre Dame’s radar after the coaching staff saw him work out in the spring. His commitment to the Irish was unexpected, and there were some required steps in the process before making it official. James quickly provided the information needed to add him as a member of the 2013 recruiting class. This will be James’ first visit to Notre Dame. Cole Luke CB, 6-0, 170, Chandler, Ariz. (Hamilton) Junior Season: Registered 63 tackles, 12 passes broken up and three interception returns for scores. 247Sports Rankings: Four-star prospect, the No. 2 player in Arizona, the No. 8 cornerback in the land and the No. 61 overall recruit nationally. Skinny: Luke had an added bonus of getting to watch Notre Dame play while he was in Dublin, Ireland, for his own game against Sherman Oaks (Calif.) Notre Dame. The Irish were able to leave a strong enough impression overseas to solidify his visit plans to South Bend. His other scheduled trips include a stop at Texas on Oct. 5 and Oklahoma on Oct. 26, which look to be the main competition in addition to USC. L.J. Moore DB, 6-2, 185, Fresno, Calif. (Central East) Junior Season: Notched three interceptions. 247Sports Rankings: Four-star recruit, the No. 26 player in California, the No. 17 cornerback in the country and the No. 233 overall prospect in the nation. Skinny: Moore put Notre Dame atop his list of favorites heading into his senior season with UCLA and hasn’t altered that group of schools since then. He has looked to be Notre Dame’s best chance at adding another defensive back to the class and remains in that position. Moore has yet to schedule other official visits, and if all goes well on the trip to South Bend the Irish could solidify a spot at the top of his list. He is a versatile player that can line up at cornerback or safety. Khalfani Muhammad RB, 5-8, 174, Sherman Oaks, Calif. (Notre Dame) Sophomore Season: Rushed for 851 yards and 13 touchdowns on 161 carries … Caught 21 passes for 279 yards and a score. 247Sports Rankings: Three-star prospect, the No. 48 player in California and the No. 15 all-purpose running back nationally. Skinny: Muhammad also had an opportunity to see the Irish play against Navy in Dublin, and shortly after returning to the states he scheduled his trip to South Bend. Other destinations include Arkansas and Washington (Oct. 13). He plans on saving his last two official visits for post-season trips and will take an unofficial visit to Cal on Oct. 20. Notre Dame is in a strong position heading into the trip, and even though he may have not planned an early decision, he isn’t counting out the possibility if all goes well during the visit. Corey Robinson WR, 6-4, 195, San Antonio (Christian) Junior Season: Made 42 catches for 660 yards and 10 touchdowns. 247Sports Rankings: Three-star recruit, the No. 118 player in Texas and the No. 97 wide receiver in the country. Skinny: Robinson may have had an offer in hand for nearly a month at the time, but his first trip to South Bend for the Notre Dame junior day on March 24 was all he needed. He offered his pledge just three days later — and after a one-day stop at Wake Forest in between. He has kept in regular contact with the 2013 commits, and even though more programs have started to show him attention following a strong start to his senior season, he isn’t considering any other options. Juwaan Williams WR, 6-0, 181, Tucker, Ga. (Tucker) Junior Season: Totaled 617 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns. 247Sports Rankings: Three-star prospect, the No. 59 player in Georgia and the No. 81 wide receiver nationally. Skinny: Williams has kept Notre Dame among his top five schools throughout the process, and the only other visit he has scheduled at this point is to Oregon on Oct. 6. Other schools that remain in the hunt are Clemson, Florida State and Vanderbilt. He places a strong interest on academics, which clearly works in Notre Dame’s favor, but has also expressed a desire to stay close to home. The Irish will have a better idea of where the program stands after he makes the trip out and decides whether location will remain as a factor. Priest Willis CB, 6-2, 200, Tempe, Ariz. (Marcos De Niza) Junior Season: Recorded 57 tackles and eight passes broken up. 247Sports Rankings: Five-star recruit, the top player in Arizona, the No. 3 cornerback in the country and the No. 23 overall player in the land. Skinny: Willis is the type of touted target that any coaching staff openly welcomes to a visit. Notre Dame was able to work its way into that group due to the efforts of safeties coach Bob Elliot. The other programs that have landed spots on his visit list are Nebraska on Oct. 26 and LSU on Nov. 2. LSU and USC appear to be the primary targets in this race.