Jeremiah Holloman

The 2017 Notre Dame recruiting board could be about to grow. The Irish staff will be hitting the road soon to get a feel for potential prospects from both on-the-field and off-the-field standpoints, but here's an overview of how we see the current Target List as of today.WR Jamire Calvin: We hear Notre Dame really likes the California native, but we're not sure he's fully qualified just yet. He's a really good player who has had a good senior year. The Irish may try to bring him in for the banquet, but if they need to wait for more info, they may have to wait until January. We hear he's a really good kid, so he should do well in any interview situation once on campus. WR Jeremiah Holloman: Notre Dame is still recruiting the Georgia product, but this is a longshot at best. There is still some communication here, but it would be a surprise if he chose the Irish at this point. WR Noah Igbinoghene: Notre Dame is very much in the race here and we expect the Irish to go very hard after him this December, especially with him recently naming Auburn as his leader. Still, he's a high academic kid and his family values education a lot. Distance is what could really hurt Notre Dame here. Look for other SEC schools to jump in the game as well as he's a guy who is just starting to emerge as the national prospect he probably should have been all along. WR Hezekiah Jones: The Irish aren't really in the race for the Texas A&M commit anymore. There's still some communication and Notre Dame will certainly visit him next month, but he's longshot at best. WR Oliver Martin: This is a race Notre Dame is very much still in. It's probably the Irish, Michigan and Iowa. Notre Dame seems cautiously optimistic about its current position. The Irish should be able to get the Iowa native out for the banquet weekend, which will be important. Martin comes from a very close family. His sister is an elite swimmer and academics are very important to the family. It seems like Martin would probably be a better fit socially at Notre Dame than Michigan, but Jim Harbaugh is putting on the press for him. Martin has had an outstanding senior year, so expect his stock to rise. He's a player the Irish want badly and is one of the top players remaining on their board regardless of position. The Irish will be ramping up their recruiting effort even more for Martin. WR Christian Miller: The Texan's name is one we first mentioned in this space last week. Miller is a speedster who is currently committed to Colorado. Notre Dame hasn't offered him yet, but the Irish will go out and speak with him right after the USC game. If he looks good in person, he could land an offer. He's got really good speed and could also play defensive back. He seems to be leaning toward offense, and he's a great offensive prospect, but Notre Dame is also impressed by his ability to play both sides of the ball. If the Irish do offer, expect them to try to get him on campus for the banquet. OL Aaron Banks: This is an interesting recruitment. Notre Dame is definitely in the running. Cal has started to make a push and is trying to pitch a package deal having already offered his younger brother, but this seems to be a battle between the Irish and Michigan. Banks really likes Notre Dame offensive line coach Harry Hiestand and his mother certainly seemed to like Notre Dame more than Michigan when the family visited both schools this summer. But she was also impressed by Michigan and Harbaugh on the recent trip to Ann Arbor. Banks is an early enrollee, so we will know soon enough. Oregon could also get in this race, but the Ducks will need to name a head coach soon and get in quickly, so most feel it's a Notre Dame/Michigan race with Cal coming on. OL Foster Sarell: We've heard Notre Dame still sees this is a Notre Dame/Stanford battle. He's going to Alabama on an official visit soon, but as we've reported before won't visit Stanford until January. The Crimson Tide aren't seen as a serious threat because academics are so important to the family and the travel to Tuscaloosa would be even worse than to South Bend. Washington could also be a player, but the thinking is, if he were going to Washington, the Huskies probably could have convinced him to commit by now in order for him to help recruit others. He likely won't decide until very late, so lots of cards left to be played in this one. OL Trey Smith: Notre Dame isn't extremely hopeful here. He still communicates with the Irish and says all the right things, but it'd be difficult to say they're near the top of his list. As we reported yesterday, he won't make it to town this weekend because he has a playoff game. He's headed to Ohio State next weekend for the Buckeyes' showdown with Michigan. The plan is to try to get him on campus the following weekend, which would be just days before his scheduled announcement on Dec. 6th. If he doesn't make it to South