Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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160 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Defensive Tackle Committed: 2 (Hunter Spears of Sachse, Texas; and Jacob Lacey of Bowling Green, Ky.) Projected Take: 2 Synopsis: Notre Dame targeted a pair of four-stars in Spears, the No. 38 player in Texas, and Lacey, the No. 19 defensive tackle in the land, and got commitments from both, and then shut down the defensive tackle position in 2019. Barring a decommitment, Notre Dame will focus on 2020 recruits at the position. Linebacker/Rover Committed: 2 (Jack Kiser of Royal Cen- ter, Ind.; and Osita Ekwonu of Charlotte, N.C.) Projected Take: 2-3 Synopsis: Notre Dame landed two 2019 linebackers in June when Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day four-star Osita Ekwonu, the No. 181 overall player in the nation, and three-star Jack Kiser of Royal Center (Ind.) Pioneer committed to Notre Dame within two days of each other. After landing an outstanding four-man class in 2018, the Irish will look to add at least one more linebacker. During the early official visit period from April to June, Notre Dame hosted several prospects at the posi- tion on visits. Omaha (Neb.) Burke three-star Nick Henrich, the No. 4 player in Nebraska, was on campus over the weekend of April 13, while Carlsbad (Calif.) High three-star Asa Turner officially visited over the week- end of June 15. Tristian Sinclair, a three-star rover target from Danville (Calif.) San Ramon Valley, made an official visit to campus June 22. One of the three prospects is Notre Dame's best bet at landing another linebacker in the 2019 class. Safety Committed: 2 (Kyle Hamilton of Atlanta; and Litchfield Ajavon of Alexandria, Va.) Projected Take: 2 Synopsis: Notre Dame landed commit- ments from its top two safety target, three- star Kyle Hamilton of Atlanta Marist School, a Nike Football Opening finalist, and Alex- andria (Va.) Episcopal four-star Litchfield Ajavon, the No. 85 overall player in the class of 2019. Like defensive tackle, Notre Dame shut down recruiting at the position. Barring a change of heart from Hamilton or Ajavon, the Irish are done with safety recruiting. Cornerback Committed: 1 (KJ Wallace of Atlanta) Projected Take: 2 Synopsis: Notre Dame got its start at cor- nerback when Wallace, ESPN's No. 215 overall recruit, committed to the Irish one day after visiting South Bend for Junior Day Jan. 27, choosing the Irish over offers from Auburn, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Tennessee, Wisconsin and others. The top remaining cornerback target for the Irish is Woodi Washington, a four-star cornerback from Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Oak- land. Washington, the No. 33 overall player in the nation, visited South Bend for the Blue-Gold Game April 21 and is planning to return for an official visit in the fall. Other names to know at cornerback in 2019 include three-star Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco cornerback Trent McDuffie, the No. 41 athlete in the class of 2019; Gar- dena (Calif.) Junipero Serra four-star Max Williams, the No. 97 overall player in the nation; and Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnett three-star DJ Turner II. ✦ Names To Know In 2020 The Irish are off to a fast start in 2020, landing a pair of four-stars in New Canaan (Conn.) High quarter- back Drew Pyne, Rivals' No. 37 overall prospect, and Red Bank (N.J.) Catholic tight end Kevin Bauman. The names below represent five players Notre Dame is in good early position with in the 2020 class moving into the heart of the summer, and Irish fans will need to keep an eye on them moving forward. RUNNING BACK AJ HENNING 5-10, 170 • FRANKFORT, ILL. • LINCOLN-WAY EAST H.S. The Skinny: Notre Dame is off to a strong start offensively with its 2020 class with Pyne and Bauman. Add- ing other talented playmakers will be a priority moving forward, and Henning will be one of the top targets. The Irish hosted the Rivals four-star running back multiple times during the spring. Henning, the nation's No. 72 overall recruit, holds Notre Dame in high regard, and the Irish look to be a contender for the long haul. Ohio State, Michigan, LSU, Stanford, Tennessee and Wisconsin are also part of his offer list. WIDE RECEIVER DANIEL JACKSON 6-0, 180 • SHAWNEE MISSION, KAN. • BISHOP MIEGE H.S. The Skinny: There are wide receivers ranked higher than Jackson that also are strongly considering the Irish, but he has stated publicly Notre Dame is the team to beat. Jackson, the cousin of Irish sophomore wide re- ceiver/running back Jafar Armstrong, made his way to South Bend in mid-April and picked up his offer. Since then, the Irish took the pole position heading into the summer for the three-star wide receiver. Texas A&M, Missouri, Kansas State, Iowa and Iowa State have all offered. TIGHT END MICHAEL MAYER 6-5, 215 • ALEXANDRIA, KY. • COVINGTON CATHOLIC H.S. The Skinny: Mayer was seen as the most likely tight end in the 2020 class to commit to Notre Dame until Bauman emerged and jumped on board quickly. But that doesn't mean the Irish will stop recruiting the four- star Kentucky product. An early June visit to South Bend continues to keep Notre Dame squarely in the mix for Mayer, who also holds offers from Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan and many others. The 6-5, 215-pounder could give the Irish quite the one-two punch at tight end in 2020. DEFENSIVE END BRAIDEN MCGREGOR 6-5, 225 • PORT HURON, MICH. • PORT HURON NORTHERN H.S. The Skinny: Though the Irish have positioned themselves well for plenty of offensive targets, the defensive side is off to a good start as well. McGregor entered the picture in April after landing an offer during a visit and listing Notre Dame near the top in his recruitment. Plenty of high-level programs have jumped on board since, including Michigan, Michigan State and Wiscon - sin. The Irish had the Rivals three-star prospect back on campus in early June, and he called the visit "one to remember." A return trip for the Michigan game in September is already in the works. McGregor will be one for Irish fans to keep track of moving forward. OFFENSIVE TACKLE KEVIN PYNE 6-8, 265 • MILLIS, MASS. • MILLIS H.S. The Skinny: Pyne is the cousin of quarterback pledge Drew Pyne, so there is already an established connec- tion between the nation's No. 19 overall prospect and the Irish program. The Rivals four-star offensive tackle made it to South Bend this spring and raved about the trip. His cousin is also making his best recruiting pitch to add another Pyne to Notre Dame's 2020 group. Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Tennessee, Texas A&M and UCLA are among the schools that have offered Pyne. — Corey Bodden and David McKinney