Dillan Gibbons

It'll be another busy recruiting weekend for Notre Dame with the Irish holding their first-ever Sophomore Day, but there will be some important 2018 prospects in town over the coming days as well.Maryland defensive end/linebacker Thomas Booker and Florida tight end George Takacs are both top targets for Notre Dame this cycle and both are seriously considering the Irish.Booker comes from Baltimore's Gilman School, the same program that produced defensive standouts for the Irish in the past and that connection hasn't been lost on Booker."There have been two guys who have come from my high school, Mr. Ambrose Wooden and Mr. Victor Abiamiri, who both went to Notre Dame and had fantastic careers there academically and athletically," Booker said. "Seeing guys who are from a similar situation and the same high school as me succeeding over there is definitely a big point for me."Booker has had a chance to meet Wooden and Abiamiri, but hasn't been able to have extended conversations with them about Notre Dame just yet."I haven't gotten to talk to them too much, but they come back to the school a lot, especially for football stuff," said Booker. "They'll come in, talk to the kids, talk to us one-on-one a little bit, but I haven't gotten to talk to them too much. I'm looking forward to getting in touch with them more as time goes on."Booker is well aware of their careers on the field, which included a multi-year NFL stint for Abiamiri, but even more interested in their careers off the field."(Wooden) is a Goldman Sachs vice president," said Booker. "Both of them are incredibly intelligent young men. "Obviously, Notre Dame kind of sharpen their intellect and gave them the tools to succeed in whatever field they decided to pursue. In both of their cases honestly, it was Business. After Victor left the League, he engaged in Finance and obviously, Ambrose is too. Notre Dame has proved to be a worthy institution for those guys, so I'm excited to see what it can hold."Booker is one of the most mature and intelligent prospects we've come across and it's clear he'll be treating this visit to Notre Dame as a business trip.Booker will arrive with both of his parents for his Notre Dame visit and academics will be at the forefront. He specifically asked to sit in on particular classes to get a feel for the educational aspect of what Notre Dame can offer him. "I will sit in on an Economics class," said Booker. "The majors I am interested in pursuing are Economics, Business and Computer Science. I asked the coaches to set up some meetings and classes with that, and they graciously did so. "I am excited to see what it's like and know how it feels to be a Notre Dame student up close and personal." Booker has attended a private school since Pre-K and he desires a fit similar to that of Gilman. Some kids are open to different atmospheres than their high school, but it's clear Booker is looking for a similar fit. "I've been at Gilman for 12 years now," Booker explained. "Academics have always been of the upmost importance to me. College is about getting an education. Of course, the football is amazing, and that's a big part of my decision as well. I know Notre Dame is a Top 15 school academically, so the fact they put it together on both sides is impressive."A school like Gilman, we're kind of like the same way. We strive for excellence in everything we do and Notre Dame does the same thing." While Booker is focused on seeing the academic opportunities, he will also be paying close attention to the football side. He is looking forward to spending time with his host and asking them the tough questions about life in South Bend. "I will spend a lot of time with the football coaches and players," explained Booker. "I found out it's pretty important to know who the guys are. They are going to be who I am going to spend the majority of my time with."There are times I sit back and watch to see what's going on. There are times when I am active, and I badger guys a little bit about why and how they feel about things." The Notre Dame commits have also been doing their part in recruiting the four-star prospect to South Bend. Booker constantly is being hounded by multiple prospects on almost a daily basis. He has good relationships with two commits, which could pay huge dividends down the road as he hopes to have a decision by the time Gilman opens fall camp. "Braden Lenzy, I met him when we were both at Stanford," stated Booker. "He's a really good guy. I met Micah Jones at a Rivals camp. We both were working out at receiver and tight end. He was awesome. "Those are two great guys to know. It's impressive they both chose Notre Dame, and it's a huge plus for me. I know those guys are character guys. The Ademilola brothers have also contacted