Updates from The Opening: Canton/Massillon Regional
I'm in Titletown for Saturday's regional for The Opening. Massillon High School is hosting the event and there will be plenty of Notre Dame targets here today. Here are a few of the names I'm interested in seeing today.RB2019 Kenny McIntosh is supposed to be here today. We will see. While Notre Dame is out, it will be good to see how he does against the Midwest kids. 2020 Michael Drennen II 2020 Gavin Williams 2020 DeaMonte Trayanum WR2020 Rashawn Williams 2020 AJ Henning is a WR today.TE2020 Michael Mayer 2020 Caden Clark 2020 Michael Carmody. He said he isn't coming but his name remains on the list. 2019 Oklahoma State commit Grayson Boomer OLZeke Correll headlines the list and I'm looking forward to hearing how he talk to Ohio State reporters more than anything today.There are a slew of 2020 OL I want to see as well. Deondre Buford, Dylan Barrett, Trey Wedig, Justin Rogers, John Young and 2021 Raheem Anderson. DLThe defensive line group might intrigue me the most. 2019 targets include Ruke Orhorhoro and Rodas Johnson. Mazi Smith will be there but I believe he's off Notre Dame's board at this point and I do look forward to seeing if Zach Harrison will finally come out and say Notre Dame are eliminated from his end. There are two 2020 defensive linemen that I want to also see in Bryce Mostella and Darrion Henry, who was recently at Notre Dame. Ohio State commit Noah Potter, Michigan commit Stephen Herron, Purdue commit George Karlaftis and former 2019 Notre Dame DE target Jason Bargy will also be there. LB2019 Marvin Grant Jr. and Lance Dixon hold Notre Dame offers but not sure how hard the Irish are pushing. One name I wrote about a few months ago is Jestin Jacobs. He doesn't have an offer but I'd love to see Notre Dame get involved. DBNot a great defensive back class for Notre Dame when it comes to a target standpoint. 2020 Makari Paige will be there and he's been on campus. 2019 Michigan State DB commit Julian Barnett and 2019 Florida standout Joshua Sanguinetti will be in town. Pittsburgh native Joey Porter Jr. has blown up in recent weeks and I want to see exactly how big he is. A couple 2020 names I'll be watching will be Michael Robertson Jr., Hunter Sellars and Enzo Jennings. Will try to post updates here throughout the day.
ISD Intel (6/23)
Just a couple weeks ago, Notre Dame seemed like a definite longshot for Jamaree Salyer. The Irish are still far from the favorite for the elite 2018 offensive lineman from Georgia, but getting him to agree to a third campus visit last weekend was a solid first step and the visit itself was much more than that. We spoke with a source close to Salyer who had nothing but positive reviews of the trip. "He said he had a really good time," the source told us. "He said he really enjoyed it." Salyer visited South Bend twice last year, but was with his teammate, 2017 offensive line target Andrew Thomas, so this visit was good because it was all about him. "When he was up there last summer, he didn't really have a chance to experience it the way he did this time," the source said. "He said he really liked it, really enjoyed it. Mom had a good time. They said they really liked it. "It seems like being able to be by himself and really meet the guys, the offensive linemen and talk to them. The things he has in common with those guys at Notre Dame is what Jamaree is all about; academics, serious business, school is very important, social aspect is very important. He's all business and I think the guys at Notre Dame are cut from the same mold as him. Some guys are from well-to-do families and some guys are from families like he's from who had to struggle at times." Notre Dame has recruited Pace Academy hard in years past and while the Irish have yet to land a top prospect from the school, they'll almost always have a shot based on the similarities of the two schools. "You've got Arthur Blank's family and then you've got guys from the other side of the track, guys from APS, Atlanta Public Schools, going to Pace," the source said. "Notre Dame has that feel too. "You go to Pace to go to a place like Notre Dame or Stanford or Duke, it's a different type of deal. It doesn't make you any better or any worse than anybody, but those kinds of schools complement one another with where you're coming from." A separate source agreed that impressing Salyer's mom and some in South Bend feel confident the Irish are gaining ground fast. "Mom has a big influence over Jamaree and his decision," we were told. "Obviously, the final decision is going to be his call, but her input will be taken into great consideration." Salyer will be back at Ohio State and Clemson for major recruiting events in the weeks to come. He's expected to announce a list of six or seven favorites very soon. Will Notre Dame be included on that list? "Oh yeah," said the source, who added Salyer already has his eye on returning to South Bend for the Georgia game in September. Putting on an impressive performance against Salyer's in-state Bulldogs could go a long way for Notre Dame's chances, but a loss won't eliminate the Irish either. "He's not that shallow," said the source. "He can see past all of that. "But it'd help if they beat Georgia, I can tell you that." FROM THE BUSHES: Finishing out the offensive line class with Salyer and Nicholas Petit-Frere would be an amazing close, but the Irish know they have to continue digging deeper and those evaluations will likely extend into the beginning of many prospects' senior seasons, so expect the Irish to go hard after some new names once they have a better feel for how they believe they stack up against each other. Notre Dame definitely opened Jayson Oweh's eyes during the 2018 New Jersey defensive end's visit for Invasion. It seems Notre Dame defensive coordinator Mike Elko did a good job of explaining his vision of the defense and a lot of guys, including Oweh, are buying into wanting to be a part of rebuilding the Irish defense. Ohio State and Penn State are obviously two to be concerned with, but the Irish just need to stay in the race here, play well, get him back for an official visit in the fall and they should have a shot. We continue to hear positive things regarding Notre Dame's chances with Shayne Simon from both sides of the situation. The 2018 New Jersey Rover prospect is another guy who seems excited by the idea of being a key piece in the Notre Dame defensive rebuild. The hope is that he'll decide before the season, but Simon has been tight-lipped about any specific date or timeframe. Local 2018 safety Paul Moala put on quite a display at Invasion, which helped him earn his Irish offers. He clearly opened the eyes of many with his performance. Stanford could be in play here, but Notre Dame appears to be in a strong position. 2019 Oklahoma tight end Grayson Boomer is really high on Notre Dame's board and sources in addition to Boomer himself have told us he really enjoyed his visit and plans to return. He's been adamant that he's no lock to stay in-state, but it still seems like Oklahoma is the clear team to beat. It's obvious 2019 Kentucky defensive tackle Jacob Lacey is working toward a decision and Notre Dame has to like where it stands. Lacey had already visited South Bend several times with his father and as we mentioned last week, it was key to get his mother on campus for the most recent visit and she really enjoyed the academic aspect of it all. Another recruitment where Stanford could emerge as a contender. Things seemed to have gone really well with 2019 safety Litchfield Ajavon. He's an elite safety and a Notre Dame type of kid. It was important to get him around Elko, which should really help the Irish's chances. There's no doubt he likes Notre Dame, but it's going to be a huge battle for him. The camps continue this weekend with multiple prospects continuing to descend on South Bend. It sounds like the competition during the Lineman's Challenge on Saturday will be steep while dozens of high school squads will be in town for Notre Dame's 7-on-7 passing camp. NO HARD FEELINGS FOR McGRONE WITH DELAYED ND OFFER: Cameron McGrone had offers from schools like Wisconsin, Tennessee, Indiana, Northwestern, Iowa, Nebraska, Purdue, Maryland and Kentucky and several others by the time Notre Dame extended an offer of its own a month ago. But that wait won't be a turnoff for the 2018 Indianapolis linebacker/safety. "I think for some kids it would be, but not for Cameron," one source close to McGrone told Irish Sports Daily this week. "He understood why they waited." The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder suffered a torn ACL in the last regular season game of his junior season. "The next day, he went to Notre Dame to be on the sidelines for one of their recruiting days," we were told. "They're recruiting this guy and he shows up on crutches with a torn ACL and they had no idea. "He understood they would take a wait-and-see approach, but once they saw him this spring moving around, they saw how quickly he recovered, which has been amazing. He had no qualms about the fact they held off on the offer." A separate source confirmed that everything looks good