ISD intel (1/13)
Trust. The. Process.Three simple words and as Notre Dame commitments tweeted them out along with an identical photo on Monday night, the meaning seemed obvious.https://twitter.com/brockjwright40/status/818650215507001345But after some digging, it goes a little deeper.Trust the process. All of the pledges made the decision to commit to Notre Dame and were voicing their belief in trusting what the University is all about with the tweets.Trust the process. The commits obviously joined the football program in South Bend. They committed to a university and a program, not individual coaches, so they wanted to make it clear, they trust the program to surround them with the best coaches possible.Trust the process. While the expression was undoubtedly meant to catch the attention of those on the outside, it was also a way for the commits to signify to one another that they're in this together and that they trust each other.One commit admitted to us he was watching the national championship game on Monday night and thinking about his future at Notre Dame and how badly he wanted to be on that stage himself one day. Just hours earlier, the Irish had lost a key member of their class when Paulson Adebo decommitted and although it's been four years since Notre Dame was playing for it all, it seemed longer and perhaps further away following the 2016 season.But this player wasn't doubting his choice."I feel like I made the right decision and my team was 4-8," he said. "As a group, for the bigger purpose, we all felt it was appropriate to let the world know Notre Dame is still strong whether or not we had the best season or whether or not a kid decommits or commits. "We feel like the work we're going to put in with our new strength and conditioning coach, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, position coaches, etc., is going to create some energy and bring that winning culture back."So, after some discussion on the oft-mentioned and by now famous group chat, the decision was made to display a sign of unity."We talked about why we were doing it and we were doing it to let people know we trust the process," one commit told us. "That's what Notre Dame is really all about, trusting the process. You're not walking into a football institution, you're walking into an academic institution first. Trusting the process is all about being loyal with your decision."This commit told us he could have bolted if he had concerns."I had other options, but at the same time, I trust the process, I trust the coaches and I trust the culture," he said. "I think everyone has the same exact mindset as me, which is scary just because we are such a tight-knit group with such a narrow focus. We're really going to create some splashes."One commit confirmed part of the decision to send out the tweets was to gauge where all of the other commits' heads were at."We call each other and text each other on the daily just making sure everything is cool," he said. "Even if it's not about football, I just want to know what you're thinking, how you're feeling. A lot of it is to other commits. "I think at a time like this, coming off a season we had and with kids decommitting, to show the kids who are still committed are still strong-minded about their decision, I think that says a lot about a school rather than just what they hear or see on TV." BALLIS MAKES IMMEDIATE IMPRESSIONS: Notre Dame has yet to officially announce Matt Balis as its new strength and conditioning coach, but that announcement is still expected to come as soon the University's exhaustive background check is complete.We took some time this week to catch up with a couple people who have worked with Balis on an individual basis or have had the opportunity to observe him. It's clear it doesn't take the former UConn strength and conditioning coach long to make an impression and those impressions are overwhelmingly positive.We spoke to one current player at UConn, who is disappointed to see him go."He's a man of great integrity," this player said. "He's a strong man. He connects with the guys real well. Coach Balis is a great guy. He's a great strength coach. He knows the business. He knows what he's doing. He works with everybody individually."This player was unable to play on the field this past year, but Balis still managed to keep him fully engaged."Me being a guy who sat out last season, he still spent a lot of time with me in the weight room," said the player. "I met him halfway, I did my part, but he helped me with his part as well."Balis sets the bar and doesn't accept anything less, according to this player."He held each and every single person to a standard and he didn't lower the standard at all," we were told. "He kept his word with everything he said. I just like how he kept everybody at the same standard. He pushed everybody to be better and it worked. Our record might have been what it was, but there was a lot of work put in in the offseason and even during the season."He told us to just trust the process, do what he tells you. His rsum speaks for itself and the things he was able to do at Mississippi State and Florida. Mostly everybody I know reached their goals in the weight room. I know I've reached my goals. I've seen myself do things I never would have even thought I could do in the weight room and that's all because of him pushing me past my limit."Despite being a demanding coach, he was still one of the favorites."He was one of the most liked people in the program," the player said. "He pushed us very hard. What he says about the weight room is that you flip the switch, you've got to come in with the switch turned on or you'll get left behind. He was hard, he was very hard, but he was definitely hands down one of the most liked people in the program."So, are the Irish getting a good strength and conditioning coach?"Yes, they're getting a great one." We also caught up with the father of a recruit who was struck by Balis during an unofficial visit to UConn during the recruiting process."The thing I was impressed with was just his intensity," the father told ISD. "He just seemed to be a great motivator and really intense. I just loved his energy."This father felt Balis' energy carried over to the players."The players we had a chance to speak with seemed to really enjoy being trained by him and gave excellent feedback regarding the progress they made during the time they were under his supervision," he said.Like the player, the father definitely felt Balis' intensity, but also the encouragement."He had no problem pushing guys and getting in their face a little bit in a positive manner," we were told. "Guys need that."FIELDS FIELDING MORE OFFERS: This is the stage of the recruiting process when prospects are trying to narrow down their lists, but for Evan Fields, things seem to be working in the opposite direction. The 2017 Oklahoma safety thought he had narrowed his schools down multiple times in recent months, only to have more schools come into the mix later.On Thursday alone, Fields picked up offers from TCU and Minnesota, numbers 32 and 33. It's difficult to say whether either program has a legit shot at making a move with Fields given his calendar crunch.One thing is for sure though, Notre Dame does have a shot to make a move with Fields.Irish recruiting coordinator Mike Elston was in Oklahoma City on Thursday night for an in-home visit and he put Notre Dame in a good place heading into Fields' official visit to South Bend next weekend."He was pretty much letting us know who Notre Dame is, their tradition and the expectations for their players and prospective players," one source told ISD late Thursday night. "Academics, that's the key, number one. It was a great, great visit."Obviously, Fields will learn much more about Notre Dame during next week's trip, but his camp was comforted by learning about all of the Irish's games being televised nationally. Elston deferred many of the X-and-O questions to next week so new Irish defensive coordinator Mike Elko could answer them."Out of respect to the defensive coordinator, he didn't answer a lot of Evan's questions because he didn't want to tell him anything inaccurate," the source said.Elston left an overwhelmingly positive impression."I'll tell you what, that guy seemed real honest," we were told. "He didn't sugarcoat anything because he doesn't want us to get the wrong picture. It's a very prestigious program they have." Fields is off to UCLA today for an official visit. He's already taken visits to Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Arizona State, so the trip to Notre Dame will be his fifth and final official. He'll fly directly from South Bend to Orlando for an all-star game and will announce his decision the following Monday, Jan. 30th.KEEPING UP WITH CHRIS: Following his official visit to Colorado last month, we were told Buffaloes commit Chris Miller was unlikely to take other visits despite landing more offers down the stretch. The Colorado coaches pressed the wide receiver/cornerback on sticking with the Buffs and ignoring his new suitors while also promising to feature him on both sides of the ball.While we're sure the Colorado staff is still going to try convince the Texan to rebuff others, at this point, it seems likely Miller will find his way to South Bend for an official visit. In fact, we're told a date has already been locked in for next week and we're putting him on our Visit List.It seems Miller was initially under the impression Notre Dame wanted him as a receiver. Whether that was a case of misunderstanding or if former offensive coordinator Mike Sanford wanted him to play offense, the Irish have made it clear they're recruiting him as a cornerback, which