Notre Dame is set to host a number of very talented recruits this weekend, which has become tradition over the last decade when the Irish host the Trojans.
Several Notre Dame commits will be on campus, but it is the uncommitted players that will receive the most attention. Below is the latest on the recruitment of some of the top players in attendance this weekend, plus some other nuggets.
*** The biggest name on campus is Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei five-star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, the younger brother of Notre Dame junior Equanimeous St. Brown. Where Notre Dame stands with St. Brown has been a topic of much debate, and common sentiment in recent months is that St. Brown was going to end up at USC or another school not named Notre Dame.
BGI talked to a trusted source last night, and the feedback given about St. Brown and Notre Dame was much stronger than it had been at any time over the last six months. The source we talked to felt that Notre Dame needs to be considered a legitimate player for St. Brown. Playing with his brother is not the reason for Notre Dame's surge, and the season Equanimeous is having isn't having a negative impact on the younger St. Brown.
Notre Dame's academic reputation is held in high regard with the entire St. Brown family, who have sent sons to Notre Dame and Stanford in recent seasons. Notre Dame's national reputation is a strong draw, as is the new offensive system. St. Brown understands he is actually a better fit in the new system than is his older brother. Notre Dame has told St. Brown he's the after-the-catch game changer the offense needs with Long in charge.
*** St. Brown will be joined by a pair of teammates, four-star offensive lineman Chris Murray and four-star linebacker Solomon Tuliaupupu. Murray is a top target for the Irish line, but some felt Tuliaupupu was visiting to see USC more than Notre Dame, and the Irish weren't considered a player for his services.
USC is considered his leader, but it appears the Irish are a bigger player for his services than we originally thought. A source close to the Trojans told us that Tuliaupupu would fit in well at Notre Dame, and his interest in the program appears to be quite genuine. The Irish will certainly have to make a big impression, but this seems to be more than just a trip to a big game for Tuliaupupu. Beating the favored Trojans with Tuliaupupu in attendance certainly wouldn't hurt Notre Dame's chances.
The reason Notre Dame continues to pursue Tuliaupupu and other linebackers is because of a concern about the current depth chart. Nyles Morgan and Greer Martini are in their final year of eligibility and Te'von Coney will be done after the 2018 season. That leaves just Jonathan Jones, Jamir Jones, Drew White and David Adams on the roster moving forward. Adams' most recent shoulder injury was a major, major blow and his ability to play to his ability moving forward is in doubt.
That leaves Notre Dame with just three inside linebackers. Adding Lamb, Bauer and Oghoufo certainly helps, but with the lack of overall depth, the Irish staff is looking to add as many impact caliber linebackers as it can in this class. Tuliaupupu is the No. 84 player in the country and certainly fits that mold.
*** Another linebacker that Notre Dame is targeting is Hillsborough (N.C.) Orange County four-star Payton Wilson. Notre Dame made a hard run at Wilson during the summer, and both Mike Elko and Clark Lea knew him when they were at Wake Forest. Wilson ultimately chose North Carolina, but the Tar Heels disaster of a season (they are 1-6) has him looking around. In fact, one source told us that Wilson is actively pursuing other schools.
Notre Dame has begun to make another run at Wilson, the No. 133 player in the country who told BGI that he is in regular contact with ND linebacker coach Clark Lea. Wilson is also looking at Clemson, Virginia Tech and NC State, and pulling him from the South will be very difficult, but Notre Dame is making a run at it.
*** Norcross (Ga.) Wesleyan tight end Tommy Tremble had to push back his planned Sept. 9 visit to South Bend because of an ankle injury he suffered earlier in the season. Tremble is now healed enough to get his doctor's approval to make the trip, and it will be a big one for Notre Dame. The athletic tight end has recently changed his top list, which now includes the Fighting Irish, Georgia, UCLA, California and Michigan. The offer from the Wolverines appeared to be a potential game-changer, but Michigan already has one tight end in the class and is rumored to be on the verge of adding four-star Mustapha Muhammad to the class this weekend.
This still seems to be a Notre Dame/Georgia battle, but a source in Athens, Ga. doesn't think Tremble is a take right now for the Bulldogs. Georgia already has one tight end in the fold and is making a hard run at Luke Ford, the No. 1 TE in the country according to Rivals. With Notre Dame continuing to make Tremble a priority, it would seem that the Irish remain in the driver's seat. A strong visit this weekend could make Notre Dame extremely tough to beat as long as he remains a priority for the staff.
*** Atlanta (Ga.) Hapeville Charter strongside defensive end Kingsley Enagbare, a South Carolina commit, picked up an offer from Notre Dame on Oct. 6, and recently told BGI that he would consider taking a visit to Notre Dame. After speaking with some sources, it wouldn’t surprise us to see Enagbare look around a little bit from his Gamecocks pledge. If he were in fact to open things up, it appears Notre Dame would certainly be in play.
*** We continue to feel very good about Notre Dame’s standing with 2019 Rivals250 defensive end Joseph Anderson. As we reported back on Oct. 6, Anderson is working on getting back to Notre Dame for the USC game. A second in-season unofficial visit would certainly bode well for the Irish. Anderson and current 2019 DT commit Jacob Lacey have become quite close, as have their fathers. Anderson is a coveted prospect in SEC country, and Notre Dame will be battling some big-time programs, but the Irish have done a great job with Anderson in the early going.
The fact Anderson has made multiple trips to Notre Dame already, and the fact he is so close with Lacey, certainly shows his extreme level of interest. A source said of Anderson's visit to see Lacey that there was a reason for it, and there appears to be a sincere desire for the two friends to play together in college. If he does in fact make it back to Notre Dame this weekend it will be a major, major positive sign for the Irish when it comes to Anderson. We don't expect him to commit anytime soon, but it would certainly go a long way towards showing who his leader is.
*** Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian four-star outside linebacker Bo Calvert remains committed to USC, but is still listening to other schools, including Notre Dame. Calvert, the No. 218 overall player in the nation, is still regularly communicating with Lea and defensive coordinator Mike Elko, and is actively working on setting up an official visit to Notre Dame. We’ve been told that if Calvert were to visit Notre Dame, it would likely be after his football season comes to an end. Depending on how far Oaks Christian goes into the playoffs, that visit could occur following the season, perhaps for the Echoes in December.
*** Notre Dame extended an offer on Oct. 6 to four-star Georgia cornerback commit Chris Smith. Smith hasn’t spoken much publicly about the offer, but did recently take an official visit to Michigan, which led people to believe he may be wavering on his commitment to UGA. However, a source in Athens told us they don’t believe Smith will ultimately end up anywhere besides UGA. The source said that while Smith may take additional visits, they would be shocked to see him not end up the Bulldog class. Don't expect Notre Dame to be a player for Smith.
That's all for now.
Several Notre Dame commits will be on campus, but it is the uncommitted players that will receive the most attention. Below is the latest on the recruitment of some of the top players in attendance this weekend, plus some other nuggets.
*** The biggest name on campus is Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei five-star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, the younger brother of Notre Dame junior Equanimeous St. Brown. Where Notre Dame stands with St. Brown has been a topic of much debate, and common sentiment in recent months is that St. Brown was going to end up at USC or another school not named Notre Dame.
BGI talked to a trusted source last night, and the feedback given about St. Brown and Notre Dame was much stronger than it had been at any time over the last six months. The source we talked to felt that Notre Dame needs to be considered a legitimate player for St. Brown. Playing with his brother is not the reason for Notre Dame's surge, and the season Equanimeous is having isn't having a negative impact on the younger St. Brown.
Notre Dame's academic reputation is held in high regard with the entire St. Brown family, who have sent sons to Notre Dame and Stanford in recent seasons. Notre Dame's national reputation is a strong draw, as is the new offensive system. St. Brown understands he is actually a better fit in the new system than is his older brother. Notre Dame has told St. Brown he's the after-the-catch game changer the offense needs with Long in charge.
*** St. Brown will be joined by a pair of teammates, four-star offensive lineman Chris Murray and four-star linebacker Solomon Tuliaupupu. Murray is a top target for the Irish line, but some felt Tuliaupupu was visiting to see USC more than Notre Dame, and the Irish weren't considered a player for his services.
USC is considered his leader, but it appears the Irish are a bigger player for his services than we originally thought. A source close to the Trojans told us that Tuliaupupu would fit in well at Notre Dame, and his interest in the program appears to be quite genuine. The Irish will certainly have to make a big impression, but this seems to be more than just a trip to a big game for Tuliaupupu. Beating the favored Trojans with Tuliaupupu in attendance certainly wouldn't hurt Notre Dame's chances.
The reason Notre Dame continues to pursue Tuliaupupu and other linebackers is because of a concern about the current depth chart. Nyles Morgan and Greer Martini are in their final year of eligibility and Te'von Coney will be done after the 2018 season. That leaves just Jonathan Jones, Jamir Jones, Drew White and David Adams on the roster moving forward. Adams' most recent shoulder injury was a major, major blow and his ability to play to his ability moving forward is in doubt.
That leaves Notre Dame with just three inside linebackers. Adding Lamb, Bauer and Oghoufo certainly helps, but with the lack of overall depth, the Irish staff is looking to add as many impact caliber linebackers as it can in this class. Tuliaupupu is the No. 84 player in the country and certainly fits that mold.
*** Another linebacker that Notre Dame is targeting is Hillsborough (N.C.) Orange County four-star Payton Wilson. Notre Dame made a hard run at Wilson during the summer, and both Mike Elko and Clark Lea knew him when they were at Wake Forest. Wilson ultimately chose North Carolina, but the Tar Heels disaster of a season (they are 1-6) has him looking around. In fact, one source told us that Wilson is actively pursuing other schools.
Notre Dame has begun to make another run at Wilson, the No. 133 player in the country who told BGI that he is in regular contact with ND linebacker coach Clark Lea. Wilson is also looking at Clemson, Virginia Tech and NC State, and pulling him from the South will be very difficult, but Notre Dame is making a run at it.
*** Norcross (Ga.) Wesleyan tight end Tommy Tremble had to push back his planned Sept. 9 visit to South Bend because of an ankle injury he suffered earlier in the season. Tremble is now healed enough to get his doctor's approval to make the trip, and it will be a big one for Notre Dame. The athletic tight end has recently changed his top list, which now includes the Fighting Irish, Georgia, UCLA, California and Michigan. The offer from the Wolverines appeared to be a potential game-changer, but Michigan already has one tight end in the class and is rumored to be on the verge of adding four-star Mustapha Muhammad to the class this weekend.
This still seems to be a Notre Dame/Georgia battle, but a source in Athens, Ga. doesn't think Tremble is a take right now for the Bulldogs. Georgia already has one tight end in the fold and is making a hard run at Luke Ford, the No. 1 TE in the country according to Rivals. With Notre Dame continuing to make Tremble a priority, it would seem that the Irish remain in the driver's seat. A strong visit this weekend could make Notre Dame extremely tough to beat as long as he remains a priority for the staff.
*** Atlanta (Ga.) Hapeville Charter strongside defensive end Kingsley Enagbare, a South Carolina commit, picked up an offer from Notre Dame on Oct. 6, and recently told BGI that he would consider taking a visit to Notre Dame. After speaking with some sources, it wouldn’t surprise us to see Enagbare look around a little bit from his Gamecocks pledge. If he were in fact to open things up, it appears Notre Dame would certainly be in play.
*** We continue to feel very good about Notre Dame’s standing with 2019 Rivals250 defensive end Joseph Anderson. As we reported back on Oct. 6, Anderson is working on getting back to Notre Dame for the USC game. A second in-season unofficial visit would certainly bode well for the Irish. Anderson and current 2019 DT commit Jacob Lacey have become quite close, as have their fathers. Anderson is a coveted prospect in SEC country, and Notre Dame will be battling some big-time programs, but the Irish have done a great job with Anderson in the early going.
The fact Anderson has made multiple trips to Notre Dame already, and the fact he is so close with Lacey, certainly shows his extreme level of interest. A source said of Anderson's visit to see Lacey that there was a reason for it, and there appears to be a sincere desire for the two friends to play together in college. If he does in fact make it back to Notre Dame this weekend it will be a major, major positive sign for the Irish when it comes to Anderson. We don't expect him to commit anytime soon, but it would certainly go a long way towards showing who his leader is.
*** Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian four-star outside linebacker Bo Calvert remains committed to USC, but is still listening to other schools, including Notre Dame. Calvert, the No. 218 overall player in the nation, is still regularly communicating with Lea and defensive coordinator Mike Elko, and is actively working on setting up an official visit to Notre Dame. We’ve been told that if Calvert were to visit Notre Dame, it would likely be after his football season comes to an end. Depending on how far Oaks Christian goes into the playoffs, that visit could occur following the season, perhaps for the Echoes in December.
*** Notre Dame extended an offer on Oct. 6 to four-star Georgia cornerback commit Chris Smith. Smith hasn’t spoken much publicly about the offer, but did recently take an official visit to Michigan, which led people to believe he may be wavering on his commitment to UGA. However, a source in Athens told us they don’t believe Smith will ultimately end up anywhere besides UGA. The source said that while Smith may take additional visits, they would be shocked to see him not end up the Bulldog class. Don't expect Notre Dame to be a player for Smith.
That's all for now.