me. They seem like great guys, and I can't wait to meet them at some point." https://www.hudl.com/video/3/4594763/5843a832bed7050a44ee45c6Takacs has been to Notre Dame several times in the past as the son of an alum, a fan and as a recruit for last year's Irish Invasion. Notre Dame immediately burst into his top four when it offered a scholarship earlier this month and the Irish will look to pull ahead of the other contenders Florida, Georgia and Wisconsin this weekend.As soon as he landed the offer, it was clear Takacs would be returning to South Bend for a visit, but making that trip this weekend has required some extra planning. After flying from Florida to South Bend, Takacs will fly from South Bend to Atlanta on Saturday in order to compete in an Under Armour camp on Sunday."He was supposed to do the one in Florida, but he kind of tweaked an ankle at The Opening camp, so he wasn't able to go to the one in Miami," a source told us. "Under Armour really wants him and feels pretty confident about his abilities, so they opened up a spot for him to go out of state and go to Atlanta."The source said it'd be fair to take that as an even stronger indication of his interest in the Irish."His interest is really high," we were told. "The family connection is so big there with his mom going to school there and his family being from Indiana. I think that's a huge draw for him."https://www.hudl.com/video/3/4918623/57cde3e87bd2f61854e2cdbdAnd as we reported late last night, 2018 Ohio defensive back Michael Dowell will also be in town today. With two brothers at Michigan State right now, the Spartans are the favorites, but it'll be interesting to see how much of his attention the Irish can grab.SIZING UP SOPHOMORE DAY: The latter half of the weekend will belong to 2019 prospects and it'll be interesting to see just how much this inaugural event gets the Irish ahead of the game.Like Booker, 2019 Ohio defensive tackle Jowon Briggs is an extremely mature young man who will be looking at a wide variety of factors when he's making his decision."I'm looking forward to seeing everything, talking to all of the coaches and seeing how the d-line works as a unit," Briggs told ISD this week. "Also, seeing how their program is as far as academics goes definitely."https://www.hudl.com/video/3/7383795/58b38887c11a092a5056f4c02019 Ohio cornerback Moses Douglass was at Irish Invasion last summer and continues to be a top target for many schools. Douglass currently counts Michigan, Iowa, Iowa State, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse and Kentucky among his early offers."Hopefully it'll be a chance for him to meet the new defensive coordinator," Douglass' father and coach at Springfield High School, Moe Douglass said. "The last time he met Coach Elko, Mike was at (Bowling Green). That was many moons ago; a lot of growth physically since then. He'll get the opportunity to meet him and then get the chance to meet with Coach (Todd) Lyght a little bit more as well."The elder Douglass' relationship with Elko goes back years."When he was at BG, we had a few kids who went to BG and played for him there," the coach explained. "He's always done good by those kids I sent to him in the past. We kept lines of communication open when he was at Wake Forest. He offered one of my kids when he was over there and hopefully we can continue a great relationship here."https://www.hudl.com/video/3/4563118/57b1c198842eb262e81fc50e2019 Minnesota offensive lineman Quinn Carroll is in the midst of a busy spring break week that will bring him to Miami, Alabama, Georgia, Clemson and Virginia Tech before South Bend. Carroll has already established himself as one of the top 2019 linemen, not just in the Midwest, but in the nation. He already has offers from schools like Florida State, Auburn, Georgia, Miami, Tennessee and LSU in addition to Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Ohio State and Minnesota. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Notre Dame join that list this weekend."I'm looking forward to gathering as much information as possible, and meeting the coaches so I know what I will be considering during the recruiting process," Carroll told ISD of what he's looking forward to most.https://www.hudl.com/video/3/4652353/5827b0d53bd8144cfc16eafb2019 Tennessee defensive end Joseph Anderson is one of the few prospects who will arrive with an Irish offer in hand and he's excited to check out South Bend. "I'm looking forward to seeing if it feels like home to me, which I know it will," he said. 2019 Tennessee defensive back Wesley Walker would have been another target to come with an offer from the Irish already. But as of late last night, Walker tells us he doesn't believe he'll be able to make the trip because of