is Miller's preferred position.Given Colorado's preference and almost insistence that he not take any other visits, if Miller does indeed make it to South Bend next weekend, we'd take that as a sign of serious, serious interest on his part.LEGACY OR OWN LEGACY?: 2017 defensive end Jalen Harris is committed to Arizona. His father, Sean Harris, played football for the Wildcats and his mother played basketball there. So it's only natural he will go there, right? Not so fast my friend. "I am pretty open," Sean Harris told ISD this week. "At the end of the day, he has to make a decision for himself. I don't want it to be my decision that he has to live with. It has to be something he has to choose on his own. "Whatever school he decides on, he has to feel it's the right place for him, regardless of if I played there or his mom played basketball there. It has to be one he is comfortable with." The elder Harris played fullback at Arizona and in the NFL, but one thing he has noticed about his son's recruiting process is the major differences of recruiting in 2017. "It's like night and day," laughed Harris. "You have Twitter and all this stuff. The coaches reach out to the kids before they talk to the parents. It's very different and everything is on social media, but later on, you meet face to face. "A lot of times, the relationship with the coaches is started with the kid before they meet the kid in person or the parents in person. It's a lot different." Harris wants his son to make his own decision, but will also be involved in making sure the scheme is the right fit and coaches aren't pulling a quick one just to score a commitment. "I think a 3-4 would fit him best," explained Harris. "He has great speed off the edge and I think that's his advantage. He still is getting stronger and bigger, but I believe a 3-4 would be best for him. "If he plays in a 4-3, I think it'd be best for him to be the rush end. That's just how I feel. Everyone else may have a different opinion." We can confirm those around the program absolutely love Harris. The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder still needs to fill out, but his ability to play the edge and rush the quarterback makes him a very intriguing prospect. As we told you on Wednesday, Harris and his family will be in South Bend the last weekend of January for an official visit. HE'S BACK: Kudos to a few astute ISD observers who noticed an old name back on our Target List at defensive end. Josh Paschal got a good look at Notre Dame when the 2017 Maryland defensive end visited for the team banquet back in Decemberand then he committed to Kentucky a couple days later.With less than a month to go before National Signing Day, the Irish are getting back in the box to take another swing at Paschal.And after some digging, we're told Paschal will be open to listening to the Irish once again."You never know how this stuff goes, so you can't burn any bridges," one source told us.The source wasn't sure whether new Irish defensive coordinator Mike Elko had reached out to Paschal just yet, but he knows Elko had inquired about doing so and had been given the green light.In the meantime, our source took the time to learn a bit about Elko's time at Wake Forest and came away with a positive impression."Wake Forest is pretty much an academic school, maybe not as much as Notre Dame, but they preach strong academics," the source stated. "A lot of times with kids, you don't get a kid who's really great academically and that is a four or five-star guy. He seemed to do really well with what he got."We're not exactly sure what it would take to flip Paschal from the Wildcats, but we've officially put him back on our Target List.ON THE OTHER HAND: While Notre Dame's recruiting board seems to be growing exponentially, we took a pair off on Thursday.As we reported yesterday, Notre Dame won't be pursuing either Virginia linebacker Ellis Brooks or Michigan linebacker Antjuan Simmons, who has an announcement scheduled for Saturday.Following Pete Werner's decommitment, Brooks told us Notre Dame had reached out to him again and he was looking forward to taking an official visit to South Bend later this month. But a source close to Brooks told us the Irish had contacted him again recently to let the 2017 Virginia linebacker know they were no longer looking to bring in another linebacker to replace Werner and join David Adams and Drew White."Ellis really liked Notre Dame a lot, he was looking forward to visiting up there and meeting the coaches and looking around, but we received a call from Coach Elston and he advised us with the new coaching staff there, they thought they were possibly going to take another linebacker in this class, but they're not," a source close to Brooks said."They liked Ellis and he didn't do anything that would prevent him from coming to Notre Dame, but