ISD Intel (1/27)
Every year here at Irish Sports Daily, our last edition of ISD Intel prior to National Signing Day is centered around our final picks for the upcoming class. Our readers know we don't like making predictions unless we have some concrete information to go on and we refrain from putting out wild guesses just to do so. But we also understand that at this time of year, readers want to know our guesses. Every year, there are prospects who could go swing either way in the final hours, but with so many new targets on the board this cycle, we're not sure there have ever been this many targets we don't have a great feel on this late. Are staff selections are listed below, but they certainly aren't all consensus picks. You can follow the Prediction link to see where individual staff members are projecting each prospect HERE. WR Jafar Armstrong Prediction: Notre DameThe Missouri commit has kept a low profile since receiving interest from other schools in the final weeks, so it's been hard to get a true grasp on what the Kansas native is thinking or leaning toward. But based on Armstrong's actions an official visit to Minnesota last week and an official to South Bend this week it's clear he believes there could be a better option out there for him than Missouri. Some have used the phrase "dream school" when referring to Notre Dame and we're told Armstrong specifically mentioned Notre Dame as a school he hoped to hear from earlier in the process. Are the Irish coming in too late? We don't think so. We'll know for sure following this weekend's visit, but everything we've heard coming into the visit is extremely positive. WR Mac Hippenhammer Prediction: Penn State After talking with some sources this week, Hippenhammer will sign with Penn State on Wednesday. It was definitely a tough decision for the Fort Wayne native, as Notre Dame was his dream school, but the Irish just got in too late and he couldn't build relationships with the new staff quick enough. "He's solid with Penn State," stated a source. Notre Dame sent DelVaughn Alexander to meet with Hippenhammer last week prior to his official visit to Happy Valley. The three-star was receptive, but once he got to Penn State it was a done deal. The length and strength of the relationships he has with the coaching staff and commits at Penn State provided a sense of comfort that he simply didn't have at Notre Dame. We've removed Hippenhammer from our Target List. WR Oliver Martin Prediction: Notre Dame???To be honest, we don't know. We've heard a lot of positive things from the Notre Dame side in the months and weeks leading up to Signing Day, but we've also heard plenty to give us pause. We don't know if Martin knows what he's going to do to be honest. Last weekend, he was initially expected to take an official visit to Florida, but apparently told the Gainesville staff he had family plans and couldn't make it. Then he was supposedly ticketed for an official visit to Ohio State, but didn't make that either. It sounds like he'll end up in Ann Arbor for a visit this weekend, but just days ago, we were told there were four schools thinking they could get him on campus this weekend Michigan, Ohio State, Florida and UCLA. This has been one of the strangest recruitments to follow this cycle and we could see an unexpected finish. If the field was an option, we'd choose the field. But, if we have to choose one school over all of the rest, we'll take Notre Dame. DE Jalen Harris Prediction: Notre DameCan Notre Dame finally land edge rusher who simply sees the depth chart situation? We think Harris is as good of a shot as any. It won't be easy, but the Arizona commit will be at Notre Dame this weekend and the Irish will get the final shot at flipping him. There are a few factors working against Notre Dame, including the fact both of his parents attended Arizona and played sports in Tucson. However, Notre Dame has explained where it sees Harris fitting in and it's been a receptive fit. Harris' father, Sean, played football in college and the NFL, so coaches aren't going to pull a quick one over on his son with scheme fit. With that said, Harris' father has said it's his son's decision in the end and he is only involved with making sure the fit is right with how coaches plan to use his son. Harris visited Illinois recently and really enjoyed the chance to be away from home and outside of his comfort zone of Arizona. If Illinois can impress the four-star prospect, then Notre Dame can surely make him think hard and long about his commitment to the Cats. DE Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa Prediction: Notre Dame It's been a heck of week for the four-star prospect as he is taking three official visits in six days, but Notre Dame hit all the right notes on day one of the visit. The Irish have made him a priority and the family felt the same way, as their itinerary included meetings with Jack Swarbrick and Father Jenkins. It's not a secret that USC was the leader for Tagovailoa-Amosa, but with two interior defensive linemen commits in the last week, the 6-foot-3, 275-pounder could be feeling a numbers crunch. Can Brian Polian and the Irish pull another kid from Hawaii at the last minute? We feel Notre Dame checks all the boxes in terms of what the family and Tagovailoa-Amosa are looking for and distance won't be a factor. It's all going to come down to how comfortable he feels around the team and the campus. DE Kofi Wardlow Prediction: Virginia TechNotre Dame did a good job getting in with the Washington, D.C. native early this month, in fact, the nation's capital was one of new Irish defensive coordinator Mike Elko's first stops when the dead period expired. That effort resulted in getting the Maryland commit up to South Bend for an official visit last weekend. He'll take an official visit to Virginia Tech this weekend, so it's obvious he's open. We think he'll ultimately flip, but we think he'll probably stay on the East Coast. LB/S Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah Prediction: Michigan StateThis one is a true coin flip. The linebacker/safety prospect backed off his pledge to in-state Virginia earlier in the week and announced that his decision will come down to the Irish and Michigan State. He visited East Lansing last weekend and was impressed with what he saw. He announced his decommitment from the Cavaliers shortly after a meeting with Brian Kelly, so that's encouraging from a Notre Dame standpoint. Owusu-Koramoah will be looking to see how he fits with the coaches and players this weekend in South Bend. If he feels comfortable, Notre Dame will have a chance, but we already know how he feels about Michigan State. S Evan Fields Prediction: Kansas StateThe Oklahoma safety is one prospect we expected to shoot up the board in terms of most likely targets following last weekend's official visit and, frankly, it just didn't happen. As we've reported, Notre Dame isn't necessarily out of the mix here and is included among the top six schools he'll choose from on Monday, but we thought the Irish had a chance to have a firm grasp on this race coming out the visit, especially since they got the last say with Fields in Orlando all week for an all-star game. Arizona State has been a trendy pick coming out of his other official visit earlier this month, but his relationship with the Kansas State staff goes back and we think the lure to stay a bit closer to home will be enough for the Wildcats. ATH Russ Yeast Prediction: Notre DameOne of the most interesting races to follow down the stretch will be one of the most difficult to follow as Yeast has made it clear he won't be speaking with reporters until after he announces his decision on National Signing Day. The one-time Kentucky and current Louisville commit seems to be choosing between the Wildcats, Cardinals and the Irish. Given the fact that he immediately scheduled an official visit to South Bend after receiving a long-coveted offer from Notre Dame while declining to schedule one to Kentucky the final weekend makes us believe the Irish have some serious momentum. There's been some chatter about Yeast's father potentially taking a job on the staff at Kentucky, his alma mater, but we haven't seen any credible reports as such. CHANCE FOR STRONG MOVE WITH ARMSTRONG: Initially, we had Jordan Genmark-Heath on the above list, but he went ahead and committed yesterday. At the time, we were labeling him as the most likely to end up at Notre Dame for obvious reasons.That distinction know falls to Jafar Armstrong. The Irish still have some work to do with this weekend's visit, but based on what we know about the Missouri receiver commit in the past and the present, we like their chances to do just that. We're told Brian Kelly's visit to Bishop Miege High School on Wednesday was a productive one. He was joined by offensive coordinator Chip Long and wide receivers coach DelVaughn Alexander and they were able to get into the nuts and bolts of exactly how Armstrong would be used in their system. On-field fit is important to the Kansas native and Notre Dame should be able to pick up that conversation again in South Bend this weekend. Most importantly, both sides seem to agree that the 6-foot, 200-pounder brings a great deal of versatility. It'll be necessary he feels comfortable with the Notre Dame coaches and players as well, especially since he already feels good about the people at Missouri and Minnesota, where he took an official last weekend, but we think he will. Despite the January officials, the Tigers aren't quitting and apparently visited Armstrong before and after the Irish earlier this week. We don't know when he'll announce it publicly, but we expect Armstrong to make his decision sometime Sunday night or Monday morning if not sooner. WAITING ON WARDLOW: Although we're currently projecting Kofi Wardlow to stay on the East Coast, by no means do we think the Irish are an extreme longshot or are out of this race. In fact, we caught up with a source close to the Washington, D.C., native who told us the defensive end "absolutely" enjoyed his trip to Notre Dame last weekend. "He liked it a lot," we were told. "He liked it academically. He thought the guys on the team were