Bend, then they'll know their out, but if he does, the Irish will get the last pitch.DE Jalen Harris: Another new name we reported on last week, Harris is currently committed to Arizona. He's another prospect Notre Dame will go check out soon to get a feel for what he looks like in person and his personality. We think if everything checks out, he'll likely get an offer as they really like his potential. He certainly strikes us as a good kid. If the Irish decide they want to move forward, they'll likely push for a banquet visit. DE Josh Paschal: We've received further confirmation that the Maryland prospect has improved his standing quite a bit in recent months. He still may not be completely cleared just yet, but there is reason to be optimistic. As we've reported all along, the family really likes Notre Dame. On the field, Paschal has had a monster senior season and we've been told his senior film is one of the most impressive of any Irish target's this fall. The plan is still to get him up for the banquet next month. He's definitely a priority, but Notre Dame will get a much better gauge of where it stands after the visit.S Grant Delpit: The LSU commit surprised many when he was added to Notre Dame's visit list for the Stanford game last month. He hasn't decommitted from the Tigers yet, so that's not a great sign, but he's remained in good communication with the Irish and seems to like Notre Dame quite a bit. Still, most feel he'll eventually stick with LSU. S TreSean Smith: Notre Dame absolutely loves this kid. The Irish are very hopeful he will flip from Louisville and end up in their class. He's very high on their wish list. The good news is he's surrounded by Notre Dame people at La Salle High School in Cincinnati and they're all in his ear. He just doesn't know a lot about Notre Dame right now, and currently he's solid with Louisville. He likes the coaches there and has a good relationship with them. The Notre Dame presence at La Salle is certainly a plus in the Irish's favor. There's some hope he'll make it to town this weekend, but he hasn't confirmed yet. They also are going to try to bring him in for the banquet. We've heard he's the type of kid who will really like Notre Dame when he gets on campus. CB Thomas Graham: As we've said countless times, we like where Notre Dame stands with the California prospect, but we wouldn't put much stock into the rumors that he's a silent commit. We certainly don't and weather he is or was a silent at one point is immaterial. What we do know is his family is in Notre Dame's corner. Graham's father made up his mind back in March during his first visit to South Bend and his mother was sold when she made the trip back in September. The Irish would certainly welcome a public pledge soon and we still believe Graham intends to commit to the school of his choice about a week after his senior ends. His Rancho Cucamonga squad won its first-round playoff game last weekend and face Mission Viejo tonight. More on Graham below.DEPTH CHART NOT REAL PROBLEM FOR GRAHAM: When you hear recruits say a school's depth chart will be a factor in their decision, what they're essentially saying is they want to know how long they'll have to wait before they can get on the field.It makes sense. The idea of putting in all of the work with little to no chance to play for a couple years just isn't an intriguing idea to anyone really.With six true freshmen in the two-deep of Notre Dame's secondary right now along with three more second-year players, depth chart wouldn't seem to qualify as a selling point for the Irish with 2017 defensive back prospects.Of course, Notre Dame can spin that back and use the influx of young players as proof that its staff isn't afraid to put the best player on the field regardless of class.In the case of Thomas Graham Jr., that spin may not be necessary.While Graham is certainly interested in finding out what an apparent logjam at the position could mean for him, it doesn't seem like something that will be a deal-breaker.Graham and his camp have always been cognizant of the fact that any school selling immediate playing time should raise questions about that program's depth moving forward. At the same time, as fans of the sport, they recognize getting work in early could bode well for the future and that's what they see at Notre Dame right now.While some of the first-year defensive backs have had struggles at times, the feeling from Graham's camp is they'll be better for it as long as they aren't allowed to be discouraged.Like any great player, Graham wants to play right away and would jump at that opportunity. At the same time, he is aware of the benefits that could come by redshirting as a freshman. He knows an extra year in college could allow him to make serious progress toward a Masters degree, which is huge for Graham's family. He knows he would absolutely have a better chance to make a true impact on the game as a fifth-year senior than a true freshman. And as a relatively young high school senior, he won't turn 18 until next summer, an extra year in college would surely make him a more attractive NFL prospect should he make it to that stage.So while he'd love the chance to get on the field next fall, he also has people around him taking the long-term view of things, which is a positive for the Irish on several levels. HICKS VISITING MICHIGAN, BUT STILL SOLID: Yes, 2017 Notre Dame defensive back commit Elijah Hicks is taking an official visit to Michigan this weekend.Yes, the stated reason for the trip to Ann Arbor is to take full advantage of the recruiting process. And yes, we've heard that before.That being said, after touching base with a source as close to the situation as possible, we do have confidence in the strength of Hicks' pledge to the Irish.First a little background. Hicks was always encouraged to take all of his visits before making a commitment in order to enjoy the process. Some people who were sure Notre Dame would be the best place for him in the end even preferred he wait on making the commitment he made last month until he taking other visits to avoid this exact situation.That being said, Hicks always knew what he was looking for in a college and knew he found it during his official visit to South Bend."Which is all of the things that Notre Dame has to offer," our source explained. "The reasons why he chose the school were more than just football. It was the academics, the network.Football did come into play when comparing Notre Dame to at least one other finalist."The only school that even came close to it was Northwestern, but there's no comparison when it comes to actual football," we were told.Then Michigan started calling again. Prior to his trip to South Bend, Hicks had assured the Wolverines he would take an official visit to Ann Arbor. After being told repeatedly that Hicks was fully committed to Notre Dame now, Michigan still pleaded with him just to make the trip to check it out.Hicks agreed and it was difficult for those who had previously advised him to take all of his visits to dissuade him from taking a visit.Notre Dame defensive backs coach Todd Lyght was told about the visit before the news got out publicly. He couldn't have been thrilled to hear about the visit, but from what we were told, it seems like he at least understood the reasoning behind it. Lyght was told what we were told, that Hicks is 100 percent committed to Notre Dame."He believes in you more than anything else," our source added on what Lyght was told.This doesn't seem like a situation where Hicks has any reservations about his decision. He isn't looking for a backup plan or doing his "due diligence" or "keeping his options open" or any of the things we often hear when a committed prospect is looking around."He's done his homework on what he wants out of a college, out of a school," our source reiterated. "He already knows a couple people who go to the school he wants to go to."If Elijah didn't feel 100 percent confident, he wouldn't have committed."WHO'S COMING BACK FOR FIVE?: The head coach and the University have a great deal of say when it comes to players returning for fifth seasons at Notre Dame, but earlier this week, Brian Kelly seemed to be inviting some of those guys back.When asked about tomorrow's Senior Day, Kelly chose to talk about the fact that "a number of guys that have remaining eligibility...a number of these guys will have eligibility remaining if they choose to come back."Kelly is certainly right, there are several seniors who could be back next year, including guys like offensive linemen Mike McGlinchey, Hunter Bivin and Colin McGovern, tight ends Jacob Matuska and Durham Smythe along with lineman John Montelus. Running back Tarean Folston played as a freshman, but he could apply for a fifth year after going down with a season-ending injury in last year's opener against Texas. Quarterback Malik Zaire would also be eligible to be back for a fifth year, but nobody sees that as a likelihood.McGlinchey has already stated his intention to come back next season as has Smythe, although they could still change their minds. Of the remaining options, we believe Bivin and McGovern to be the most likely to join McGlinchey and Smythe in 2017 by far. We reached out to some sources on the potential fifth-years to get an idea of the thought process that goes into these decisions. Not surprisingly, we got a variety of answers. We were told the considerations would include potential for playing time in 2017, NFL aspirations along with current academic status and what field the player would be looking at for post-graduate work.Some sources suggested the chance to return for a fifth year was a no-brainer, provided the player was invited back for both on and off-the-field reasons."It's not actually his decision," one source said. "He has to be asked by the staff and to be approved by the University to come back."Others didn't want to get ahead of themselves either."It all depends on what he wants," one source said.One source close to a particular player said that decision won't even be discussed for a couple more weeks."This is going to sound crazy, but we literally have not had a conversation about it," we were told. "My bias has been that he needs to focus on this season and as soon as the season is over, we'll talk about it. We have literally and this is no joke we have literally never had a conversation about it."We definitely like to plan ahead, but I think having some consternation around the decision at this point could distract him from the job at hand and that is to do as well as he can in these last few games and to give Notre Dame the chance to get to a bowl game or to give Notre Dame maximum momentum heading into next year. We'll have the discussion."And despite the possibility of going through Senior Day again a year from now, one family member of a player said tomorrow's pregame festivities would still be emotional."We're going to be celebrating the achievement of getting to his senior year. He's planning to graduate this May with his Undergraduate degree. Some of his friends will not be coming back who we're friends with and close with their parents, so him coming back or not, it'll still be an emotional time."LACEY LIKING ND: Notre Dame has only sent out a handful of offers to 2019 prospects and one of them is to defensive tackle Jacob Lacey. The staff first saw the Bowling Green, Ky., native at June's Sound Mind/Sound Body camp in Detroit, where his athleticism stood out over most of the defensive linemen in attendance. He looked the part of an elite interior defensive line prospect.He has an Irish connection through his cousin, the late Dave Duerson, but Lacey had not visited campus until Irish Invasion. That camp is where he impressed defensive line coach Keith Gilmore enough to earn an offer and Notre Dame impressed him enough to earn a visit for the Nevada game. He'll back again for a third visit to watch the Irish take on Virginia Tech tomorrow. It's still early in the process for Lacey, but it's clear he is very interested in Notre Dame after getting to talk to the players and because of how much he enjoyed being coached by Gilmore at Invasion. His offer list, which includes Tennessee, Louisville, and Kentucky, is sure to expand in the coming months. The Irish have not had a ton of success landing explosive interior defensive linemen and Lacey fits that description. Getting in with an early offer and having him on campus this many times early in his recruitment should help them stay heavily in the mix to land a commitment from him down the road. ADEMILOLAS STANDING FIRM WITH IRISH: As we mentioned in this space last week, 2018 Notre Dame defensive line commits Jayson and Justin Ademilola have seen their work in the offseason result in increased production on the field for St. Peter's Prep in Jersey City, N.J., this fall.We aren't the only ones who have noticed.Multiple major colleges have ramped up their pursuits of the twins while some never slowed down their chases even after their commitments to the Irish back in the summer. Schools are working hard to get the Ademilolas' attention, but so far, they haven't been able to gain any sort of real traction.Some schools have extended offers, but have seen those offers go unreported as the boys continue to stay focused on their own season and their futures in South Bend.It certainly helps that St. Peter's Prep head coach Rich Hansen has essentially "shielded" the twins from other schools. Colleges looking to wedge their way in between the Ademilolas and Notre Dame have basically been stonewalled by Hansen, who has refused to facilitate contact or release transcripts.Some of those coaches have tried to go around Hansen to get directly to the twins and have let them know why it's been so difficult to get through. If they were hoping to make some headway via that route, it doesn't sound like that's worked either as we're told the way Hansen is handling the situation is "absolutely" the way the family wants."While the boys, as kids, like the attention and it helps validate their hard work, they are focused and really love Notre Dame and the Notre Dame recruits they have become friends with," we were told.OT QUOTE OF THE WEEK: A little off topic, but we were talking with a source about the Jack Sears saga with the California quarterback switching his commitment from Duke to USC. Our source got a kick out of Duke trying to spin it that it had dropped Sears before he dropped the Blue Devils. We saw some pretty convincing evidence it was the other way around, but our source thought it was clear for anybody to see regardless."How many people get dumped by Amy Schumer and are immediately dating Giselle?"