Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/83107
Prep Profiles Tyler Luatua 4 stars La Mirada High School La Mirada, Calif. Class: 2014 Position: Tight End Ht.: 6-4 · Wt.: 230 247Sports Ranking: No. 2 prospect in California, top tight end nationally and the No. 18 overall recruit in the country Nation’s Top Junior Tight End Is On Irish Board La Mirada (Calif.) High junior Tyler Luatua has garnered plenty of early attention with offers from Cal, Nebraska, Ohio State, UCLA and others in hand. The nation’s top 2014 tight end, according to 247Sports, added a new program to his list when Notre Dame came calling during the summer months. “I’m just excited about the offer,” the 6-4, 230-pound four-star prospect said. “They have a good football and academic program. … The coach mentioned that they have the country’s top tight end at their university [senior Tyler Eifert] and they have tight ends currently starting in the NFL, and that made me excited about their university.” Luatua’s brother, offensive lineman Isaac, signed with Alabama in 2011, and the younger sibling’s only planned visit for the summer was to attend the Crimson Tide football camp. He said he plans on talking with his parents about scheduling other visits, including a potential stop at Notre Dame. After landing an offer from Alabama, Tyler expressed interest in playing with his brother and put the Crimson Tide at the top of his list. “It would be good to go there with my brother and play with him again,” he said. While his brother’s school may have gotten his attention early, he plans on taking his time with the process and currently lists several programs that have gotten his attention. “Alabama, Florida State, Notre Dame, Miami and USC are the teams currently standing out,” he shared after landing the Irish offer. “I probably won’t be deciding until the end of my junior year. I want to take visits and see what the schools have to offer at tight end.” Luatua, who reeled in 23 passes for 251 yards and a touchdown as a sophomore, is rated as the No. 2 junior in California and the No. 18 player in his class nationally. He also plays basketball for the Matadores, and averaged 6.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game last season. Luatua was quickly drawn in by Notre Dame after learning of the success the program has had at the tight end position, and the Irish are also hitting the right notes when it comes down to his other factors in making a decision. “I want to pick a school with a good football program, coaching staff and academics,” he said. — Jason Sapp Notre Dame In Pursuit Of Five-Star Junior Cornerback Tony Brown 5 stars Ozen High School Beaumont, Texas Class: 2014 Position: Cornerback Ht.: 6-0 · Wt.: 185 40-yard dash: 4.34 247Sports Ranking: No. 2 recruit in Texas, No. 3 cornerback in the land and the No. 15 overall player in the country Beaumont (Texas) Ozen junior cornerback Tony Brown was on a hot streak of landing major offers this summer and added Notre Dame to the list in late June. Brown admittedly doesn’t know much about the Irish yet, but he’s in the process of doing research to learn more. “Those gold helmets really stand out to me,” the 6-0, 185-pound five-star recruit quickly noted. “I know it’s a fairly new coaching staff there and that the program is on the rise with great recruiting classes.” Brown wasn’t able to get to Notre Dame’s campus this past summer as planned, but says he’ll “definitely” get to South Bend soon. In his sophomore season, he recorded an impressive 96 tackles and 16 passes broken up. He has already compiled more than 190 tackles in his high school career as he goes into his junior campaign. “The coaches like that I’m versatile and that I can play any position in the secondary,” Brown shared. “I can easily pick things up in the offense while playing full speed. That comes with my father being a coach and working with me on it all the time. I’ve been around football my whole life, and I feel like I know it.” While he has yet to narrow down his focus this early in the process, Brown has an idea of what he’ll be searching for in a program when he hits the various college campuses. “The facilities, where I’ll be living, how the campus is, how I feel when I get there and the coach I’ll be working with are all things that matter to me about a school,” he said. “The biggest part is just feeling at home. “I’m going to go wherever I feel comfortable. I believe that I have the potential to be great, so I need a coach that can help me be the best I can be.” Brown is familiar with the process considering his father played defensive back at Texas Tech and Purdue. He has yet to set an exact timeline, but he knows he wants to get the full experience out of his recruitment. “I definitely want to take all of my official visits,” Brown said. “I’ll probably make my decision as late as I can so I know for sure. I’m not going to pick a school until I know without a doubt it’s where I want to be.” — Jason Sapp