Greg Johnson

Chris Miller wasn't stunned to receive an offer from Notre Dame last week, the 2017 Texas wide receiver/cornerback prospect had been receiving interest from the Irish for a little while, but he wasn't exactly sure what to do once it came. Miller, who has been committed to Colorado since June, asked at least one person for advice on whether he should post the offer on Twitter. He was told without hesitation that he absolutely should. Miller didn't want to upset anybody in Boulder, but still posted the offer. "It's a very prestigious offer because Notre Dame isn't only known for athletics, but academics," a source close to Miller told Irish Sports Daily this week. "It lets everybody know he has the grades and the skill to play at a big-time school like Notre Dame who can play whoever whenever. "I know this year was a down year for them, but Notre Dame is a big offer for a lot of guys." We're told Miller is "very appreciative" of the offer and his feelings sound even stronger. "He was excited, he was happy," the source added. Miller's next move isn't completely clear just yet. The Irish would love to get him up to South Bend for an official visit and some close to him are advising him to make the trip to check it out. New Texas head coach Tom Herman could actually play a role in helping the Irish indirectly here. Miller's Denton High School teammate Grant Polley is also committed to the Buffaloes, but the Longhorns are coming hard after the offensive tackle. If Polley were to flip to Texas, that could cause Miller to examine his other options even more closely. "That might change the game a little bit, but we'll see. Chris was pretty solid to Colorado, but you never know, there's a long time until February."http://www.hudl.com/video/3/3872241/582f6094c124de23f4d63864 GETTING TO KNOW BRAYLON SANDERS: Another new name at wide receiver emerged this week when Notre Dame assistant Scott Booker dropped in on Georgia wideout Braylon Sanders. Booker visited Callaway High School on Tuesday, stayed to watch Sanders' basketball practice and then conducted an in-home visit with Sanders and his family afterward. "He's a guy who came on their radar," a source close to Sanders told us. "They're looking into him and getting to know him a little bit." As of mid-week, the Irish hadn't offered, but it was clear their interest was serious. "Oh yeah, no doubt," we were told. And without getting ahead of himself, Sanders' interest in the Irish seems to be just as serious. "Notre Dame is definitely something you have to look at if they come calling just because of who they are," our source said. Apparently, Notre Dame still needs to do a closer review of Sanders' transcripts and potentially his film, but it seems like things are progressing. Sanders' athleticism has led to offers from schools like Georgia, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Washington State among several others. "He's an incredible athlete," our source said. "He's a high character kid. He's 6-2, 195 and he's a 4.4 guy. He's everything you want. He's the total package. He's probably got a 40-inch vertical jump. He's just a freaky athlete. "He plays a little bit of safety. He started his junior year at quarterback and played a lot of quarterback. He's got a crazy arm, he can throw the thing about 75 yards. He's a freaky kid. You oughta see his basketball highlights, he's dunking all over the place." While some list Sanders as an athlete because of that versatility, our source said "he's definitely a wide receiver." "He's a big-play guy," we were told. "He can definitely take the top off and he's real long and has incredible hands." And it seems he checks the boxes for Notre Dame away from the field as well. "He's everything you want in a kid," the source said. "He doesn't say very much, he just goes about his business every day, takes care of his business in the classroom. He's a very high character kid who comes from a good family." Sanders hasn't taken any official visits yet, so he will have to start squeezing them in soon if he plans on using all five. "I think he's just letting everything plays itself out and seeing where everything ends up. He said he was thinking of making his decision around Signing Day, so we're still on track with that. He's just going to have to get these officials in here quick."http://www.hudl.com/video/3/3880457/57d82640842eb35ba0f7b41e CATHEDRAL CATS: Jamire Calvin will be returning to South Bend this weekend for the first time since an unofficial visit last fall, when the 2017 California wideout wasn't even really on Notre Dame's radar. But Notre Dame was clearly on Calvin's radar and he instantly elevated the Irish to one of his favorites when he picked up his offer six months ago and they've remained there ever since. Not being a recruit high on Notre Dame's target list when he made the trip for the game last year, Calvin didn't really have the true visit experience. He'll undoubtedly get that this weekend as one of only four uncommitted visitors on campus along with Maryland defensive end Josh Paschal, Iowa wide receiver Oliver Martin and California athlete Greg Johnson. People close to Calvin expect the Los Angeles Cathedral High School standout and his family to be impressed with the entire Notre Dame presentation, especially the academic portion. Calvin is planning to announce his decision at next month's U.S. Army All-American Bowl and at this point, we see Notre Dame, Nebraska and possibly Washington State as the three out front right now. Calvin essentially eliminated Oregon State, where he took an official visit, when Beavers wide receiver coach Brent Brennan was named head coach at San Jose State. And we don't see Cal as a true threat at the moment either.http://www.hudl.com/video/3/4459235/57fc865411fa7f23384b5e55 Since instituting our ND Target List, we never had Calvin's friend and teammate Hunter Echols on it. The 2017 defensive end made the trip out to South Bend for Irish Invasion and was extremely impressed, but we always thought he was a kid who was going to stay on the West Coast. He was committed to UCLA when he was in South Bend, but even when he decommitted from the Bruins, we never really saw Notre Dame as a true threat. He's now committed to USC and we don't foresee anything or anybody changing that. We've said it before, but keep an eye on 2020 quarterback Bryce Young. The youngster was at Irish Invasion with Echols and impressed us on and off the field while in town. He had an extremely productive year while splitting time at quarterback for Cathedral as a freshman. He already has offers from Texas Tech, Utah State and most recently, Nebraska. That list is going to grow exponentially over his next three years as the full-time starter for Cathedral. GRAHAM GETTING TOWARD THE END: As we heard from Thomas Graham himself earlier in the week, Sunday's in-home visit with Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly and defensive backs coach Todd Lyght went well. We checked in with another source close to the 2017 California cornerback later in the week who confirmed that. "It was pretty cool," the source said. If Graham had any lingering questions about Notre Dame, he shouldn't anymore. "(Coach Kelly) answered them fully," we were told. "There isn't too much they can say that he didn't already know since he's been there twice. He just reviewed the early enrollment process and that was most important. "We talked about getting him accepted and all of that stuff and everything he's supposed to go through if he's a midyear. Coach wanted to make sure everything was still good with school. If he were to go to Notre Dame, they will have to talk to a counselor, so he needs to make sure his counselor contacts the school before they go on break." Being an early enrollee prospect accelerates the recruiting process beyond just showing up for college a month before your fellow commits sign. It requires getting all of your transcripts in order long beforehand as well and with the Christmas break approaching, there isn't much time to waste. "You have to make sure all of your classes and everything are verified because the counselors leave in mid-December, so you have to make your mind up," the source said. "All of his teachers know his classes have to be in a week before he leaves, so that will be next week." At one point, Graham thought about announcing at next month's Under Armour All-American Game, but that isn't all that realistic at this point. "That's just made the timetable push real fast," the source said. "That kind of puts some pressure on him." The other thing that has made the decision difficult for Graham is the advice he's gotten from peers and how it's changed in recent years. Graham knows plenty of players who have gone through the process over the last few cycles and the initial advice he got from many of them was to make the decision for himself and not let others influence him. But now, many of those same kids are expressing doubts about the decisions they made initially. Notre Dame remains our pick, but he's still considering Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon and Nebraska. As we've reported, the Wildcats fell a notch when they lost defensive backs coach Donte Williams to Nebraska. If the Cornhuskers end up becoming a legitimate contender, it will be due almost exclusively to Williams. Yes, Graham took an official visit to Lincoln back in September, but Nebraska was really on the outside looking in as recently as a couple of weeks ago. Rancho Cucamonga High School has finals the week after next and we're confident Graham will have a decision before the school goes on break later that week. Graham will do a lot of praying between now and then to come up with his pick.http://www.hudl.com/video/3/3430022/583dfe895b3cb1172419b13a BANKS OF AMERICA READY TO SIGN: Aaron Banks will choose between Notre Dame, UCLA, Michigan, Cal, Nebraska, Oregon and Tennessee on Friday afternoon, but we feel there's a good chance it will come down to just three schools for the 2017 California offensive lineman. Notre Dame. Michigan. UCLA. The Irish have been the constant in the equation and the relationship with Harry Hiestand is going to be tough to beat. However, as we've stated multiple times, Michigan was the leader heading into the fall, but it seems like the Wolverines might be cooling on Banks. Jim Harbaugh never made it out to California for an in-home visit and neither did the offensive line coach. Area recruiter Jay Harbaugh did make a stop last week, but Michigan didn't send a coach to see Banks the week of his decision. UCLA has made a late run at the four-star prospect and shouldn't be taken lightly. The Bruins and Jim Mora have beaten the Irish for prospects before, but it'd be a shock for Banks to choose them after he has been so thorough throughout his recruitment. Banks hasn't visited UCLA since October of 2015, so it'd be somewhat of a surprise. If Notre Dame doesn't land Banks, it could get very interesting down the stretch. Hiestand would love to land a fourth offensive lineman and if Banks isn't in the fold, then all hope swings to five-star Foster Sarell, who commits on January 7th. Notre Dame is definitely hanging around with Sarell and it's clear he likes the program, but if the Irish strike out, it would be a talented, yet small offensive line class of Josh Lugg, Dillan Gibbons and Robert Hainsey. As we told you yesterday, Banks will be sending his early enrollment paperwork to whichever school he picks on Friday as well.http://www.hudl.com/video/3/3027393/5721da249a91677e74ad28de GETTING AFTER ANTJUAN: As we reported earlier this week, the current 2017 Irish commits are working hard to get Antjuan Simmons onboard after the 2017 Michigan linebacker decommitted from Ohio State last week. We checked in with a couple other Notre Dame pledges to hear more about their approach. "I'm just trying to show him some love," one commit told us. "I know it's tough to decommit, so the first school to show him love is always going to be on his mind. I just want to show him that we feel he's a priority. Going somewhere you feel like you can fit in with the players is important." Another player who has known Simmons for a while is cautiously optimistic about the Irish's chances. "I know Notre Dame is tops on his list along with one other school, I can't remember who. He's really showing ND interest." Simmons takes an official visit to Arizona this weekend, but look for the Irish to try to get him on campus next month.http://www.hudl.com/video/3/3115250/58130e11688ec47bec9fee93 LOUISVILLE SAFETY COMMIT REMAINS LOUISVILLE SAFETY COMMIT: Notre Dame made a push for TreSean Smith and the Irish continue to do so, but the 2017 Ohio safety hasn't shown any signs of backing off the pledge he made to Louisville back in June. "I know he's committed to Louisville," a source close to Smith told us. "He's still kind of looking at things, but he's been down to Louisville a bunch of times. Right now, he's still verbally committed to Louisville." Notre Dame was able to get Smith on campus for the home finale against Virginia Tech. We're told he enjoyed his time, but it doesn't sound like it was enough to get him to seriously question his commitment to the Cardinals. "After talking to him, I still feel like he's heavily committed to Louisville to be honest with you after talking to him after going there for a gameday visit," we were told. "That's the feeling I got from him after he came back and after I talked to him." That doesn't mean the Irish are going to give up though. "They came to his practice last week," our source said. "Coach Elston was down last week to watch him practice before his state championship game. Notre Dame is visible." This could be a case where the relationships Smith formed with the staff at Louisville date back further than the ones being made with the Notre Dame coaches. "I think all of that stuff matters," our source said. "Things change, but for me right now, that's what it feels like."http://www.hudl.com/video/3/3901979/57c4cb23da50b01e0ca65538 ADEBO SEEMING SOLID: On the other side of potential flips, a source close to Saiid Paulson Adebo tells us he believes the 2017 Texas cornerback is very likely to stick with his commitment to Notre Dame. "He was pretty high on Stanford, but he took an unofficial to Notre Dame and it was set after that, he was like, 'I'm going,'" the source said. "High academics and the opportunity to play the best." Obviously, every top kid in the state of Texas is likely to hear from Tom Herman if they haven't already, but the academic piece in South Bend should be too much for the Longhorns to overcome. "The only school I think that would have a legit shot would be like a Stanford, but even then, he's kind of set," the source said. "He's a very committed kid, respectable. I think once he puts his mind to something, there's no backing out of it. I feel like he's with Notre Dame for the long haul. Unless something happens with the coaching staff or something, he's there." And that's a good thing for the Irish considering Adebo's upside. "There's no doubt he's playing on Sundays one dayif he wants to, that's up to him," our source said. "If he wants to play on Sundays, he'll be a kid who plays on Sundays. He's that talented. "If Notre Dame felt like they needed a kid to play on both sides of the ball, that would be Saiid. You just can't miss out on his talent. Saiid has