Blue and Gold Illustrated

December 2017

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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34 DECEMBER 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED PREP PROFILES Notre Dame expanded its recruiting board in the class of 2020 Nov. 17 when an offer was extended by defensive backs coach Todd Lyght to Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy defensive back Lejond Cavazos. Cavazos — who already holds offers from Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma and other big-time programs — said he was thrilled to add Notre Dame to that list. "It was an awesome feeling," he said of the offer from the Irish. "Especially coming from Coach Lyght himself." The IMG product said he's plenty familiar with Lyght's résumé and is excited to have the opportunity to po- tentially play for him in the future. "I know for a fact he's a great coach and even better person," Cavazos said of Lyght. "And he will get me where I need to be, not only in football but life after that." During his visit to campus the third weekend in November, Cavazos at- tended Notre Dame's 24-17 victory over Navy. "It was great," said Cavazos, who hails from Cibolo, Texas. "Aside from the rain, I loved it." Even with the rain and cold, Irish fans still showed up for the game, which Cavazos said speaks volumes about how big of a deal Notre Dame football is. "It was rainy and cold, and the atmo- sphere was still really great," Cavazos said. "That shows a lot." Going forward, the 6-2, 180-pounder will undoubtedly be one of the more highly recruited defensive backs in the class of 2020. Cavazos said the Irish will be squarely in the mix right up to the moment when he signs on the dotted line on National Signing Day in Febru- ary 2020. "It's a school I'm going to take very seriously in my recruiting process," Cavazos said. "It's a definite top-five school on my list." According to MaxPreps, Cavazos compiled eight tackles and one inter- ception while appearing in eight games as a sophomore at IMG Academy. He has taken a number of visits to big-time programs so far this season, including Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas A&M and Texas. Following his unofficial visit to Notre Dame, Cavazos stopped by Oklahoma for an unofficial visit before heading home. — David McKinney Notre Dame welcomed Lexington (Ohio) High athlete Cade Stover — one of the top players in the 2019 class — to South Bend the third weekend in November when Navy was in town. The 6-3, 215-pounder took in the Stanford game last year and was glad to have the chance to return to Notre Dame. "It was great," Stover told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "I hadn't been down there for a while. I got a good feeling for Notre Dame, and it was a good time. I liked it a lot. … A lot of im- provements have been made down there as far as the facilities and the sta- dium. "It was good to finally meet coach Brian Kelly and see coach Mike Elston again." Stover plays multiple positions for his Lexington team, including quarter- back and what he called a rover posi- tion. The Irish like Stover at the drop end position along the defensive line. Stover and Elston have formed a tight bond. "He's super cool," Stover said. "He came up to my school last spring. He's an awesome guy, and I love the guy. He knows his craft well and how to teach it." The visit was the first time Stover had the chance to meet Kelly. "We talked about the school and what they're about," Stover stated. "He got to know about me, and I got to know about him. He seems like a great coach. The players seem to respond well to him, and he seems to be a lik- able guy to play for." Even though the weather did not co- operate, Stover was impressed by the support of the Irish fans and how Notre Dame played against the Midshipmen. "Navy is good at what they do," Sto- ver explained. "I thought Notre Dame played them well. The first couple of times they struggled a little, but they buckled down." Notre Dame improved its standing with the talented Rivals100 prospect, but Stover isn't ready to name favor- ites. Ohio State, Penn State, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Virginia Tech have also offered Stover. "Yes, completely," Stover said when asked if the visit increased his interest in the Irish. "Right now, though, every- one is at the top of the list. "The visit just helped them … I def- initely have a high interest in Notre Dame." — Corey Bodden Standout 2020 DB Excited To Land Notre Dame Offer Four-Star Junior DE Gets In-Depth Look During Irish Visit CADE STOVER ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Lexington H.S. Lexington, Ohio Class: 2019 Position: Defensive End Status: Offered Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 215 Rivals Rankings: No. 6 weak- side defensive end and No. 96 overall player nationally LEJOND CAVAZOS No star rating yet IMG Academy Bradenton, Fla. Status: Offered Class: 2020 Position: Defensive Back Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 180 Rivals Rankings: 2020 class currently unrated "It's a school I'm going to take very seriously in my recruiting process." CAVAZOS ON NOTRE DAME "He's super cool. He came up to my school last spring. He's an awesome guy, and I love the guy. He knows his craft well and how to teach it." STOVER ON IRISH DEFENSIVE LINE COACH MIKE ELSTON

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