they're not taking another linebacker in this class."As we reported when Brooks was put back on the board last month, he's a young man who understands recruiting is a business and still doesn't have any hard feelings toward Notre Dame."It all worked out," the source said. "We thank them for the time they spent talking to Ellis. They're still very professional. Ellis wished them well and that's the way it went."Additional Analysis From Uyeyama: Brooks is a fine prospect as an inside linebacker and I don't think anyone is against adding a player like him to a recruiting class. But in terms of a position fit, it never made much sense to me that Notre Dame would add him to replace Werner in the class. They are very different players and Brooks does not offer the same kind of versatility that Werner does. Brooks essentially plays the same position as White and Adams and I don't think he is a better prospect than either of them. With that in mind, I think it's the smart move by the defensive staff to focus their efforts elsewhere. I can also understand why those efforts aren't being directed toward Simmons either. I like Simmons as an athlete. I love his potential and obviously, Ohio State did as well or they wouldn't have taken him as an early commitment. I do think he is very raw in a lot of areas, though. Right now, he is a better athlete than football player. If you combine that with the fact that there are some questions about his length and his size, I get why Elko and new linebackers coach Clark Lea would decide against pursuing Simmons. Size issues can be overcome with great athleticism and instincts, but Simmons' recognition skills and instincts aren't elite at this time. Defensive back Shaun Crawford was someone who did possess great athleticism and instincts coming out of high school and that's why he was a take and a lot safer prospect than Simmons. Simmons could greatly reward someone down the line if it all comes together for him, but there is risk involved and I understand why that's a risk Notre Dame would choose not to take. TALKING TARGET LIST: As always, you can check out the full Notre Dame Target List HERE, which is updated frequently, along with our Visit List, which you can find HERE.This week, we added a new thread to focus on all of the new offers the Irish have sent out already this month, which is HERE.Diving a bit deeper into the current Target List.Notre Dame feels it will have shots with safety TreSean Smith and defensive back Tre Norwood. Smith remains committed to Louisville while Norwood decommitted on Thursday night. The Cardinals lost not only their defensive backs coach, but their defensive coordinator in the past week, but the Irish felt they had a shot at Smith even before that.Jordan Genmark-Heath is another recently-offered defensive back. The San Diego native is currently committed to Cal, which unexpectedly fired head coach Sonny Dykes earlier this week. We expect the Irish to be able to get him to South Bend this month and see him as a prime flip candidate. We have told you a bunch about 2017 defensive end Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa in the last week and we can confirm there is a lot of interest in Notre Dame from the family. We spoke to Amosa's father earlier this week. It's clear he wants a high academic situation for son and Notre Dame fits the bill. At this point, Tagovailoa-Amosa is still scheduled to be in South Bend on January 25th-26th, but that still could change by a day, as he plans to visit Vanderbilt and Navy, where his older brother plays. There are still several prospects Notre Dame has contacted in the last couple weeks who are still being evaluated by the Irish staff and could end up on the offer list some probably sooner than later. Deontre Thomas is one such player. The Oklahoma defensive tackle is currently committed to Nebraska and will take his official visit to Lincoln next weekend, but Notre Dame is still pushing to get in the mix and have his attention. In fact, Elston was at his school on Thursday, meeting with Thomas and getting all of his measurables. Thomas left the meeting feeling like an offer will be coming at some point. He's not yet sure if that would result in him taking a visit to South Bend, but of the other schools pushing for him right now, Notre Dame is at the top. UPON FURTHER REVIEW: The biggest call or non-call of the college football season was all too familiar for Notre Dame fans.After beating Alabama in Monday's national championship game, Deshaun Watson referred to his last-second touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow as a "pick play."But was it illegal?Once again, we reached out to Our Ref for his thoughts."At first I wondered, then I looked at the replay closely," Our Ref said. "It was really the defender who initiated the contact. That close to the line, they are allowed some contact, so it wasn't a foul for the defender, but I also wouldn't have flagged the offensive player for contact that the defender initiated. Plus, the defender made no effort to get around his receiver, which told me he wasn't focused on anything but covering man-to-man. "Alabama fans might have wanted that called, but if it had been called on them on offense, they'd have alleged a bad call. Let them play -- unless, of course, the other team is allowed to play too! Sorry, but you can't have it both ways."Some have pointed to the pass interference penalty on Clemson's penultimate offensive play. While the referees may not have announced the call correctly, but the outcome was correct.On 2nd and goal from the nine, Alabama was called for pass interference "in the end zone," according to the official and the ball was placed at the two-yard line. Some have pointed out the foul did not occur in the end zone which is correct and that the ball should have been placed around the five after being penalized half the distance to the goal which is incorrect."Defensive pass interference is always either a spot foul where it occurred, or a 15-yard penalty," Our Ref said. "When the ball is snapped inside of the 17 and the foul occurred on or inside the 2 (end zone included), the ball is placed at the 2. The only times DPI is subject to half the distance is either when the ball is snapped on or inside the 2 or it is on a try from the 3 (or inside). This is an exception to normal penalty enforcement where no penalty shall be more than half the distance. "The foul occurred, at least, at the 2 or inside the 2, so the ball was properly placed at the 2. Had the foul occurred at the 3, it would have been placed there."TOGETHER FOREVER?: After moving in over the weekend, Notre Dame's 2017 early enrollees will officially become part of the Irish family when they show up for the first classes of the spring semester on Tuesday.We know CJ Holmes and Isaiah Robertson will be rooming together and Brock Wright and Robert Hainsey will be paired up as well. Apparently breaking with past tradition, the duos will have the option of remaining roommates throughout their duration on campus.EXTREME MAKEOVER-NOTRE DAME EDITION: As the Campus Crossroads project continues to get closer and closer to finished, we learned there will be a few additions that haven't officially been announced to the public just yet.Currently, there is a massive tarp on the Rockne Tunnel entrance. A source stated they are giving the Notre Dame locker room a makeover, building a visitor's locker room and then a tunnel to the field the visiting team will use. In other words, the visiting team will no longer walk down the main tunnel when entering and leaving the field. In terms of the locker room, both the home and away locker rooms needed some improvements. Now, you don't want the visiting team to be too comfortable, but a little bit more space is acceptable versus what is there now.
ISD Intel (1/6)
The Recruiting Yeti will finally speak and it will also be his final decision when Foster Sarell announces his commitment at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio tomorrow. Notre Dame has been right in the thick of things for the 2017 five-star offensive lineman from Washington since a summer visit to attend Irish Invasion. Sarell and his mother later acknowledged the trip to South Bend back in the summer was made essentially as part of due diligence with the idea of eliminating the Irish afterward, but that's not what happened. Instead, the family fell in love with the program and offensive line coach Harry Hiestand in particular.Distance has really been the only negative in terms of the recruitment, but it was always a big one. Sarell sees the opportunity on and off the field at Notre Dame in the future. The Washington native also knows that to better himself, he might need to get out of the area to grow, but Stanford would qualify in that category.Notre Dame has talent on the offensive line and have brought in talented tackles in Tommy Kraemer and Liam Eichenberg in the last year, but Sarell could give the Irish a player they don't have on the roster. He knows his skill set meshes well with Hiestand and the family feels very comfortable with Hiestand as a coach and a man. How is the relationship with Brian Kelly? We'd say it's good, as the family enjoyed having the head coach in their home and by all accounts was productive visit. Outside of Washington head coach Chris Petersen, the family hasn't really said anything about a head coach that had a 'Wow' factor. That's not to say they aren't complimentary of head coaches, but it's not a situation where it seems the head coach is going to be a major factor in the decision.If Sarell picks Notre Dame on Saturday, it will because of the relationship he has with Hiestand and the fact he wants to be part of the best offensive line class in the country. He knows he is wanted and fits in at Notre Dame, it will be a matter of him feeling comfortable to live across the country for the next four years. Additional Insight From Uyeyama: There are only so many Foster Sarells available each year. Like Kraemer and Quenton Nelson, he's that rare offensive lineman who is going to be physically ready to play as a true freshman even if he does not see action. Eventually, he is going to grow into the kind of player who can be equal parts elite pass protector and dominant run blocker. To use a basketball analogy, he is a 5 who can back down just about anyone to the basket, but has the feet of a stretch-4. When you miss out on a Joshua Kaindoh or a Robert Beal, guys who can be disruptive off the edge, the next best thing is to land a guy who can block them. Sarell is one of those guys. The four offensive linemen Notre Dame has earned commitments from all have the potential to be high-end starters for the Irish one day. With Josh Lugg, his ceiling is even higher than that. Adding Sarell means they would have one more player with a high ceiling wgo is a pretty safe bet to reach that ceiling at the next level. He could very well be an All-American at Notre Dame under Hiestand and you could jot his name down in permanent marker as a multi-year starter. So What Do We Think?: Unfortunately, we don't see this one going down that way. We get the sense Notre Dame believes it would have landed Sarell had the Irish had a successful season, but at this point, there doesn't seem to be an overwhelming sense of optimism heading into tomorrow's announcement. As of the middle of this week, Sarell hadn't told the Irish he wasn't coming, but the questions that have come from Sarell's side of late aren't the kind to inspire confidence.If the Irish had a better season, we'd feel better. If South Bend, Ind., was closer to Graham, Wash., we'd feel even better still. But they didn't and it's not, so we see Sarell staying out West.It's probably a toss-up between Washington and Stanford, but we're picking the Cardinal here.CALVIN COMMITMENT COMING: As we reported earlier this week, Jamire Calvin will also announce his decision during tomorrow's Army Bowl, but that may not be the end of the process for the 2017 California wide receiver as he's still considering using his final trip to either Texas or Oregon.We caught up with Calvin earlier this week to find out how he's dealing with the swings of the coaching carousel, which has hit many of the schools he's considering."That's the way it is," said Calvin. "You can't stop that."It's a part of the business and something you just have to get used to. It's nothing big, you just have to go with the process and make the right decision."Calvin's recruiter at Notre Dame, Mike Denbrock, has left as has Irish offensive coordinator Mike Sanford, but the West Coast wideout doesn't seem too concerned."It's Notre Dame," he said. "They're going to hire great coaches no matter what. It's a great program, great school with great academics, networking, everything about it. It's hard to say no to Notre Dame."The Longhorns and Ducks are making late plays with their new coaching staffs, which Calvin is trying to get know better."Just talking to them every day," he said of how he goes about building relationships with the coaches."Even with stuff outside of football, just having regular life conversations with them and getting to see the genuine side and who they really are as a person."So What Do We Think?: The momentum has been with Nebraska for Calvin and we think that's with good reason.The Irish definitely gave him something to think about during his official visit to South Bend last month, but we see him choosing the Cornhuskers tomorrow. If he were leaning toward the Irish, he probably would at least like to see who the receivers coach is going to be.Speaking of thatTALKING TARGET LIST: Notre Dame was confident Oliver Martin was going to choose Notre Dame during tomorrow's Army Bowl, but that was before Mike Denbrock's departure. Martin isn't going to announce at that game anymore and despite the 2017 Iowa wide receiver's official visit to Michigan State next weekend, there are some who believe it's a good sign that he's decided to push back that decision. Could it be he wants to see how things play out with the rest of Notre Dame's offensive coaching staff? We're told he's a kid who is smart enough to understand coaches come and go and there are more important reasons to choose a school, but he'd obviously like to know who he'll be coached by. So, despite losing Denbrock, who formed a strong relationship with Martin over the past few months, the Irish are still in play.Notre Dame is "still somewhat" in play for Jordan Pouncey after the Florida receiver's decommitment from the Irish last week, but decommitments and recommitments are rare for a reason.Beyond Martin and Pouncey, Notre Dame would still love to get Colorado wide receiver commit Chris Miller on campus for a visit along with fellow Texan Gavin Holmes. Whoever ends up being the new receivers coach will likely have some input as well, so it's impossible to know exactly how this will play out until he's in place. Scott Booker checked in on Georgia wideout Braylon Sanders before he was let go, but the Irish may not push hard for Sanders.At defensive tackle, Notre Dame is actively recruiting Brandon Pili from Alaska. The Irish really like this kid, but it's not clear if they'll be able to get him to campus or not just yet. Expect them to start pushing once they can. Virginia's Elijah Conliffe is another guy they really like, but they'll have to do get their hands on his transcripts to find out if he's a guy they can really go after. As we reported earlier this week, Hawaii defensive end Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa would be a good fit on and off the field and could be in line for an official visit in a few weeks. Florida defensive end Jarez Parks is on the board as well now. He's already taken visits to Alabama and Florida State and will take visits to Auburn and Florida this month, leaving one trip open. The Irish will be battling USC and others for that final visit. Lugg and Kmet have been working Parks hard in San Antonio, but he hasn't had much contact with the Irish staff of late.It'll be interesting to see how the Irish handle the linebacker situation down the stretch. They have a pair of MIKE backers already in David Adams and Drew White. They really like Virginia's Ellis Brooks, who told us he's planning to visit at the end of the month, but he's a MIKE as well. Then there's Michigan's Antjuan Simmons. He's a really good player, but at 5-11, we wonder how he'd fit in Elko's system.We continue to feel confident about that Elijah Hicks will stick in the class. A source this week told us the California defensive back really likes Notre Dame and the Irish don't seem overly concerned with him taking visits to Michigan and Cal. Look for Notre Dame to go after Washington athlete Connor Wedington very hard. Expect the Irish to go to see him as soon as they can to try to convince him a lot. They like him a lot.Notre Dame still loves Ohio safety TreSean Smith, who remains committed to Louisville, as well. We're told Elko has been working him hard, but Smith didn't have the greatest time on his unofficial visit for the Virginia Tech game given the environment after the loss. Notre Dame is hoping to get him back on campus the weekend of the 20th. Hard to overstate how much the Irish like Smith. He's the top DB left on their board. Latavious Brini recently told us he was still thinking about taking an official visit to Notre Dame, but that isn't going to happen. The Florida cornerback isn't being recruited by Notre Dame anymore, so cross him off. Expect new names to emerge down the stretch, but with so much staff turnover right now, it's hard to say who those will be just yet.2017 CT CB OPEN TO ND: One of the newest names on Notre Dame's board is 2017 Connecticut cornerback Jason Pinnock. As we reported last week, Pinnock was contacted by new Notre Dame defensive coordinator Mike Elko and is in line to take an official visit to South Bend later this month if things progress.On Thursday night, Pinnock announced his decommitment from Boston College while saying he would still consider BC. We know the Eagles staff wasn't thrilled with his decision to continue taking visits this late in the process, but Pinnock is mature enough to realize that he needs to examine all of his options to find the place that will benefit him best long term. He also had the chance to speak with friends who are in similar situations, which helped reinforce that belief.He will take an official visit to Pittsburgh next weekend and then one to Boston College the following weekend. If the Irish do offer, that'd be his last trip before National Signing Day, which could be his decision date.Elko told Pinnock he needs to get settled in at Notre Dame and get a look at the depth chart and recruiting board before officially extending an offer, but based on talent alone, Pinnock said Elko has deemed him worthy of an offer. Pinnock tentatively has an official visit to Notre Dame penciled in for the final weekend of the month, but he could try to move that up to Thursday instead of Friday in order to get back in time for his Windsor High School team's banquet that weekend.Academics is going to be a major factor in his decision and after being around him, we believe he's the kind of guy who would feel comfortable at Notre Dame.2017 Irish running back commit CJ Holmes, who is also from Connecticut, has already been on Pinnock. His coach at Windsor High School, Rob Fleeting, coached the late Asaph Schwapp at Weaver High School before Schwapp went on to play for the Irish and Pinnock's father played college ball at Indiana, so there are ties to the program and the Midwest.EVEN MORE ON ELKO: For the past couple weeks in this space, we've been bringing our readers all of the information we can on Mike Elko.We caught up with a yet another source this week who has had some interaction with the Irish's new defensive coordinator. This source echoes what we've heard about Elko being a good recruiter and said he was not totally different than Brian VanGorder when it comes to personality and that Elko can be a little intimidating and a kooky. Take that as you will, but the source believes Elko will have the attention of the Notre Dame defense and the Irish were paying close attention to the Wake Forest bowl game. "After watching the Wake Forest game, I am excited," stated the source. "I have to see what personnel he brings in, but I feel like Notre Dame is headed in the right direction." PRIMETIME PROJECTS WRIGHT AS PRIMETIME PLAYER: Deion Sanders' role as a coach during the Under Armour All-America Football Game isn't a ceremonial one.The Hall of Fame cornerback takes it very seriously and is vocally involved with virtually every rep. He's not shy about calling a player out when he messes up or lavishing praise when he succeeds. But Sanders' comments good or bad are almost exclusively directed toward defensive players. At times, it seems he enjoys essentially ignoring the offense, which is just one reason why this tweet about Irish tight end commit Brock Wright was so eye-catching.https://twitter.com/DeionSanders/status/814928435269156865 Irish Sports Daily caught up with Sanders afterward to find out what led him to making the statement."87 is a grown man," Sanders said. "87 is a grown man. 87 is going to play on Sundays some night."He's got fight, determination. He can block and run routes. This kid is a freak. I call him Young Gronk, man."Asked whether he thinks Wright could be that good, Sanders quickly snapped back."I'm not thinking. I know he could be that good. If Notre Dame gets this boy the darn ball and lets him do what he does, this boy is going to play on Sundays."GOLIC SEES HOPE FOR FUTURE AT UNDER ARMOUR: Earlier in the week, we heard former Notre Dame defensive lineman and ESPN Radio host Mike Golic's thoughts on the Irish's 2016 season and why he believes they can turn things around in 2017.As a coach for the Under Armour All-America Game, Golic saw reasons for hope beyond 2017 in the five Notre Dame commits who were in the game. "All of them just because they're here," Golic said of which commits stuck out to him."We've got a good-sized tight end (Wright) coming. The lineman (Robert Hainsey), he's got nice hands and feet, real nice hands and feet. David Adams, the linebacker from Pennsylvania, I mean come on. He's as tough as they come. You look at these guys and look at what good-looking athletes they are."Avery Davis also caught Golic's eye."The quarterback too, the dual-threat that he is," he added. "He's got a nice arm. I saw him throwing well and obviously, he moves well. "It was really, really nice to see them and to see them performing here with some of the top players. All of these players are going to Power Five schools, so it's good to see how the Future Domers compete against these guys and I have a feeling they're going to compete very well."BEHIND THE SCENES AT UNDER ARMOUR: We had the chance to check in with a player who was at Under Armour last week (not a Notre Dame commit) to get a real look at what it's like and what the players truly think.This is just a sneak peek, we'll have a full look at it up on the site soon.What's the vibe like at an All-Star game with so many egos and guys used to being "the man"?On the first day of practice, you can see everyone is out there trying to prove himself, and I get that. But, I think at times it went a little too far. The very first period of practice was supposed to be a "walk through," but it was not a walk through. Do I understand why guys were going that hard? Yes. Do I agree with it? No. We hadn't even gone through a warmup yet. It was interesting to see in the walk through periods the following days how nobody was going that hard because most guys were so out of shape they were too tired to do so.Most overrated player at UA and why?Marvin Wilson. For some reason, every single recruiting reporter loves Marvin Wilson. Now I am not trying to take anything away from him as I think he is a great player and has the potential to be successful. However, he regularly got whooped in 1 v 1s and didn't even register a tackle in the game. He has to understand that his high rankings paired with his outspoken attitude that guys are going to be gunning for him, and rarely does he respond in dominant fashion.