great guys. They were all very good to him. I think he likes the coaches." The relationship with the Notre Dame coaches is in the very early stages while some other schools have relationships that go back much further. Still, our source wasn't sure that would be a deciding factor in the end. "You have the beginning of one because they spent a couple of days together, but two days does not a relationship make," the source said. "Obviously, there are some schools that saw him earlier and there is sort of a relationship with a couple because they saw him two years ago and nosed around and got on him pretty hard early. "I think in the end, you feel like you're going to establish relationships anyway. You're just kind of really looking at the programs, the schools, the academics, what they offer, the alumni, everything. There's so much that a kid looks at and things that I wouldn't look at that a kid does." Wardlow will likely alert the schools of his decision prior to Signing Day, but he probably won't go public until Wednesday. BALIS KICKING BUTT: Prior to being officially hired, we talked about what Notre Dame players should expect from new strength and conditioning coach Matt Balis in this space. Following his hiring, we got some initial feedback on what the players first impressions were. Now, after a couple weeks of working with him, we're hearing more. One thing we feel comfortable predicting is some local gyms losing a couple memberships as it's doubtful players are going to still feel the need to get additional work in anymore. Balis is the talk of the program at this point, at least among the players. As has been reported in the past, the players asked for more in the weight room following the 2016 season and they're getting it. And while there may be some wondering if it's a case of "be careful what you wish for," the consensus has been overwhelmingly positive. "He's really tough," one source told Irish Sports Daily. "It's a lot harder of a workout. Some of the guys have been getting sick and stuff, but it's a good thing because it's a different type of training." Many of the players on the roster know what hard work looks like, but seeing a player vomit while in the squat rack was a new sight inside the Gug. "It's just harder," a source reiterated. "Harder lifts." But sources say the entire team is willing to put in the work and take things to the next level in order to get back to where they believe they should be. "Think about what happened last year, nobody wants that to happen again," we were told. One source close to a player said, "They're all in, but they're all hurting." Multiple sources describe the plan in the weight room as better than the past and one said he believed the entire team across the board was weaker than opponents last year. "It goes to show you that obviously, it wasn't enough," another source said of the previous strength plan. Another source said the fact that players were looking to get additional work on their own was telling. "You shouldn't want nothing else," he said. That same source said he didn't believe the plan under the previous regime was sufficient. "They probably had good intentions," he said. "Their intentions were to think differently during the offseason and differently during the season and I don't really believe that. "I don't think you should die off, you should get stronger. Sometimes you can take certain training approaches that you think are new, but you have to go back to the X's and O's, not in football, but in training." That source has seen a change already and is confident the new staff will continue to push the players, which is what they want. "I think the structure of the workouts is a lot different compared to before," he said. "I don't believe in saving players. I believe in training players for tough times. I think he's more of a guy who trains you for tough times and puts you through a tough workout. "If you want it easy, you don't get the results. It's like preparation for a test. Are you going to study 15 minutes or are you going to study an hour or two hours or three hours?" As necessary as the increases in size and strength are moving forward, one person we spoke with believes this new devotion will help bring the squad even closer together. "They're all excited. I think it's going to be a really good year for them and a bonding year. They have to really be strong together because they've faced a lot of adversity." Additionally, Balis' presence is bringing an increased level of confidence to the Gug. "We're going to be some bad *** ************* next year," one source said. BALLOU WILL BRING CHANGE AS WELL: The on-again, off-again notion of having Balis team up with Dave Ballou to head the strength and conditioning program appears to be on again and in a major way. As we reported earlier this week, there are strong indications that it's only a matter of time before Ballou, who was at IMG Academy, is introduced as part of Notre Dame's program. Not the least of those indications were a series of tweets from current players at IMG thanking Ballou and wishing him luck with