Note: This is ISD Intel from Friday, Nov. 11th

Simply put, Josh Paschal scheduling an official visit to Notre Dame next month is an encouraging sign all the way around.

The 2017 Maryland defensive end potentially represents a major piece of the Irish's 2017 recruiting puzzle. The possibility of landing an elite target at a need position over programs like Ohio State, Oklahoma, Maryland and others would be especially incredible given Notre Dame's current atmosphere.

The most encouraging sign comes from Notre Dame's side of things. It's no secret the Good Counsel standout had some work to do in the classroom before being seen as a serious option from the Irish. A source tells us Paschal has made some real progress in that direction, in one class in particular, and the Irish bringing him in for a visit seems to support that. We're not sure everything is complete just yet, but our source tells us Notre Dame seems excited about what it's seen in that regard.

Paschal is set to take an official to Notre Dame the second weekend of December for the Irish's banquet. If that visit is anything like the unofficial he took to South Bend over the summer, Notre Dame could solidify its spot among his final schools.

That initial trip was eye-opening for Paschal and his father. The next trip should offer Paschal's entire family, including his mother, a chance to experience Notre Dame. It'll also the Irish an opportunity to remind Paschal why Notre Dame caught his attention in the first place.

According to our source, there was a period when the communication between both sides trailed off a bit, but that shouldn't be much a concern. Paschal's camp understands the Irish had some things to get sorted out on their side, especially after having to switch defensive coordinators in the middle of the season.

It's worth noting Brian VanGorder did make a very positive impression during Paschal's first trip to Notre Dame. The former Irish defensive coordinator came across as a "straight-up guy" who let Paschal know he'd have a chance to make a major impact on the defense.

So there will be plenty of questions about the future of Notre Dame's defense and how Paschal may fit in it. We're told there will likely be inquiries into the future of the entire staff as well.

While the coaches are important, the reasons for the interest on Paschal's part goes well beyond football.

"They're still Notre Dame," we were told. "Education-wise and academically, you can put anybody there as far as the coach and academically, that's not going to change anything."

Paschal's only official visit thus far was to Oklahoma back in September, which we were told was "really nice."

He did take an unofficial visit to Kentucky last weekend and the Wildcats shouldn't be counted out, especially with Paschal's older brother now a member of the staff after playing there.

There's a chance he could take official visit to Ohio State in two weeks for the Buckeyes' showdown against Michigan, but that isn't locked in just yet.

Maryland probably won't get an official visit, but the Terps are likely to remain in the race as well. He's made multiple visits to the in-state school and we're told an official visit would essentially be "a waste."

We get the sense the people around Paschal have a great appreciation for everything Notre Dame offers and should be helpful to the Irish in this race. At the same time, as long as he doesn't make "the wrong decision," we're certain this will be Paschal's decision to make. He will be offered plenty of guidance, but it'll be his choice.

GRAHAM TO GET CHANCE IN POSTSEASON: When we spoke with Thomas Graham Jr. before the start of his senior season, the 2017 California cornerback felt his Rancho Cucamonga High School squad wasn't getting the credit it deserved.

The Cougar secondary is flat-out loaded. Graham leads a group of seniors that also includes Jaylon Redd, who is committed to Oregon, one-time Washington State pledge Tayari Venable and Darren Hall, who owns several D-I offers.

Graham felt the rest of his team was being overlooked, but that's probably not the case anymore. The Cougars blazed through the regular season with a 10-0 record. Opponents tended to avoid putting the ball in the air much, probably wisely so given the talent in the defensive backfield, but Graham and his fellow DBs are going to get their chance to shine now that the postseason is here.

Rancho Cucamonga opens up the postseason tonight against an Orange Lutheran squad that won't be afraid to put the ball in the year with sophomore quarterback Ryan Hilinski, who is already receiving major college interest.

If the Cougars are able to advance, they could be staring at more aerial attacks against Orange Lutheran and potentially Mater Dei with quarterback JT Daniels and receivers Osiris and Amon-Ra St. Brown a round later.

Graham is obviously "super excited" for the challenge.

Win or lose, he'll head to Oregon for an official visit this weekend.

We still see Notre Dame as the heavy favorite in this race and we'd be surprised to see the Ducks make up any serious ground this weekend. But we're not 100 percent convinced the Irish's lead is insurmountable either at this point.

The fundamentals of the race favor Notre Dame, but we've seen those don't always tell the complete story.

NOAH NOTE: Last week in this space, we talked about how Auburn could become a factor in the race for 2017 Alabama wide receiver Noah Igbinoghene if the Tigers decided to offer him. Well, they did and they did.

We checked in with a source close to Igbinoghene to get a feel for what it means.

"He was excited about the offer, as any kid from within the state would be, but he still wants to finish out the season and then turn his full attention to the recruiting process," the source told us.

Igbinoghene's undefeated Hewitt-Trussville High School squad plays in the Class 7A quarterfinals tonight.

The source also offered some additional thoughts about Igbinoghene's visit to South Bend last month.

"He said he really enjoyed it and the players were great," we were told. "I believe he had a much better time than what he imagined going into the visit.

