There hasn't been much recruiting news this past week outside of our report that Savannah (Ga.) Christian School five-star athlete Demerits Robertson plans to visit for the Texas game, but just because things appear to be quiet, doesn't mean they actually are. Notre Dame continues to communicate with and evaluate prospects as they get ready for the season opener in a few weeks.
Here's the latest.
Irish Still In Good Shape With CB
Memphis (Tenn.) Whitehaven four-star cornerback Donte' Vaughn made a surprise visit of sorts to Ole Miss last weekend for the Rebels' Fan Appreciation Day, but we're told that the Irish remain confident about where they stand with the defensive back.
Vaughn continues to communicate with Irish coaching staff, and the relationship between the two parties has only gotten stronger since his visited campus back in July.
We're not expecting Vaughn to push up his decision date – which is scheduled now for Oct. 12 – but it might be hard for him to say no to Notre Dame when he returns in two weeks for an official visit.
Safety A Need, But So Is Linebacker
It has been well documented that Notre Dame has needs in the secondary this cycle, but that's not the only position of concern. The Irish will lose three linebackers at the end of the season if Jaylon Smith leaves for the NFL, and that will create a situation where there's just six scholarship linebackers on the roster.
We're hearing that the Irish would like to sign two linebackers and maybe even a third to restock the unit, and the top realistic target on the board right now appears to be Houston (Texas) Aldine Davis four-star linebacker Jeffrey McCulloch, who says he would like to visit South Bend.
Other names to know outside of McCulloch include Washington (D.C.) St. John's Collge four-star linebacker Aaron Hansford and Orlando (Fla.) Oak Ridge three-star linebacker Jonathan Jones. Both prospects will be on campus for official visits next month.
It should also be noted that we have been told that if a linebacker prospect is an early enrollee candidate, that could bump them up the board, although that's not in any way a requirement.
Gary Not Done With ND – Yet
Paramus (N.J.) Catholic five-star defensive tackle Rashan Gary has mentioned Notre Dame in the past, and his name has once again been linked to the Irish.
Gary's mother, Jennifer Coney, told Tim Sullivan of the TheWolverine.com on Thursday, that they haven't ruled out taking a visit to South Bend.
"We have yet to go to Notre Dame, we haven't been to Stanford, we haven't been to USC," Coney said. "We haven't decided the official visits. He hasn't even decided if we're going to use some of those officials for the schools we haven't seen yet. We haven't gotten to that point, because Rashan wants to make sure he's seen the schools. He's not sure about taking an official visit to the schools he's already been to. He can take official visits to schools he hasn't been to."
Gary's mother is friends with the mother of current Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush.
Bockhorst Still Talking To Hiestand
Notre Dame picked up it's second class offensive line commit for the next cycle last week when Wexford (Pa.) North Allegheny four-star tackle Joshua Lugg gave a verbal pledge to play for the Irish.
While spots are filing up fast along the line for the next class, the commitments haven't discouraged Cincinnati St. Xavier three-star guard Matt Bockhorst from keeping in contact with assistant coach Harry Hiestand and remaining optimistic about a scholarship offer.
Bockhorst said that he talks weekly with Hiestand and that he plans to return to campus for the USC game. He also mentioned that Miami has reached out to him, although the junior appears to be in a wait-and-see mode with his recruitment.
This & That
We continue to hear good things about where Notre Dame stands with Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) three-star safety Devin Studstill ... Virginia Tech cornerback commit Tony Pride has picked up new offers from Tennessee and Georgia Tech. He continued to talk with Irish assistant coach Autry Denson and wants to visit ... Anaheim (Calif.) Service three-star 2017 quarterback Tyler Lytle says he plans to visit Notre Dame for a game this season ... Kirkland (Wa.) Juanita four-star 2017 athlete Salvon Ahmed was invited to the Irish Invasion back June, but he couldn't make it to campus because of travel. He says there's interest in the program despite offers already from schools like USC and Oregon.