with McGrone's knee and seems to be just fine, which is why so many top programs are now coming at him hard. The Irish would have loved to have had him in the fold by now, but he visited Michigan yesterday and now that the Wolverines have offered, this process could slow down even more. 2019 VA DE STAYING FOCUSED ON WHAT'S IMPORTANT: There's no need to worry about Brandon Smith letting the offers get to his head. In fact, while the 2019 Virginia defensive end is grateful to have picked up offers from schools like Florida State, Penn State, South Carolina and Tennessee among others in recent weeks, that is far from the focus for him or his family. "From our standpoint, we don't necessarily look at schools every time they talk to offer," Smith's father told Irish Sports Daily this week. "What we're interested in is the relationship and what is it that you have that separates your school from other schools and may be a good fit for our son? "Some schools don't really sell that, other schools do. Some schools don't really build a relationship, other schools do." Led by assistant Clark Lea, Notre Dame has proven to be one of the schools that has done exactly that, which is one reason why Smith will be in South Bend for a visit today. "A lot of schools are going to offer you because other schools are offering you, but Notre Dame is one of those schools that has come in, showed interest and built a relationship with him through talking and visiting," Mr. Smith told us. "Knowing that it's a great academic school as well as being rich in tradition, it's a small school with a beautiful campus, that's what we're looking for. We want him to be interested in a school that's been interested in him from the beginning and not one that is just throwing an offer out just to throw one out. Notre Dame has definitely built a good relationship." The fact that the Smiths made the 11-hour drive out to South Bend shows how serious their interest is in Notre Dame. "Based on the relationship and what we already know, it'll be definitely worthwhile to take the trip out there and get to know the coaches a little bit more," said Mr. Smith. "We're just looking forward to getting to know more about the school, the coaches and definitely getting a chance to see the campus. "They have built a relationship that is worthy of us going up there. Whether he gets an offer or not, going up there and seeing the campus, meeting the coaches, having an opportunity to get around the coaches and work out to probably validate what they've already seen on film, it's a good experience for him and for us as parents." And it's a school Smith's parents would have no problem sending him to. "We'd be 11 hours away, but Notre Dame plays on TV every week, so whatever games you can't get to, you can watch on TV. When you're a Top 10 academic school in the country, it speaks for itself and then you take the football tradition at Notre Dame and all of that, for us, is definitely a big attraction." BONO ONE TO WATCH: 2019 Ohio defensive end Spencer Bono will also be working out at tomorrow's Linemen's Challenge. The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder has offers from Boston College, Iowa, Cincinnati and Toledo already and is also receiving interest from schools like Ohio State, Michigan State and Louisville. He plays at Elder High School in Cincinnati, a school that has produced players like Tommy Kraemer and Kyle Rudolph. We touched base with a source familiar with Bono earlier this week. "I think he could be a big-time recruit," the source said. As Bono told us himself, he's big on academics, so Boston College is a school that definitely has his attention, but from what we hear, he's not a kid who seems enamored with Ohio State. HICKS COMING FOR THE WORK: Marcus Hicks is another 2019 defensive end camping at Notre Dame tomorrow who seems destined to continue emerging as a national prospect. The Kansas native already has offers from Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. The 6-foot-5, 230-pounder is excited for his first chance to see South Bend. "If you don't get jacked to go to Notre Dame, something is wrong with you," one source told us. But adding an offer from the Irish isn't the primary reason he's making the trip. "More for a great experience, learning some new things and for him to get some really good competition going against some of the best kids in the country," we were told. "Really hoping it helps him grow in his development. "But an offer would be lovely." He wouldn't take offense to not being offered right away though. "Marcus doesn't have that