BOARD EXPANSION: As the calendar nears February, we're getting closer and closer to the Irish expanding their 2017 board to include new prospects.

The staff is surely in the process of evaluating scores of high school seniors, looking for players who have made tremendous strides in the last year and taking a second look at some who may have been on their internal boards all along.

Today, we look at three prospects we believe are worth keeping an eye in the coming weeks. All three are currently committed elsewhere.

Jalen Harris is the son of former Arizona linebacker Sean Harris, who went on to play for the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts. The younger Harris is currently committed to his father's alma mater, but is still keeping his options somewhat open.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder from Mesa, Ariz., is exactly the kind of intriguing athlete off the edge that we'd like to see Notre Dame offer. He has a lot of physical and technical development to do, but so does Julian Okwara. Okwara was the better prospect, but Harris has similar athletic traits and flashes the ability to bend and finish at the quarterback.

It's a long play when you offer a recruit like Harris. He is going to need time before he can become the player they hope him to be, but he has the potential to develop into a very good pass rusher.

Texas wide receiver/cornerback Chris Miller is currently committed to Colorado, but he would listen if Notre Dame wanted to talk.

The Denton High School standout is listed at 5-11, but we're not sure he's quite that tall. He looks shorter on film and doesn't look to have the kind of arm length that you'd like to see for a corner. The one thing you do see from him is a toughness that makes up for some of that size, similar to how Julian Love plays bigger than he actually is.

We really like his compete level and he is a solid tackler. He plays a lot of bail technique, so I'm it's hard to get a good read for his feet and how he is in his pedal, but his short area quickness combined with his aggressiveness makes him someone to watch.

If Notre Dame finds itself in need for a defensive back down the stretch, perhaps the Irish will decide to reach out to Michael Nesbitt out of Lauderdale Lakes, Florida. The Kentucky commit could potentially end up at safety or cornerback. He has the feet to play both and shows great twitch transitioning out of his backpedal.

A very fluid athlete with great instincts from the safety position, Kentucky will be getting the steal if the Wildcats can hold on to him. Offers from schools like Auburn, LSU, Washington and Florida State are a better reflection of his upside as a prospect.

RECRUITING FROM THE ROAD: Despite playing in San Antonio for the Shamrock Series tomorrow, it's still a big weekend for Notre Dame. Texas has been friendly to the Irish in recent years and it's smart to get down to the Lone Star State once again to put the Notre Dame brand front and center. There will be almost 60 prospects on hand to watch the Irish take on Army on Saturday.

There will be some elite Texas talent at the Alamodome on Saturday and it starts with 2018 four-star athlete Joshua Moore. The Yoakum star is one of the most explosive athletes in the country regardless of class and has developed a special relationship with Todd Lyght. Moore projects as a cornerback and wants to play cornerback.

If you can think of a program in the country, they have more than likely offered Moore, including Notre Dame.

Joining Moore will be his twin brother Jordan Moore. The four-star athlete figures to play running back or safety at the next level. He has almost all of the same offers as Joshua, but not quite. Notre Dame is one of the schools that has not offered him, but that won't be a deciding factor for Joshua's recruitment, as they are currently planning different announcement dates.

Another 2018 cornerback to watch is Jaquayln Crawford. The Rockdale prospect is quickly rising up the boards of many schools and the Irish are well aware of the 5-foot-10, 165-pounder. Crawford holds offers from TCU, Houston, SMU, Texas Tech, Tulsa and Vanderbilt.

"They have sent me some mail and I talked to the Director of Recruiting the other day," Crawford told us.

Sticking with the 2018 class, Treveon Johnson will also be in attendance. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound receiver is committed to Texas Tech, but told Irish Sports Daily he will still look at all offers, as the Red Raiders are the first and only program to offer him.

"I take all my offers seriously," Johnson stated. "I have been watching Notre Dame for a long time now."

2018 receiver Jacob Jefferson visited Notre Dame for the Stanford game and 2018 athlete Julon Williams are also expected to be in San Antonio this weekend as well.

In the 2019 class, O'Connor offensive lineman Brannon Brown will be in attendance. The 6-foot-4, 291-pounder holds and offer from Texas Tech.

ADEMILOLAS MAKING BIG STRIDES: When we spoke to Peter Kafaf following Justin and Jayson Ademilola's commitments to Notre Dame during the summer, the New Jersey defensive line guru told us he knew the best was ahead for the 2018 twins, but even he didn't imagine they'd be moving toward their ceilings as quickly as they are.

"They're running a little bit ahead of schedule, a little bit ahead of where I thought they'd be," Kafaf acknowledged. "They're playing with confidence and they're playing aggressively. I installed about four basic moves for them and they're using him to great effect.

"It's a building process, but I think they're way ahead of the curve. They're probably two of the best juniors I've ever coached for the technique they're using and how effectively they're using it."

The twins have dominated up front all season and have helped lead St. Peter's Prep into the playoffs.

"It's working out better than I thought," Kafaf said. "They're putting a lot of effort in and playing with a lot of heart. They're only going to get better."

