Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/941859
24 MARCH 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE Pace five-star guard Jamaree Salyer and Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep five- star tackle Nick Petit-Frere, but came up empty. Mabry and Dirksen were also early targets, and both committed last spring. After missing out on Salyer, Notre Dame turned to Jones, eventu- ally offering him and flipping him from Arkansas. Notre Dame didn't get involved with Patterson until Jan- uary, but it still beat Michigan and UCLA for his services. On Paper Grade: C+ Notre Dame met its depth needs, adding two pure tackles (Mabry and Patterson) and a pair of versatile players in Dirksen and Jones. What makes this group different from past top classes is this unit needs more long-term work. All four signees have starting po- tential but need time to develop. Pat- terson is ranked by 247Sports as the nation's No. 214 overall player, and Dirksen and Mabry received top-50 upside grades along the line on the BGI Board. DEFENSIVE LINEMEN Signed: Jayson Ademilola, Justin Ademilola and Ja'Mion Franklin Meeting Needs: Notre Dame's in- consistent defensive tackle recruit- ing has hindered the unit over the years, but a strong class in 2017 helped save an otherwise thin depth chart. Landing a sec- ond straight top interior haul was a must, and Notre Dame quickly landed its top targets on the board. S u m m a r y : J a y s o n Ademilola committed prior to his junior sea- son, and he continued to raise his stock. A perfect fit for Notre D a m e ' s a g g r e s - sive 4-2-5 defense, Ademilola emerged as one of the nation's top tackles as a senior. Despite having "higher ranked" players on the board, Notre Dame's defensive staff targeted Franklin as its top nose tackle prospect in the class, offering him a schol- arship during a March visit to campus. Notre Dame's end re- c ru i t i n g d i d n ' t g o a s smoothly. The Irish landed Justin Ademilola the same time it landed Jayson. At the time, Justin was considered the better prospect, but he became overshadowed during his brother's rise up the rankings. Af- ter landing Justin, the Irish staff went after a number of top ends but came up empty. On Paper Grade: B+ The lone defensive tackle signed in the last decade with as much play- making potential as Ademilola was Sheldon Day (2012), who earned second-team All-America honors in 2015. Ademilola can be that kind of player in this defensive structure, which asks far more of its big men than did the 2015 alignment. Franklin lacks Ademilola's raw tools, but don't tell him he's not an star player. His attitude, work ethic and power are really impressive, and that two-man haul is strong. No player in the class will show up on campus with a bigger chip on his shoulder than Justin Ademilola, who has been just as dominant at St. Peter's Prep as his brother. A combi- nation of a drop and strongside end, Ademilola brings much needed ver- satility and pass rush ability to the end depth chart. LINEBACKERS Signed: Bo Bauer, Jack Lamb, Ovie Oghoufo and Shayne Simon Meeting Needs: There have been some strong years and down years at linebacker, but one of Notre Dame's best hauls — the 2015 group — has been a major disappointment outside of Te'von Coney. Notre Dame's last two classes were solid, but lacked playmakers outside of rover Jere- miah Owusu-Koramoah. Notre Dame needed to add depth and playmakers to the position, and it did by bringing in one of the best linebacker hauls in the land. The Irish signed two pure inside linebackers in Lamb and Bauer, and two edge fig- ures in Simon and Oghoufo. Summary: Oghoufo committed to Notre Dame in June 2016, and Bauer pledged two months later. Both stuck with Notre Dame through the 4-8 season, and both are already enrolled on campus. Lamb began the recruiting cycle as a three-star before taking off last summer. He continued to climb up the national rankings, finishing as a top-100 recruit by Rivals (No. 77) and earned a five-star upside grade by BGI. There was never a doubt who the staff wanted at rover, with Simon a must-get from day one. On Paper Grade: A Lamb is a rangy athlete that has the power and instincts to play Mike linebacker and the athleticism and length to play Buck. Simon is an ex- tremely athletic player who is very good in space. 247Sports ranked him as the nation's No. 48 overall player. Bauer was the most prolific prep player signed by Notre Dame. A three-time first-team all-state line- backer from Pennsylvania and two- time state Defensive Player of the Year, Bauer makes up for his lack of ideal size and athleticism with elite instincts and physicality. Oghoufo is the opposite. An out- standing athlete, Oghoufo must get Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter's Prep standout Jayson Ademilola emerged as one of the nation's top defensive tackles as a senior. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM