Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/871976
44 SEPT. 18, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY COREY BODDEN AND DAVID MCKINNEY N otre Dame started the 2017 season off in a big way with a 49-16 win over Temple Sept. 2, and three official visitors were on hand to witness the victory. The Irish hosted Baltimore Gil- man four-star defensive end Thomas Booker, Conroe (Texas) Oak Ridge three-star defensive end Joseph Os- sai and Everett (Wash.) Archbishop Murphy four-star cornerback Kyler Gordon. All three left South Bend after the weekend with the Irish squarely in the mix in their recruitments. Here is a rundown of the situation with each of three targets after their of- ficial visits. THOMAS BOOKER DEFENSIVE END • BALTIMORE GILMAN Rivals Rankings: Four-star talent, and the No. 15 defensive tackle and No. 212 overall player nationally. The Skinny: Booker previously visited Notre Dame during the spring and came away impressed with what he witnessed on and off the field. During Temple weekend, he and his family were able to go much more in depth on how he would fit aca- demically, athletically and socially in South Bend. "I think what Thomas got out of it is that he won't be thought of as just a Notre Dame football player," his father, Tom Booker, told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "But a kid who will be able to pursue other things that interest him along with football, and it'll all be at a high level. "It's not going to be him wish- ing he could do more in a physics class or wishing he could pursue a business interest of his. They're all getting after it in all phases, and the football guys are participating. It was great to see because Thomas is a busy kid." Notre Dame and Stanford are the perceived top two schools for the Ri- vals250 prospect. The Irish may have taken a solid lead over the Cardinal following the visit, but a trip to Stan- ford looms. Other visit plans are not set for Booker, but his father did mention they would occur later this fall. There is no set timetable for a commitment, and the family will make a thorough decision when the time is right. KYLER GORDON CORNERBACK • EVERETT (WASH.) ARCHBISHOP MURPHY Rivals Rankings: Four-star pros- pect, the No. 3 player in the state of Washington and the No. 27 corner- back in the nation. The Skinny: Gordon made the trip to South Bend with his mother, and they were both blown away by what Notre Dame had to offer. "It was really great," Gordon said of the visit. "It's amazing that you get to play on live TV every time, and there's a bunch of fans everywhere." Gordon, one of Notre Dame's top targets at cornerback, had breakfast with head coach Brian Kelly before heading back to Washington on Sun- day, and said Kelly laid out a clear vi- sion of his plans for the Irish program. "His message to me was what all the coaches were telling me about the culture he's created and what his plans are for this place and how he does things," Gordon said, adding that he was impressed with Kelly both as a coach and a person. "He's a good dude. He's upbeat, and he knows what to do. "He's straightforward." Gordon also told Blue & Gold Il- lustrated that he got a "different feel" during his visit than he had during other trips, and added Notre Dame definitely made a move up his list. Going forward, Gordon plans to take more official visits, likely to TCU, Washington, Stanford and pos- sibly Nebraska. The Everett, Wash., native plans to announce his commitment after his senior season ends. JOSEPH OSSAI DEFENSIVE END • CONROE (TEXAS) OAK RIDGE Rivals Rankings: Three-star talent and the No. 20 weakside defensive end in the country. The Skinny: Ossai isn't much of a talker. He rarely does interviews and doesn't discuss his recruitment much with anyone outside his family's in- ner circle. However, Blue & Gold Il- lustrated did speak with Ossai before the visit, and the Texan was excited for his trip to South Bend. Coming into the trip, Ossai had the Irish firmly in his top three along with Texas and Texas A&M, and had previously stated that he is open to the idea of leaving his home state to play college football. Both of Ossai's parents joined him on the trip, which could bode well for Notre Dame moving forward. Os- sai and his family are devout Cath- olics, and the faith-based culture surrounding the university and the football program made a big impres- sion on them. Ossai will likely schedule official visits to his other two finalists later in the season, and will make his com- mitment soon after those trips. How- ever, Ossai said he won't announce his commitment publicly until Na- tional Signing Day. ✦ Irish Impress A Trio Of Visitors During Win Over Temple Baltimore Gilman defensive end Thomas Booker, the nation's No. 212 overall player, got an in-depth look at Notre Dame during his official visit Sept. 2. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL