Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 9, 2017 45 PREP PROFILES In the late stages of the 2017 cycle, Notre Dame was able to flip the com- mitments of two Maryland pledges: defensive end Kofi Wardlow and kicker Jonathan Doerer. The Irish hope to do the same in 2018 with another Terrapins commit that fits a major position of need. In mid-September, Notre Dame extended an offer to Washington (D.C.) H.D. Woodson cornerback and Maryland commit Noah Boykin, who pledged to Maryland in early July. "That's always going to be a big- time offer," Boykin told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "Notre Dame has so much history from way back. They play on national television. That's a real big- time offer. "I had previous communication with Notre Dame, so it wasn't out of the blue. We had to get on the same page." Defensive backs coach Todd Lyght extended the offer to the 6-2, 170-pounder and has made a good im- pression on the four-star cornerback. "Coach Lyght said he likes my game," Boykin said. "He tells me about his experience playing in the league and going to Notre Dame, tells me how he can change my game and make it better and hopefully go to the next level if I decide to come to Notre Dame. "When I talk to Coach Lyght, he's pretty straight forward, telling me what I want to know and what he wants me to hear. He's been telling me some real good things. It's always a good conversation." Whenever a committed player lands another major Power Five of- fer, the first question asked is if that school will get a look. Boykin reiter- ated he's committed to Maryland and that they are his "No. 1 priority right now." But a visit to Notre Dame is under consideration for the senior. "I'm definitely thinking about visit- ing," Boykin explained. "… I had to show some type of interest in order for them to offer me. I'm definitely going to follow up with it. Basically, what I'm trying to say is, that's a school that didn't offer me at first. "I want to see what took them so long, but not in a cocky sense. They might have something special going on, and they probably want a certain type of person. I want to see what that's about." Notre Dame will continue to work to get the talented cornerback to visit South Bend and check out the Irish program up close. — Corey Bodden Notre Dame has a quarterback commitment in the class of 2019 in Reno (Nev.) Damonte Ranch four-star Cade McNamara, but in mid-Septem- ber Notre Dame entered the mix for Trussville (Ala.) Hewitt-Trussville signal-caller Paul Tyson. Tyson, a three-star prospect, holds offers from Oregon, Kentucky, North Carolina State, USC, Wisconsin and others. According to Hewitt-Trussville head coach Josh Floyd, Tyson was thrilled to add Notre Dame to his list. "It was huge for him," Floyd said. "I know he was really fired up about the Notre Dame offer, and I know when he went and visited [April 2 and June 10] he loved it. He appreci- ated the history and tradition, and he loved the campus." Floyd said when coaches see Tyson, the first thing that catches their eye is his 6-4, 205-pound frame. "The No. 1 thing is the size, and the No. 2 thing is the arm strength," Floyd said. "He can make every throw. He can throw the deep ball, and he can make the intermediate throw. He can really do it all." Tyson is still just a junior at Hewitt- Trussville, but Floyd said he grabbed the respect of his older teammates as soon as he arrived. "He's a humble guy," Floyd noted. "He comes into work every day and treats people right. I think that's helped him earn respect from the guys, and they see him doing extra stuff after practice. That's how you earn the respect of your teammates." Floyd is pleased with Tyson's per- formance on the field and how he is developing. "He's a guy that understands the offense, knows how to direct people and just has a big-time arm. He can make every throw, and I think that makes it fun for him in this offense," Floyd said. "I think he's got loads of potential for the next level." Should the next level for Tyson be at Notre Dame, Floyd said he believes the young quarterback would fit in perfectly. "Everybody knows about Notre Dame," Floyd said. "Not just the his- tory, but now. They've got a good football team right now. It's a great opportunity for him and something he's obviously going to have to con- sider." — David McKinney Maryland Commit Is Considering An Irish Visit Notre Dame Offer Is 'Huge' For 2019 Quarterback "I KNOW HE WAS REALLY FIRED UP ABOUT THE NOTRE DAME OFFER, AND I KNOW WHEN HE WENT AND VISITED HE LOVED IT. HE APPRECIATED THE HISTORY AND TRADITION, AND HE LOVED THE CAMPUS." HEWITT-TRUSSVILLE HEAD COACH JOSH FLOYD ON TYSON'S OFFER FROM NOTRE DAME NOAH BOYKIN ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ H.D Woodson H.S. Washington, D.C. Class: 2018 Status: Offered Position: Cornerback Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 170 Rivals Rankings: No. 2 player in Washington, D.C., and No. 24 cornerback nationally PAUL TYSON ✪ ✪ ✪ Hewitt-Trussville H.S. Trussville, Ala. Class: 2019 Status: Offered Position: Quarterback Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 205 Rivals Rankings: No. 23 pros- pect in Alabama and No. 11 pro-style quarter- back in the country