transportation issues. If he isn't able to get that sorted out by Sunday, he says he will "most definitely" find a way to South Bend at some point, likely this summer.George Karlaftis' coach expects the 2019 Indiana defensive end to blow up before his high school career is done, especially given how raw the young man is.Karlaftis currently has three offers and each one was the result of some sort of direct relationship. "The Indiana offer came after he went to a camp," Shane Fry explained. "They saw him one day and said, 'Holy crap.' "We are literally right across the street from Purdue University. Coach (Jeff) Brohm walked over here on one of his first days here and offered George. SMU, they have a family member, it would be an uncle, who is on the athletic training staff down there. He said, 'Hey, you've got to take a look at this guy.' I think maybe they watched film for two minutes and offered him."That's why Fry has been struck by the fact that Notre Dame identified the West Lafayette native so early."I'm actually really impressed with Notre Dame because not many people know a lot about him. Their coaches love him on film. He's a young sophomore. He's not even old for his grade, so I think the sky is the limit for George."https://www.hudl.com/video/3/5350728/583354e6c124d70ba09427d82019 Alabama quarterback Paul Tyson has an interesting connection to the sport as the great-grandson of Paul 'Bear' Bryant."I never got to meet my great-grandfather, but it's a special thing I have in my life and it's just a blessing to have him in my family," Tyson said. "Growing up, I was definitely an Alabama fan, but from a prospect's standpoint, I'm open to any school."The sophomore signal-caller doesn't have any offers yet, but Irish offensive coordinator Chip Long has been in touch with his coach at Hewitt-Trussville High School to set up his trip to South Bend this weekend."I just know that Notre Dame is a huge program," Tyson said. "It's one of the biggest in the country. It's going to be real special to go up there. This was a great time and it worked out because it's our spring break."I'm really hoping to see the campus, get to see Coach Long again and just kind of get the feel for what Notre Dame is really like."The 6-foot-4, 210-pound dropback passer has already made trips to Alabama, Clemson and Troy. THE CHALLENGES OF LOOKING AHEAD: Notre Dame already has more than dozens offers out for the 2019 class with more likely on the way soon and with this weekend's event. It wasn't that long ago that Junior Days seemed extreme, but this is the new pace of recruiting. The Irish coaching staff is forced to do this in order to keep up whether they like it or not. Evaluating young prospects isn't easy, especially on the offensive or defensive lines. It's difficult enough to have to project the future of football players heading into their senior year of high school and even more difficult when looking at players younger than that. Several of these players are not done growing yet. It's rare that many of them are even scratching the surface in terms of their strength and size as well. Many are going to weigh 40 to 50 pounds more in college than they do right now and that makes things murky. Will a kid who looks like a great athlete at 250 still look like that at 295? Will someone who isn't a star on their team as a sophomore be able to handle a bigger role when given it over the next couple of years in high school? Are they going to be the same kid they are when they get their first offer or will the spotlight of dozens of colleges chasing them and fans bombarding them on social media change their approach to school and football? These things and many other unknowns make it scary to offer early even though it is necessary. Notre Dame has to jump all in on someone while knowing very little about them. They also have to project their athletic potential with a limited amount of film to assess their play. And if they were to accept an early commitment, there is always the chance they may end up with someone who doesn't come close to the player the coaching staff thought they would be. It comes down to a lot of assumptions. They have to assume growth will happen in every sense of the word, both on and off the field. But chances are if the Irish are offering someone after only seeing their sophomore film, then they must feel they have some exceptional traits that can translate in a big-time way in a few years. Some players who get offered as sophomores, like Jerry Tillery, come through with their physical development, but are slow to put the other pieces together to become an impact player in college. Others, like Jaylon Smith, continue to rise up every step of the way and it's a question of when, not if, they will be a star. Offering a