kind of personality," we were told. "Sometimes it's hard to know what he's thinking because he doesn't show a whole lot of emotion. He would like to get an offer any kid would but he just takes them as they come. He doesn't get too down or too high about anything." Notre Dame would be a school taken under serious consideration if an offer is made, whenever that may be, but at this point Hicks has no favorites. "Marcus is wide open at this point," the source said. "He's a smart kid. He has an open mind. He's just going through the process, he's not stressing about it. It's kind of amazing to watch. WHAT'S ELKO'S CEILING AT ND?: We don't know the answer to that question yet, but we can say pretty definitively that he can get the Irish playing at a high level. He did so at Wake Forest last year with his defense ranked 22nd in S&P+, 18th on third down, 23rd in scoring defense and 28th in havoc rate (TFLs + passes defended + forced fumbles divided by number of total plays). The thought has always been that if he could do that well with Wake Forest's talent, what could he do with the talent in South Bend? It's logical to think he can improve on the kind of statistical success he had at Wake Forest because of that talent upgrade, but also because he should have at the very least an adequate offense on the other side of things that should put points and yards on the board. His defense had barely any support from the offense last year at Wake. Whether it was Wakeyleaks that stunted the offensive performance or below average talent across the board at every position, calling the Demon Deacons' offense anemic might not be harsh enough. They weren't explosive, finishing 115th in the nation in plays 20 yards or longer. They struggled to score, averaging only 20.4 points per game (118th). They were bad in the red zone and bad at making first downs (119th). They only averaged 1.2 first downs per possession (122nd). That leads into the next stat that made things even more difficult for Elko's defense: Wake's offense was 103rd in the nation in three-and-out rate. Almost a quarter of the time, the offense took the field and the defense was forced to come back out immediately. That's not only physically taxing for a defense, but mentally as well. In the three years Elko was at Wake Forest, the offense never cracked the top 115 in scoring offense. There was a ridiculous amount of pressure on his defense and if they had even a tiny bit of support from the offense, it's possible that they could have been a top 10 defense last season. He should get that support from Notre Dame's offense in 2017. Even an average offense would be a tremendous improvement, but when you consider Chip Long led an offense last season that was in the top 15 in scoring and was 27th in three-and-out rate, Elko's defense finally won't have all the burden on them. Could that and more talent lead to a championship-level defense eventually at Notre Dame? We're not ruling it out as a possibility. CARMODY CAN PLAY: The Notre Dame men's basketball program landed a player it's wanted for a while with the commitment of 2018 Pennsylvania shooting guard Robby Carmody on Thursday. We spoke to a source close to the situation to find out what the 6-foot-4, 185-pounder will bring to the Irish. "He brings toughness, shooting and a great feel for the game," said the source, pointing out that Carmody's father serves as his high school coach at Mars High School. "He's got some bounce, very good rebounder. Kind of a power wing as a driver. Very similar to (Pat) Connaughton I would say." One reason Carmody felt comfortable choosing the Irish was that he'd seen guys like Connaughton and Steve Vasturia enjoy success and bring toughness to the team. Our source has no doubt Carmody will bring that same intangible. "When he steps between the lines, guys are afraid of him," we were told. "Robby is a tough SOB." Notre Dame will definitely continue recruiting New Jersey shooting guard Luther Muhammad and Maryland shooting guard Noah Locke. The addition of Carmody may make it more difficult for the Irish to land either, but they won't stop trying. Either way, Notre Dame is thrilled to get the 2018 class started with Carmody and Washington, D.C. point guard Prentiss Hubb. FOOTBALL FIRST, BASEBALL SECOND FOR KMET: Cole Kmet is at Notre Dame now, but the freshman tight end is still collecting awards back in Illinois for his senior season playing for the Saint Viator High School baseball squad. Hitting .443 with 12 homers and 46 RBI while compiling an 8-3 record with a 2.02 ERA and 105 strikeouts on the mound led to Kmet winning Player of the Year awards from The Chicago Tribune, WGN and The Prep Baseball Report. The 6-foot-5, 250-pounder is fully focused on football as he begins his career in South Bend, but we're told he'll jump into baseball for the Irish following spring practice next year. That wasn't the plan initially, but as his junior season went on, Kmet started wanting to do both."Coach Kelly has been great about it," we were told. "Cole knows this will be a challenge and football is first and foremost." It isn't clear what position he'll play for the Irish nine, but again football will be the main priority. If he remains limber enough to get a look on the mound then he will, but if he bulks up under Matt Balis' direction, he'll stick in the outfield. Kmet turned down an opportunity to pursue the baseball draft and another major scholarship offer from baseball because Notre Dame is "his dream" and has no second thoughts. "Notre Dame is a special place."
ISD Intel (5/5)
Coming into the spring, there were high expectations for Brandon Wimbush and the New Jersey native performed well enough that the expectations are even higher for Notre Dame's next starting quarterback coming out of the spring. We spoke with a source close to Wimbush's development, who credits the quarterback with ramping up those hopes. "I really believe that all throughout the spring, he really won over his coaching staff, won over his teammates and gave them a clear view as to what they'll be able to expect going into the fall," we were told. "There's a heightened sense of excitement going into the summer and heading into the fall about what this season could potentially be. I think it could be something completely special, very special, just from what I was able to witness on that field. "There were a few plays that we left on the field that he had an opportunity to go back, watch the film and learn from, but other than that, he displayed all of the attributes that he's going to bring to this Chip Long offense." Wimbush was picked off twice during the Blue-Gold Game, including one attempt in the red zone to Miles Boykin. "Brandon took a shot, he was decisive and he believed he could thread that thing in there, but he probably should have taken more care of the football in the red zone," the source said. "It was really a misjudgment, miscalculation, miscommunication." With a quarterback who has Wimbush's arm talent, there will always be a fine line between taking advantage of that talent and forcing a throw. "What I do like about it, he made a decision and he was aggressive with it," the source said. "Through reps like that and being able to see it on the field, going back to film and watching it, he'll understand sometimes you have to pick your poison and live to see another day. "He sees a window of opportunity and he was decisive and aggressive about the decision. It wasn't like he hung onto the ball too long, he made the decision and went with it. He tried to show some level of timing and anticipation. Sometimes, you misjudge and miscalculate. Sometimes you make a wrong read based upon what you see. Through time and experience, you'll begin to understand when you should take those shots. But when you know you're blessed with an arm like he possesses, he's in a more advantageous position to take those risks and he's going to win more times than not. He has that gunslinger mentality. We have to find a way to keep it under control to the point where he doesn't put himself and his team at a disadvantage or bad situation." Since arriving at Notre Dame two years ago, Wimbush has seamlessly adjusted to different roles. Coming in as a freshman, his goal was to compete for the backup job, which was suddenly his once Malik Zaire went down in the second game of the season. He spent last spring trying to turn a two-person race between Zaire and DeShone Kizer into a three-person race before having to make the most of a redshirt year as a sophomore. Now, he'll be thrust into the spotlight as he promises to be a trendy pick as a breakout college star. But he'll be able to handle it, according to our source. "One of the unique qualities about Brandon is that he doesn't allow all of that hype to go to his head," we were told. "He takes it all into consideration. He understands what it all is, but it's not like he allows his head to swell up and inflate his ego. He gets it. "He understands what this process is, he understands what it entails. He understands there are going to be some tremendous things said about him in the media leading up to his full indoctrination as Notre Dame's QB1, but with all of that being said, he's going to remain level-headed. It's a quiet, humble confidence that he possesses, but he doesn't allow all of this hype. It's all a business approach. He's excited for the opportunity and he wants to take full advantage of all the opportunities that he'll get to continue to grow and learn." FROM THE BUSHES: It certainly looks like a clear Notre Dame-Ohio State battle for 2018 Ohio linebacker Dallas Gant at this point. While we don't believe Gant has made a decision yet, with an announcement scheduled for May 16th, we do feel comfortable saying the Buckeyes are currently in front. The lack of a firm decision just yet should give the Irish some hope, but it would require a change of thinking on Gant's part. We still see 2018 Maryland defensive tackle Ja'mion Franklin picking Notre Dame when he makes his announcement on July 1st. The key will be whether Franklin decides to completely shut down his recruitment, meaning no visits, after his announcement and how the Irish will handle things if he wants to commit, but isn't ready to completely shut things down. We've heard from multiple sources that PJ Mustipher's visit for the spring game a couple weeks ago went well. It's obvious the Notre Dame staff has done a great job making the 2018 Maryland defensive tackle feel wanted. His parents love Notre Dame and the fact that his brother, starting center Sam Mustipher, has done so well during his time in South Bend, but they're going to let PJ make his own decision. The connection with his brother and the comfort level with everybody on the team should help the Irish, but this one isn't a slam dunk by any means yet. As we've said here for the last couple of weeks, Notre Dame has a real solid shot at 2018 New Jersey Rover candidate Shayne Simon. His mother and aunt attended Michigan and assistant Chris Partridge has done a great job recruiting New Jersey since arriving in Ann Arbor from Paramus Catholic a couple years back, so his ties to the Wolverines are real. Still, his mother is serious about academics and that part of the visit to Notre Dame really seemed to hit home with her. Also, everybody around Simon who we've talked with says the kid is really a Notre Dame type of kid, so this one should be interesting. It continues to look like a Notre Dame-Ohio State battle for IMG defensive back Houston Griffith. The Irish were down to check in on him and his teammates this week and he continues to show a legitimate interest in Notre Dame even though the Buckeyes could have a bit of a lead right now. A couple West Coast safeties to keep an eye on include California's Julius Irvin and Washington's Tre'Shaun Harrison. Both have expressed some interest in visiting, but it'll be telling if they actually do. On that note, we've heard Washington is doing a fantastic job recruiting out there and that Chris Petersen is just a great salesman because of his total honesty. We've also heard USC head coach Clay Helton is doing a very good job for the Trojans for the same reason. Notre Dame was down to see 2018 Florida offensive lineman Nicholas Petit-Frere this week. He may not receive as much attention as some other prospects, but Petit-Frere is a very, very important recruit for the Irish this cycle. It isn't clear when he'll make his decision, but Notre Dame put itself in a good position with a visit back in March. The Irish will have to beat out schools like Florida, Alabama, Auburn and Ohio State to get him, but they're right there. It seems likely Notre Dame will try to take four offensive linemen in 2018 and with two in the fold already with Cole Mabry and John Dirksen, the Tampa target is probably the best bet for a third at this point with Notre Dame still trailing Michigan for Ryan Hayes. We heard from Florida wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. earlier this week and we'll have more on him below. As we've said in the past, Austin is "definitely" a Notre Dame type of kid. He truly enjoyed his visit and we remain high on Notre Dame's chances of landing him over Miami, Tennessee and Duke. 2018 Oregon wide receiver Chase Cota is another Notre Dame kid, but his connections to Oregon, where his father was a standout, could be difficult to overcome. The feeling among many is that this will end up being a battle between Notre Dame, Oregon and Stanford. Notre Dame remains in the race for 2018 New York tight end Jeremy Ruckert. The Irish had a good conversation with him last week and he expressed an interest in returning, possibly in June. With previous chatter that he could be finished with visits, a