Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/881912
44 OCT. 9, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY COREY BODDEN AND DAVID MCKINNEY N otre Dame is in need of corner- backs in the class of 2018 after not signing any in the class of 2017. The Irish don't currently have any pros- pects committed at the position, but are squarely in the mix for several from all across the country. Here is a look at the remaining cornerback targets on the board and where the Irish stand with each of them. NOAH BOYKIN WASHINGTON (D.C.) H.D. WOODSON Rivals Rankings: Four-star talent, the No. 2 prospect in Washington, D.C., and the No. 24 cornerback nationally. The Skinny: Notre Dame offered Boykin Sept. 18, and the Maryland commit said he was considering a visit to South Bend this fall. Boykin has been committed to the Terrapins since early July. He is a player to watch moving forward, especially if the visit occurs. Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, Okla- homa, Tennessee, USC, Virginia Tech and several others have also offered. TARIQ BRACY • MILPITAS (CALIF.) HIGH Rivals Rankings: Three-star talent and the No. 37 athlete in the country. The Skinny: Bracy landed his Notre Dame offer May 25 and immediately began expressing significant interest in the Irish. He noted that the mix of aca- demics and athletics Notre Dame offers is attractive to him, and said he would seriously consider the Irish throughout his process. He is a dynamic running back, which adds to his value. Bracy has not said much publicly about his recruitment since the offer, but an official visit at some point dur- ing the season remains a strong pos- sibility. He holds additional tenders from Boise State, California, Utah and Washington State, among others. DONTE BURTON • LOGANVILLE (GA.) HIGH Rivals Rankings: Three-star talent and the No. 9 cornerback in Georgia. The Skinny: Burton landed an offer from the Irish in May and followed up with a visit in late July. He was set to take an official to Notre Dame Oct. 21 when the Irish host USC and will "most likely" still make the trip. Burton will continue to be evalu- ated by the defensive staff, and if Notre Dame pushes they will be tough to beat. Oregon, Missouri, Virginal Tech, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Minnesota are among those that have offered. KALON GERVIN • DETROIT CASS TECH Rivals Rankings: Four-star talent, and the No. 14 cornerback and No. 106 player nationally. The Skinny: It's been a whirlwind recruitment between Gervin and Notre Dame. The 5-11, 180-pounder commit- ted to the Irish in February and then decommitted in May, essentially elimi- nating the Irish altogether. However, the staff continued to pursue him, and the effort paid off by getting Gervin on campus for an unofficial visit during the Georgia game Sept. 9. An official visit was scheduled for the USC game Oct. 21, but that is in limbo with Gervin possibly visiting another program instead. Oklahoma, Michigan State, Virginia Tech and Ne- braska are among the players for him. KYLER GORDON EVERETT (WASH.) ARCHBISHOP MURPHY Rivals Rankings: Four-star talent, the No. 3 player in Washington and No. 27 cornerback in the land. The Skinny: Gordon took an offi- cial visit to Notre Dame for the Temple game Sept. 2 and absolutely loved the trip, and so did his mother Evamarie Gordon. According to a source, Notre Dame wasn't being that seriously con- sidered by Gordon before the visit, but the weekend in South Bend changed that. Gordon and his mother were "blown away" by what they saw during the trip, and the Irish made a major move in Gordon's recruitment. HOUSTON GRIFFITH BRADENTON (FLA.) IMG ACADEMY Rivals Rankings: Four-star talent, and the No. 6 safety and No. 47 overall player nationally. The Skinny: Like Gervin, Griffith seemed to wane on Norte Dame this summer, but his situation with the Irish started to pick back up once the season began. Griffith took an official visit to Notre Dame for the Georgia game Sept. 9 and was impressed with what he saw from coordinator Mike Elko's defense. Flor- ida State and Nebraska are other major players for him. CHRIS MITCHELL MISSION VIEJO (CALIF.) HIGH Rivals Rankings: Three-star talent and the No. 14 defensive back in Cali- fornia. The Skinny: Mitchell picked up his Notre Dame offer June 8 and called it "extremely incredible." Since then, he has been hesitant to give away infor- mation regarding his recruitment, but maintains that he is working on setting up an official visit to Notre Dame. Mitchell is being recruited by recruit- ing coordinator Brian Polian, and holds additional offers from Connecticut, Iowa State, San Diego State, Washing- ton State and a few others. JOSEPH WILKINS JR. NORTH FORT MYERS (FLA.) HIGH Rivals Rankings: Three-star talent. The Skinny: Notre Dame pulled the trigger on an offer for Wilkins May 16. He was excited about the opportunity, and the Irish became immediate con- tenders. Recently, Wilkins told Blue & Gold Illustrated that he is talking to Notre Dame daily, and running backs coach Autry Denson and defensive backs coach Todd Lyght are leading the charge in his recruitment. The Florida talent has said he will definitely officially visit Notre Dame, but has yet to set up a date for the trip. ✦ Irish Look To Reload At Cornerback In 2018 Houston Griffith, the No. 6 safety and No. 47 overall player nationally in the class of 2018 according to Rivals, is a top target at cornerback for Notre Dame. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM