Longtime recruiting analyst Tom Lemming is returning home to the Chicago area today from an 11,000-mile trip to meet and visit recruits in every state west of the Mississippi of the continental U.S. as well as Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arkansas and Illinois.
Here are some key takeaways from that trip:
Georgia is mentioned most often by recruits, followed by Alabama. Those two are in a class by themselves. Notre Dame is in the next tier with USC, Oklahoma, Oregon, Ohio State among others. Texas and Texas A&M got a lot of mentions in Texas, not so much outside of Texas.
WRs coach Chansi Stuckey and CBs coach Mike Mickens are the Irish assistants' names that come up the most, with DC Al Golden a close third. Stuckey's popularity and name-recognition is a game-changer, given how infrequently prospects, per Lemming, brought up former ND WRs coach Del Alexander's name.
Notre Dame getting offers out earlier and making contacts earlier than previous regimes is absolutely critical. Previously, half the sophomores Lemming would visit in that part of the country didn't know ND was in Indiana.
Among the more memorable meetings Lemming had was with 2024 four-star RB Kedren Young and his mom in Lufkin, Texas. Young's mom couldn't say enough good things about ND and RBs coach Deland McCullough. Young holds and Irish offer.
Notre Dame's academic rep is an asset that resonates with a lot of prospects, but kids are also mentioning NIL is larger numbers than they did in the last recruiting cycle -- not necessarily competing concepts, though.
Here are some key takeaways from that trip:
Georgia is mentioned most often by recruits, followed by Alabama. Those two are in a class by themselves. Notre Dame is in the next tier with USC, Oklahoma, Oregon, Ohio State among others. Texas and Texas A&M got a lot of mentions in Texas, not so much outside of Texas.
WRs coach Chansi Stuckey and CBs coach Mike Mickens are the Irish assistants' names that come up the most, with DC Al Golden a close third. Stuckey's popularity and name-recognition is a game-changer, given how infrequently prospects, per Lemming, brought up former ND WRs coach Del Alexander's name.
Notre Dame getting offers out earlier and making contacts earlier than previous regimes is absolutely critical. Previously, half the sophomores Lemming would visit in that part of the country didn't know ND was in Indiana.
Among the more memorable meetings Lemming had was with 2024 four-star RB Kedren Young and his mom in Lufkin, Texas. Young's mom couldn't say enough good things about ND and RBs coach Deland McCullough. Young holds and Irish offer.
Notre Dame's academic rep is an asset that resonates with a lot of prospects, but kids are also mentioning NIL is larger numbers than they did in the last recruiting cycle -- not necessarily competing concepts, though.