return trip to South Bend this summer would confirm the Irish's chances as legitimate against Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin. DOWELL OK WITH WAITING: As we reported last week, 2018 Ohio defensive back Michael Dowell remains in contact with Notre Dame and did catch up with the Irish staff as planned last week after receiving a visit at school. "They didn't offer me, but said they were going to keep recruiting me and to stay in contact," said Dowell. "The next step toward an offer would be to keep working and staying in contact with them. They're going around and seeing some other guys during the Evaluation Period right now. I can just hope for the best." The 6-foot, 195-pounder already has offers from schools like Michigan State, Iowa, Indiana, Cincinnati, Duke, Maryland, Pitt, Syracuse and Vanderbilt among others, but he admits Notre Dame is one he wants. "I do want the Notre Dame offer, so it's kind of humbling in a way," he acknowledged. "It just gives me something to work for. It just shows me I still have things to work on. Obviously, I knew that beforehand, but it helps me keep things in perspective." The delay in receiving an Irish offer isn't causing any negative feelings on his end. "I wouldn't really say that just because I'm very familiar with this process," he said. "I've gone through it with my brothers who are at Michigan State. I understand how it works. I'm not mad. I'm a little disappointed and wish I could have done better, but I understand the process and I hope to hear from them soon, so that's all I can do." If the Irish do join the mix, expect them to be serious, serious players. IRISH COMMITS STAY AFTER AUSTIN: Kevin Austin Jr. is unlikely to take any more visits before making his college announcement, meaning the trip he took to Notre Dame for the Irish's spring game a couple weeks back will be the 2018 Florida wideout's final one before a commitment. Coming into that visit, Austin told us hearing from the current members of Notre Dame's 2018 recruiting class would be important. Coming out of the visit, it's clear the members of the class see Austin as a potential important piece. "I heard from Braden Lenzy, Micah (Jones) and Markese (Stepp)," Austin told us this week. "They tell me we can make the Notre Dame recruiting class and our class could be the best ever for Notre Dame and we'll come in there and start early and make a big impact. "They're really a great group of guys who seem to be good throughout the process. They're trying to get a lot of guys over to their school to make them the best. That's really great to see." BOOMER SURE TO BE A SOONER?: The headlines seem to write themselves when you're talking about a top prospect in the state of Oklahoma with the last name Boomer, but 2019 Oklahoma tight end Grayson Boomer is saying, "Not so fast my friend," with the talk of him being a lock play for the homestate power. "That's what a lot of people say, but I'm really wide open," the 6-foot-5, 230-pounder from Collinsville, Okla., told ISD this week. "I'm going to go wherever I feel comfortable. It's not like, 'Oh, all of the Oklahoma kids are going to OU, so I'm going to go to OU.' I'm going to go where I fit in best and where I can excel and make it to the next next level." And Boomer, who received an Irish offer recently, is well aware of Notre Dame's success with getting tight ends to that next next level as Kyle Rudolph is one of his favorite tight ends in the NFL. He also knows the Irish had enough to offer to sign two of the top tight ends in the Class of 2017 in Brock Wright and Cole Kmet. The Irish will have to get Boomer up to South Bend at some point and it isn't clear when that may occur, but his interest in Notre Dame is real. UGA LEGACY NO LOCK FOR UGA: Similarly, many people have 2018 Georgia tight end Tommy Tremble pegged as a lock to follow the footsteps of his father, former Georgia and Dallas Cowboy safety Greg Tremble. But the younger Tremble, who was offered by Notre Dame this week and has several other offers from BCS and Ivy League programs, says he's considering all of his options. "I've been a Georgia fan all of my life, I watched them play, bought the jerseys, half of my clothes are Georgia stuff," he said. "My dad was a pretty good safety and went to The League for two or three years. They sold his jersey in the shop and all of that. "After he hurt his shoulder in the NFL and had to retire, he felt Georgia sort of forgot about him. They have their alumni stuff and all of that, but they treated him the same as if he was just a walk-onMy dad doesn't really