gone toe-to-toe with the best in Texas and he's shut kids out. Then he also flips over to offense and you just cannot guard him. He's big, he's fast, he's physical. He's the quietest kid you'll ever meet too. It's hilarious. You see him on the field and he's this animal, but you can't get two words out of him outside of school." Adebo's high school career came to an end a couple weeks ago, when his Mansfield team lost to Irish quarterback commit Avery Davis' Cedar Hill squad 56-28 in the state quarterfinals. Adebo's impact went beyond even the seven passes he caught for 164 yards. "He did everything," we were told. "He had double-digit tackles. He almost had a pick-six. He broke on the ball perfectly, but I think he broke so soon that the ball almost went behind him. "He almost ran two punts back and two kickoff returns for touchdowns and then had a crazy one-handed catch. He literally played the entire game." At 6-1 and almost 6-2, his size, speed and strength help him on offense, but his upside is even higher on defense. "The 40 time they have down for him does him no justice. People think he runs a 4.57 and it's hilarious. That kid is like a 21.2 in the 200. That shows he can get to top speed and hold it for a long time. And he can accelerate quickly." http://www.hudl.com/video/3/3938142/584094f55b3cb027b43a20e2HICKS REMAINS IN THE FOLD AS WELL: It remains status quo at this point for Elijah Hicks as well despite reports last month that the 2017 California safety's decommitment from Notre Dame was "imminent." Hicks took an official visit to Michigan in November and some were predicting an immediate flip from the Irish to the Wolverines. At the time, our sources denied those reports and continue to maintain that Hicks remains a strong Notre Dame pledge."He's just going through the process and can't wait to get to Notre Dame," our source said. We were told the trip to Ann Arbor gave Hicks a chance to see what else is out there and while Notre Dame didn't encourage the visit, the Irish did seem confident Hicks would still see their total package as more attractive to him than Michigan's. "He wants to be able to say, 'You know what, I made the right choice,'" our source said. "You've got to know what's out there to know what the right decision at the end of the day." Our sources aren't completely ruling out Hicks changing his mind, but have been adamant that he's still committed to the Irish. We haven't heard of any other specific schools that could end up getting in the mix as of now. "He's pretty comfortable with Notre Dame right now," we were told. He's pretty comfortable." Kelly will be back on the West Coast to make an in-home visit with Hicks at some point, but we're told building that relationship with Todd Lyght is more important to the family. Lyght has already made an in-home and is staying in pretty consistent contact, which is good for the Irish. We're told Hicks and his family "love" Lyght. "He's a real sincere guy," our source added. Notre Dame has also done a solid job selling Hicks on the on-field opportunities awaiting him in South Bend. "Elijah brings something to that DB corps that I haven't seen yet," we were told. "They probably have it, but I haven't seen it yet. "I think he'll be a great player for Notre Dame."http://www.hudl.com/video/3/2675267/584054d7a680962b0cdc69d4 MINOR GIVES STRONG MAJOR VOTE OF CONFIDENCE: There's no need to guess who former Irish standout linebacker Kory Minor would like to see get the defensive coordinator spot at Notre Dame. https://twitter.com/Kmine4/status/806558418689327104 We caught up with Minor this week to get more of his thoughts on why he believes the former Texas coach and one-time Irish assistant would be such a great fit, even if he's an unlikely one. "He was the d-line coach when I was there," said Minor, whose time at Notre Dame from 1995-1998 mirrored Strong's residency in South Bend. "Just his attention to detail, his focus, his tenacity, his understanding of the game. He's a players' coach, you want to play for him, you want to do well for him. I know things didn't go well for him at Texas, but that wasn't all him in Texas either, let's be honest, it never is." Minor is convinced Strong would be a positive presence on and off the field for the Irish. "I just really believe right now with what we have going on at Notre Dame, we need someone to come in who has morals and values to help these young men see the right way," Minor said. Minor was quick to add that he doesn't know Brian Kelly well and was by no means suggesting Kelly lacks in those areas, just that he knows Strong doesn't. "I really believe at Notre Dame right now, we're in the position where we need to bring someone in who can bring this defense back to life, but someone these young men can look up to as a role model for how to carry themselves in the community," he said. "Not only that, but I believe his time as a coach at Louisville and Florida is proven, even at Texas. When he took over the defense at Texas, the defense got better." Look for more from our conversation with Minor in the days to come, that is if Strong hasn't taken a job elsewhere by then.