Kafaf, who runs The Lab Football Academy, is teaching the brothers how to bring the physical and mental sides of the game together.

"You want to read the offensive lineman and counterattack rather than just attack," Kafaf said. "You want to really play with your eyes as much as your hands. Don't get locked up with the linemen. As soon as you get on them, have a plan to get off of them and basically, see what they're trying to do.

"Most offensive linemen are going to try to punch you, so when you see that punch, have a plan for deflecting it while still maintaining your gap responsibility. They've done a very good job of that. They're starting to understand how the game is played, not only at the position, but from the big picture."

Kafaf said it's a matter of understanding what to look for and what to do when you see it.

"Knowing how to see it and knowing what you're looking for takes a lot of time and effort and very, very few high school kids know how to do it," he said. "(Michigan freshman) Rashan Gary knew how to do it. (Michigan freshman) Mike Dwumfour knew how to do it. (Penn State senior) Garrett Sickels knew how to do it and Jayson and Justin know how to do it. They also have the physical skills to be able to apply the countermeasures to defeat what they're seeing."

Kafaf saw plenty of encouraging signs when he began working with the Ademilolas this past offseason, but wasn't sure how quickly it would start clicking.

"You never know," he said. "It's like you study for the SATs, you think you're going to do well, but you've got to take the test. They're taking the test and they're ahead of the curve, ahead of where I thought they'd be. They're seeing it and applying it."

Kafaf leaves things to high school coaches during the season for the most part, but he's eager to get back to work with Jayson and Justin in January to teach them more.

"It's the first layer," he said. "Next year, I'm going to add on another layer and give them more tools to use, so they should be even more productive. They have four techniques, I'd like to get them up to eight techniques, 10 techniques that they can use comfortably against the run and the pass.

"When Rashan Gary went to college, his defensive line coach said he was the most prepared high school kid he'd ever coached and probably knew more technique than the kids he had on his team. So that's where I'm trying to get Jayson and Justin."

Kafaf affectionately refers to the twins as "knuckleheads," but is quick to point out their work ethics and desires to be great.

"What you find with elite athletes is they're the ones who have to get it done. It's not a parent, it's not a coach. To play at the Notre Dame level, you have to have that fire in you. It can't be coached. Until you throw it at them, you don't know what they have in them. Some kids rise to the occasion and some kids don't. It's just a genetic thing, it's the way God made you. He made them to compete."

ND SHOULD BE PLAYER WITH TALENTED 2018 TE: Notre Dame didn't officially join the race for 2018 New York tight end Jeremy Ruckert until several other programs had already done so. In fact, over the summer, Ruckert actually trimmed his list to 13 schools.

But it's not too late and the Irish's offer a few weeks back will give them a chance to be serious contenders along with schools like Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Alabama, Florida, Florida State and Georgia among several others.

Ruckert's undefeated Lindenhurst High School squad is in the second round of the playoffs and if the Bulldogs keep winning, it's unlikely he'll be able to get to South Bend this fall. But we're told he "absolutely" will visit Notre Dame at some point.

The tradition, history, academics and football program had him "very excited" when the offer from the Irish came his way.

LONG-TERM HOOPS RECRUITING REPORT: As Mike Brey said during his press conference earlier this week to announce the signing of 2017 Maryland guard D.J. Harvey, the Irish aren't completely closing the door on bringing in another high school senior, but a major portion of the focus will shift to any transfers who prevent themselves and the upcoming high school classes.

Brey talked about the need to bring in another ballhandler in the Class of 2018 and there could be even more options at point guard in the years to come.

Joseph Girard III goes to the same Glen Falls High School in New York that produced Jimmer Fredette. Girard is a scoring machine, having averaged over 30 points a game as a freshman and already surpassing Fredette's single-game record with a 52-point effort last season.

The obvious comparisons are made often and the 2019 prospect doesn't shy away from them.

"I guess I embrace it," the 6-foot-1, 170-pounder said. "A lot of people say there's all this pressure on me, but I'm not really feeling the pressure, especially when it comes to being compared to an NBA player because that's just a great honor, especially someone like Jimmer, who is a great kid and great ballplayer.

"He won the National Player of the Year in college and all of the awards he probably could. Being compared to someone who's been in the NBA for five years and is now making a lot more money over in China than he was just a few years ago is an honor."

Before putting his basketball down and picking up his football this summer, Girard, who doubles as Glen Falls' starting quarterback, had the opportunity to work out with Fredette for the first time.

"He's picked up a lot of things that he brought back to me and I was very thankful for him doing that," Girard said. "It was neat because that was like the last time I touched a basketball in a bit with football starting. I've got that stuff he taught me in the back of my head and I'm ready to prove myself and take those things to help improve my teammates as well this upcoming season."

He plays for the same Albany City Rocks travel team that current Irish players Matt Ryan and Elijah Burns played for.

Also of note, Brey slyly mentioned there was another youngster at DeMatha that already caught his attention. NCAA rules prohibit Brey from saying exactly who he was talking about, but it's pretty obvious he was talking about 6-foot-11 freshman Hunter Dickinson. The Irish have extended an offer to the young center back in September.