care, but my mom does not like Georgia and the way they treated him as an alum. That's one of the things with my thoughts on Georgia." MORGAN MAY NOT BE OUT: 2018 Texas safety Christian Morgan committed to Baylor earlier this week, but we still think there's a chance for Notre Dame to remain in the running if the Irish decide to offer him at some point. We spoke with Morgan earlier this week, just prior to his commitment, and it didn't sound like his feelings on Notre Dame had changed much from his visit last month, when he said an offer from the Irish would shoot them to the very top of his list. He's remained in touch with the staff in South Bend and is expecting the defensive coordinator to drop in on him at Porter High School soon. "I think Coach (Mike) Elko is coming by next week," he told us. "I just don't know when. "They've just been saying the same thing, they just want to see me in person and stuff like that." DOWN A GRADE: Notre Dame extended a pair of offers to 2019 quarterbacks earlier this week, which wasn't a huge surprise to us. Although 2019 California quarterback JT Daniels has been a favorite of Irish fans for more than a year now, we've heard the term "longshot" associated with him for a couple weeks now. That's why Daniels wasn't included on our Top 10 To Watch list last month. Other 2019 prospects who were in contention to be on the list, but were ultimately left off include Ohio defensive tackle Jowon Briggs, St. Louis linebacker Shammond Cooper and Illinois offensive lineman Trevor Keegan. It's still very early in the process, so this list will undoubtedly change, but as it is today, each of those targets missed the cut. Also, 2018 Ohio linebacker Brian Asamoah hit pause on his recruiting plans when schools like Notre Dame and others extended offers. His interest in the Irish is legit, his connection to defensive coordinator Mike Elko is unique and he remains on the board, but he'll need to do a good deal of work in order to be a legitimate Notre Dame target. GOING CAMPING: Irish Invasion is set for Saturday, June 10th. After having a lot of top targets just visit and not compete in years past, we expect a greater push to get many of those guys on the field this time. In addition to Tremble, we've also confirmed Indianapolis cornerback DJ Johnson will be in attendance along with 2019 Colorado quarterback Ty Evans and a couple others. 2019 Kansas defensive end Marcus Hicks has early offers from Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Kansas State. "I've heard a lot of good things and I just really want to learn more about it because I don't know that much in-depth about Notre Dame," Hicks said. The 6-foot-5, 230-pounder from Wichita is confident in what he believes he'll be able to show the Irish in a camp setting. "I think I can definitely show them my speed and my pass-rushing ability, which I've heard I'm pretty good at," he said. 2018 New Orleans cornerback Curry Benn has an offer from Arizona along with offers from smaller regional schools. He's hoping to impress the Irish coaches during his trip to South Bend this summer for camp. "Since I was in eighth grade, I picked out colleges I was into and Notre Dame was one of them because of the academics," the 6-foot, 170-pounder said. "Every year, I did some research and for the past 15 years, somebody from Notre Dame has been drafted into the NFL and I like that." Benn was excited when he began communicating with Irish defensive backs coach Todd Lyght and is looking forward to the camp. "I'll show them a complete cornerback; tackling, covering, everything you're looking for in a cornerback." QUICK HOOPS NOTES: The weather wasn't great, but we're told Prentiss Hubb's official visit to Notre Dame earlier this week went "as good as it could go." We're confident Notre Dame made a great impression on the 2018 Washington, D.C. point guard, who is also considering Virginia, Villanova and Maryland. "We shall see if it was good enough," one source said. The Irish are hosting another big target this weekend in 6-foot-10 UConn transfer Juwan Durham, which we reported last week. Durham is pretty much down to Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech and it sounds like the Irish have done a good job making he and his family feel comfortable. We're not sure if Durham is a candidate to pull the trigger this weekend though. We get the sense he probably wants to take at least one other visit to compare Notre Dame to another school before an announcement, something he didn't do when he initially went through the recruiting process coming out of high school.
