Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2018 53 2018 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY DAVID MCKINNEY Jack Lamb, by his own admission, hasn't wanted for much throughout his upbringing. There have of course been chal- lenges, but none that have had an irreparable impact on his life. Lamb, thankfully, is mature enough to real- ize that not everybody out there has lived a life like his. Knowing that, Lamb got involved with the Give Foundation, a charity run by a neighbor that raises funds to purchase toys for underprivileged children around the country. "It makes me feel grateful for every- thing I have," Lamb said. "I've lived a pretty easy life. I haven't lived in pov- erty or been through any kid of natu- ral disaster, so to be able to give back to people who have gone through those things was really a blessing." His time working with the foun- dation will a memory that endures, especially the work they put in af- ter natural disasters hit Florida and Texas in 2017. "We collected a lot of toys and would ship them out to those kids," Lamb said. "That really stuck with me." Great Oak, Lamb's high school in Temecula, Calif., requires its students to complete 40 hours of community service to graduate, but Lamb said he wanted to ex- ceed that requirement, and hopes to continue doing similar work in college and throughout his professional life. "I feel like that's something that's ex- t r e m e l y i m p o r t a n t wherever you are in life, whether it be high school, college or in the NFL," Lamb said. "It's something that needs to be done. You need to find it in your heart to help other people." Specifically, Lamb said he wants to continue working with children. The Notre Dame linebacker had a happy childhood, and wants to help make sure kids across the country have one too. "It's our duty given to us by god," Lamb said. "If you have it well, you need to be able to give back to other people. Not everyone is going to have a great situation. "I never grew up worried about having something as simple as toys, and that's a big part of a kid's life." Giving to the less fortunate is something Lamb hopes everyone who grew up like him realizes is vitally im- portant. While there were challenges, any time Lamb faced any hardships, he quickly realized that someone out there was going t h ro u g h s o m e t h i n g much worse. "You have to under- stand that there's peo- ple out there who don't have it as well as you do," Lamb said. "No matter how bad your situation is, there's always going to be somebody who has it worse than you so you need to be able to help those people who maybe don't have it the best." For Lamb, that came in the form of working to give children toys, and it's been one of the best experiences of his young life. "Being able to give kids a child- hood that they'll remember, even if it's something as simple as toy, is re- ally touching to me." ✦ JACK LAMB LINEBACKER 6-3 · 211 GREAT OAK H.S. TEMECULA, CALIF. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 77 2 10 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 191 5 21 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 105 7 12 STATISTICS • Due to a knee injury, only played four com- plete games during his senior season. In those four games, he recorded 48 total stops, six tackles for loss and two sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. • Had a career-high 23 tackles in a 26-14 victory over Vista Murrieta that clinched a playoff berth for Great Oak. It was Great Oak's first-ever win over Vista Murrieta. • As a junior, recorded 118 total tackles, 18 stops for loss, five sacks, one interception and one forced fumble. HONORS • Tabbed as an Under Armour All-American as a senior. • Named the Southwestern League Defensive Player of the Year in both 2016 and 2017. ALL-STAR GAMES AND CAMPS • Played in the Under Armour All-American Game in Orlando, Fla., on Jan. 4, 2018, making just one tackle. • Participated in Nike Football's The Opening Finals in Beaverton, Ore., June 28-July 3, 2017. • Took part in Nike Football's The Opening Regional Los Angeles on March 12, 2017. Ran a 4.70-second 40-yard dash and 4.37-second pro shuttle drill. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on July 27, 2017, over a list of finalists that included Penn State, Oregon, UCLA and Washington. • Primarily recruited to Notre Dame by defensive coordinator Clark Lea and special teams coach Brian Polian. • Visited Notre Dame unofficially in July 2017, and returned for an official visit for the Georgia game on Sept. 9, 2017. NOTABLE • Born on Sept. 8, 1999. • Two-time captain at Great Oak. • Graduated high school with a 4.2 GPA. • Majoring in business at Notre Dame. • His father, Dan Lamb, graduated from Penn State University. 2018 PROJECTION • Enrolling early should give Lamb a chance to push for playing time on defense and special teams as a true freshman. THEY SAID IT Head coach Brian Kelly: "Grit. Smart. Attitude. Laser Focus. Attention to Detail. That's Jack Lamb to a 'T.'" Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Clark Lea: "A long, rangy athlete whose presence will be felt immediately. Jack Lamb's desire to play at the highest level on the field, with excellence in the classroom made Notre Dame a perfect landing spot. "I'm proud to have him in the unit and look forward to watching him grow into a great leader." BGI football analyst Bryan Driskell: "Despite adding 30 pounds and suffering a knee injury as a senior, Lamb was more explosive athletically, displaying more speed and short-area quickness. "Lamb was always a sound tackler, but he didn't play with a lot of power as a junior — that changed as a senior. He became an impact hitter and showed the ability to shed blocks on his way to the ball carrier. "He is an instinctive player that makes quick reads against the run game, reads his keys well and locates the ball extremely well. His potential as a pass defender is extremely high, and Lamb projects to play the Mike and Buck positions in this defense." Jack Lamb Knows The Importance Of Giving Back Lamb was limited to four complete games during his senior campaign due to a knee injury, but in that time he posted 48 total tackles, six tack- les for loss and two sacks. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM