Here's the latest on what I'm hearing...
*** I reported late Sunday night that Mansfield (Texas) Legacy defensive end David Abiara had yet to tell the Notre Dame coaching staff that he was decommitting from the Irish. Reports had surfaced a couple nights prior that he was expected to back off his Notre Dame pledge and flip to Oklahoma. Well, here we are a week later, and Abiara hasn't announced anything himself, other than a new offer from Texas on Monday.
*** Last night, a trusted source told me that Abiara is still committed to Notre Dame. Whether or not he will sign with the Irish is a whole different story. What he has been telling Oklahoma recently has been different than what he's said (or not said) to Notre Dame. I'm told that he had informed the Sooners' staff about plans to leave his Irish pledge, but that was never communicated to Notre Dame. It seems that the Irish staff has reeled him back in for the time being, but you do have to wonder how long it will last.
*** Notre Dame re-engaged with some other defensive end targets in the 2021 class and even offered Rivals100 pass rusher T.J. Bollers on Tuesday (story here). It would be a logical conclusion to make that the Irish feel that Abiara is going elsewhere and are looking to fill the void he left. However, that may not be completely true. This is still something I'm digging into, but the Irish are considering various options, including taking three defensive ends in the 2021 class. Previously, the plan was to just take two DEs and call it a day, but the option of three is on the table. If the Abiara situation is repaired and all works out there, and they can get a guy like Bollers, then the defensive staff would be happy.
*** I wish I could tell you guys definitively what Abiara will end up doing, but there's just really no predicting this one. I've gathered that he's telling two coaching staffs conflicting information, so this is just one where we'll wait and see what happens.
*** I reported late Sunday night that Mansfield (Texas) Legacy defensive end David Abiara had yet to tell the Notre Dame coaching staff that he was decommitting from the Irish. Reports had surfaced a couple nights prior that he was expected to back off his Notre Dame pledge and flip to Oklahoma. Well, here we are a week later, and Abiara hasn't announced anything himself, other than a new offer from Texas on Monday.
*** Last night, a trusted source told me that Abiara is still committed to Notre Dame. Whether or not he will sign with the Irish is a whole different story. What he has been telling Oklahoma recently has been different than what he's said (or not said) to Notre Dame. I'm told that he had informed the Sooners' staff about plans to leave his Irish pledge, but that was never communicated to Notre Dame. It seems that the Irish staff has reeled him back in for the time being, but you do have to wonder how long it will last.
*** Notre Dame re-engaged with some other defensive end targets in the 2021 class and even offered Rivals100 pass rusher T.J. Bollers on Tuesday (story here). It would be a logical conclusion to make that the Irish feel that Abiara is going elsewhere and are looking to fill the void he left. However, that may not be completely true. This is still something I'm digging into, but the Irish are considering various options, including taking three defensive ends in the 2021 class. Previously, the plan was to just take two DEs and call it a day, but the option of three is on the table. If the Abiara situation is repaired and all works out there, and they can get a guy like Bollers, then the defensive staff would be happy.
*** I wish I could tell you guys definitively what Abiara will end up doing, but there's just really no predicting this one. I've gathered that he's telling two coaching staffs conflicting information, so this is just one where we'll wait and see what happens.