Ballou responding from "South Bend, IN." Earlier this week, we spoke with a source who is familiar with Ballou's methods and believes Notre Dame would be improved with his addition. The source said Ballou was well-liked at IMG, but also stressed that was unimportant. "To be honest, in any situation that you're in when it comes to sports, the like factor shouldn't be present," he said. "What should be present is the production factor. "When it comes to a strength and conditioning coach, he is there to get you through the third and the fourth quarter." The source saw Ballou's results up close at IMG. "I could see how bigger and stronger the players were under him," he said. "They were much faster and stronger after working with him. "He's a hard worker. He's a guy who demands production. I think they're getting a good one in him and he's an Indiana guy." COACHING ADDITIONS WELCOMED: We're still working to get a better feel for what the new assistant coaches will bring to the program and we'll get a better handle on each of their personalities when they're introduced to the media, which should be soon. But the early returns are positive. We haven't talked with many people who have had lengthy interactions with new offensive coordinator Chip Long just yet, but it's clear he has a great sense of optimism heading into the season. We're told upon meeting one offensive standout, Long didn't say much other than, "Hello" and "You'll have more than 1,000 yards next year." "I was impressed with that," the source told us. "I was real excited when I heard that." Long isn't just displaying confidence in himself, but in the players he'll be working with and that's obviously been encouraging. New wide receivers coach DelVaughn Alexander does have relationships with some of the current players through recruiting them in the past. One source familiar with Alexander from beforehand was happy to hear he was being brought to South Bend. "I was excited," the source said. "I liked him." Some on the roster are aware of Alexander's rsum both as a player and a coach. "The good thing is he played at USC and has sent guys to The League, so he understands new millennium route-running because it's changed," one source said. "He understands how you should get out of your breaks, if you're standing too high. He understands that." One player we spoke with, who is not currently on the Irish roster, said Alexander put time in to recruit him when he was just a freshman. "He's a real cool guy," that player said. "I think we had like an hour-long meeting that we sat down and talked. As a freshman wide receiver who had three more years to be recruited, the fact that he sat down with me and gave me an hour of his time was really good. "I really liked the way he talked about me and the university he was at. He's going to be a great recruiter for Notre Dame definitely." In addition to his work ethic, the source believes Alexander has the personality of a successful recruiter. "I think he relates to the players," we were told. "He's more of a relatable guy. He can get along with the players better. He's younger, he's not that old, so he can get along with the players and knows what the players are going through. He's definitely going to be relatable with the players and they're going to be able to get along with him." Meanwhile, the schedule has almost made it necessary for new Notre Dame defensive coordinator Mike Elko to relate to recruits more than his new players. "On the first recruiting weekend, when the guys came in, he felt like he knew (some of them) better than some of the players because he hasn't had a chance to meet them," one source said. That'll surely change and change fast after Wednesday. IF YOU STILL CARE: We have heard from a good source that former Notre Dame wide receiver commit Jordan Pouncey is likely to land at Texas in the end. It was assumed the Florida native was ticketed for Miami when he was offered by the Hurricanes and ended up decommitting from the Irish shortly after, but apparently, Miami is running out of spots. He's supposed to take an official visit to Tennessee this weekend, but after a trip to Austin last weekend, the sense is he's going to sign with the Longhorns. "He actually grew up a UT fan, just never heard from them before the new staff," one source said. "Parents had a ton of questions and they liked the answers. He clicked with the other commits and his host, John Burt, is from Florida, and they're two peas in a pod." KICKING AROUND: We're hearing there's a good chance Irish kicker Justin Yoon could miss part or all of spring practice with a knee injury that dates back to the season. John Chereson stepped in for Yoon on kickoffs toward the end of the season as the sophomore kicker was dealing with tendonitis. Now, we are hearing it might be more than a case of tendonitis, but the good news is Yoon should be ready to go by fall camp and the season. While it's not a huge issue if he doesn't kick this spring, it's still less than an ideal in terms of getting to work with new special teams coach Brian Polian and continuing to improve his game.
