Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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42 APRIL 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY DAVID MCKINNEY AND COREY BODDEN N otre Dame kicked into full gear for the 2019 recruiting cycle by sched- uling a pair of Junior Days, Jan. 27 and March 3. The events saw more than 40 visitors in the classes of 2019 and 2020 take unofficial visits to South Bend. This is a stark difference from the 2018 recruiting cycle, when Notre Dame hosted just one Junior Day on Feb. 11, 2017. The two events have received over- whelmingly positive feedback, and yielded commitments from three-star cornerback K.J. Wallace of Atlanta Lovett and four-star defensive line- man Hunter Spears of Sachse (Texas) High. Wallace committed the day fol- lowing his visit in late January, while Spears gave a silent commitment in the week following but waited to go public until Feb. 20. The first Junior Day included a plethora of talent along the defen- sive line with Kentwood (Mich.) East Kentwood defensive tackle Mazi Smith, the No. 150 overall player in the country according to Rivals; Fort Worth (Texas) Nolan Catholic defen- sive end NaNa Osafo-Mensah, the No. 160 player nationally per Rivals; and Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Siegel de- fensive end Joseph Anderson, the No. 240 player overall per Rivals. Notre Dame is among the favorites for Smith, likely sitting in his top two along with Michigan. Osafo-Mensah has Notre Dame in his top 10 and will return to South Bend April 13-15 for an official visit, while Anderson will take his official for the Blue-Gold Game April 21. Cornerback Kenyatta Watson of Lo- ganville (Ga.) Grayson headlined the back-seven defensive players on cam- pus, and he has the Irish in his final two along with Texas. The four-star Watson will also return April 13-15 for an official visit, plus will be in town for a spring practice March 24. A deci- sion is expected shortly after his April visits to both the Irish and Longhorns. Four-star cornerback Wesley Walker of Nashville (Tenn.) Ensworth, Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic four-star ath- lete Ronnie Hickman and Malvern (Pa.) Prep three-star linebacker Keith Maguire rounded out the top targets on defense in town for the Irish. The offensive side was also well represented. Little Rock (Ark.) Pulaski Academy product Hudson Henry, the No. 1 tight end in the country per Ri- vals, was the highest-ranked player. Folsom (Calif.) High four-star wide receiver Joseph Ngata, Scottsdale (Ariz.) Notre Dame Prep four-star wide receiver Jake Smith, Avon (Ind.) High four-star running back Samp- son James and Colleyville (Texas) Heritage four-star wide receiver Kam Brown — who committed to Texas A&M Feb. 4 — also made the trip for the first Junior Day. Three-star running back Kyren Williams of St. Louis St. John Vian- ney, Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco three-star tight end Jude Wolfe and Thompson's Station (Tenn.) Indepen- dence three-star wide receiver TJ Shef- field rounded out the offered targets in town. Notre Dame is a program of high interest for all the offensive players listed, but none appear to be close to making a decision. The March 3 Junior Day included another impressive group of pros- pects, including Roswell (Ga.) Blessed Trinity three-star running back Steele Chambers, Tallahassee (Fla.) Univer- sity School four-star defensive back Raymond Woodie III, Cincinnati Anderson four-star offensive guard Zeke Correll, Buford (Ga.) High four- star offensive tackle Harry Miller and Wichita (Kan.) Northwestern four-star defensive end Marcus Hicks. Folsom (Calif.) High four-star Joseph Ngata — the No. 18 wide receiver and No. 89 overall recruit nationally according to Rivals — was on hand for Notre Dame's first Junior Day Jan. 27. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM Notre Dame is among the favorites to land Kentwood (Mich.) East Kentwood defensive tackle Mazi Smith, who is listed as the No. 150 overall player nationally by Rivals. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL Junior Days Deliver Early Returns