sophomore is a gamble no matter how talented they are. It's a risk programs are forced to take in the current college football climate, though. The programs that end up being the best at evaluating sophomores are the ones who are going to end up having the biggest talent advantage in the years to come. It's easy to brush aside Sophomore Day as something that is not going to affect Notre Dame in the near future, but how the Irish do on Sophomore Days will go a long way toward determining their talent level in the long run.ELKO CONNECTION WILL HELP IRISH WITH ASAMOAH: Last week in this space, we reported that Brian Asamoah was pumping the brakes on his recruiting timeline and earlier this week, the 2018 Ohio linebacker confirmed just that.https://twitter.com/b_moah211/status/846822597685862403Notre Dame extended an offer to Asamoah earlier this month and it was absolutely one of the schools that caused him to rethink his plans to announce a decision on April 21st.In addition to being intrigued by the opportunities on and off the field at Notre Dame, Asamoah has an interesting connection to new Irish defensive coordinator Mike Elko.Asamoah's cousin and current Tampa Bay Buccaneer, Jude Adjei-Barimah, played for Elko at Bowling Green."He just tells me he's a great coach," Asamoah said of his cousin's thoughts on Elko. "It'd be interesting what he would do for me."Adjei-Barimah has pointed to Asamoah to Gabe Martin, who played the Rover position under Elko at Bowling Green, which eventually led to Martin getting a shot with the Arizona Cardinals.As you'd expect, Asamoah is putting a lot of stock in his cousin's opinion."I really value him because he's at the highest point of football right now," Asamoah said. "Not too many people make it there, so listening to what he says is really inspiring. Just listening to a guy who's above and has been through the process and knows everything about it is helpful."https://www.hudl.com/video/3/4371502/57f1a3160aff7a6a24e98308WOULD ACCELERATED OFFICIALS HELP OTHERS MORE THAN ND?: The NCAA is considering a proposed rule change that would allow prospects to take official visits during the spring of the junior years. This would give Notre Dame a larger window to get kids on campus, which Brian Kelly pointed to as a huge indicator of recruiting success. But the change may not be as beneficial to the Irish as other programs. Quite simply, Notre Dame's academic requirements make it so that official visits in the fall are more advantageous for the Irish.Notre Dame isn't always able to have a great feel for where a prospect stands academically by the spring of their junior season. There would likely be some hesitancy about bringing a kid on an official visit if Notre Dame wouldn't be able to give them a complete green light to commit if they wanted to. Notre Dame needs to be judicious with how it uses official visits.You can only use so many officials, so the Irish need to be a bit cautious on who could visit even if they were allowed to visit in the spring. Obviously, Notre Dame would take advantage of the opportunities when they fit, but those opportunities could be more plentiful at other schools. BETWEEN THE HASHES: It was good for 2017 Notre Dame offensive line signee Dillan Gibbons to get back on campus last week for the first time since signing with the Irish. It's always encouraging to hear about an increased comfort level after Signing Day, when the "path is set," which is what we were told is the case with Gibbons. We expect Gibbons to get a look multiple positions on the line, which would fit him perfectly since his main goal is to help and support the unit in any way he can.Jayson and Justin Ademilola continue to haul in offers from the biggest programs in the country and earlier this week, Alabama offered the 2019 New Jersey twins who have been committed to Notre Dame since last summer. An offer from the Crimson Tide is one that has to be taken seriously, if not by the prospects themselves then at least by the school the prospects are committed to. That being said, at this point, we don't see Alabama as a true threat to flip the twins because we don't believe they see the Crimson Tide's defensive scheme as a good fit for them. Look for offers to continue coming in throughout the process, but unless they start taking visits elsewhere, we see them as solid commits.CJ Holmes may be down after being ruled out for the spring with a shoulder injury, but based on what we know about the early enrollee from Connecticut, he's far from out. We're sure he's going to have his mind in the right place and look for a way to find positives in a difficult situation. We expect him to remain engaged, get in his playbook and take care of his schoolwork as he prepares to return to the field in the fall.