ISD Intel (3/17)
Smart? Luck? A little of both? Whatever it was, throwing a zone at Princeton during yesterday's NCAA Tournament matchup was a key part of the Irish's 60-58 win over the 12th-seeded Tigers. "I thought that got Princeton a little bit out of their rhythm and they missed a lot of shots, even if they were decent shots," one Division-I head basketball coach told Irish Sports Daily following the game. "I just think when Princeton gets in a groove and you keep giving them the same look, they're pretty good. They switched up and went to a little zone. Princeton got decent looks, but they kind of took them out of their rhythm a little bit in the first half, when they extended their lead. Now, Princeton came back and obviously still had a chance, but I thought that was a key. Princeton went up 17-15 and then Notre Dame went on a 10-0 run." The Irish face fourth-seeded West Virginia tomorrow for the right to go to the Sweet 16. The Mountaineers hung on to beat 13th-seeded Bucknell 86-80 in their first-round game yesterday. How Notre Dame handles West Virginia's fullcourt press will be a critical factor in who advances and who goes home for good. "You've got to have good decision-makers and good playmakers," the coach said of the key to succeeding against the Mountaineers. "They take you out of your offense and don't allow you to run your offense or plays. They want you to make plays and I think Notre Dame is really suited to attack that because they have a bunch of guys who can handle it and pass it and are good decision-makers." West Virginia forces more turnovers per game than any team in the country while the Irish turn it over less than all but one team. "That's obviously a huge stat," the coach said. "I think if Notre Dame takes decent care of the ball, I think they have a good chance. "They're ideally suited to attack them because they have so many guys who can handle, pass and make open shots. All of Notre Dame's guys who they play are good decision-makers, that's why they don't turn it over."A second Division-I head coach also expressed optimism in the Irish's chances of marching on because of the matchup. FROM THE BUSHES: Obviously, there's a great deal of excitement surrounding Notre Dame Football right now, certainly more than anyone would have guessed following last season's disaster. While there are several people responsible for the momentum, it starts at the top. Just as head coach Brian Kelly shouldered much of the responsibility for what went wrong last fall, he deserves much of the credit for doing what he what he saw as necessary to start turning things around. Not only have his personnel decisions helped, but so has his personality. We continue to hear how different he seems right now. Everyone seems to have noticed. Kelly has been much more engaged and has provided a very positive presence by always being around and being involved. The head coach is taking a much more active role in recruiting as well. We continue to say it because we continue to hear it, but we're told the difference in the strength and conditioning program is "VAST." One source described the comparison between the old and new as "night and day." It sounds like quarterback Brandon Wimbush is handling being thrust into the number one quarterback role about as well as anybody could have hoped. He's a great kid with great character who is really stepping up to be the guy and become a leader. His work ethic in the weight room is obvious and has been noticed. Backup quarterback Ian Book has pleased as well. We're told he looked really solid the first couple days. Everybody knows Book is a smart kid and that the game is important to him, but can he do it? So far, he's looked good. He's not a blazer, but he's all of six feet and very smart. The hope is he'll continue to develop at a good pace so the Irish can have true confidence in him if something happens to Wimbush. At receiver, we've heard to look for Chase Claypool to emerge. CJ Sanders has also made a jump while Chris Finke provides a steady presence at the position. Alize' Jones has displayed the kind of attitude many hoped to see from the tight end after sitting out last season. No surprise, but Brock Wright has been very impressive as a true freshman. Look for him to play this year. His upside is obvious. The defensive line is going to be interesting. As we've reported earlier, Elijah Taylor is hurt and could be out a considerable amount of time. Right now, it's Daniel Cage and Jerry Tillery. There's some hope that Tillery is ready to become more consistent. He still needs to prove it, but his attitude has been good. Micah Dew-Treadway has shown some fire with both he and Jonathan Bonner looking more like three-techniques than anything else. There's hope that Dew-Treadway becomes a guy as he works hard and wants to be a good player. At this point, we see Andrew Trumbetti as the most likely starter at strongside defensive end with Jay Hayes being heavily in the mix. Khalid Kareem could factor in here as well. At drop, Daelin Hayes is the likely starter, but Ade Ogundeji is also one to watch. His body is starting to develop and he's working hard. Jamir Jones will likely play Buck and potentially some Drop at times as he continues to be impressive. Asmar Bilal and Drue Tranquill will both play some Rover. Early enrollee Isaiah Robertson is getting work at safety, but his best position could be Rover in the end. Notre Dame's most challenging issue could be finding depth behind Devin Studstill and Jalen Elliott at safety. As with the interior of the defensive line, it isn't really clear what they'll be able to do there. Clemson transfer Scott Pagano would be a huge, huge addition. Perhaps the most encouraging thing to come out of Pagano's recent trip to Notre Dame was the fact that he really felt comfortable around the Irish players, which is likely to be a big factor in his decision. But at this point, it's hard to say if he's leaning toward Notre Dame or elsewhere and that may not clear until the very end. FURTHER CONFIRMATION ON BALIS: We're still in the very early stages of Matt Balis' tenure as strength and conditioning coach at Notre Dame, but the current players have already seen the results. A quick glance at the social media feed of most on the Irish roster and it's clear they've bought in to his system. Still, it had to be even more reassuring for those players to see the performance Balis' former pupil defensive back Obi Melifonu during the NFL Draft Combine. And the Notre Dame players and those around them definitely noticed. "The workout program is really the difference," one source told us recently. "The people who were in the highest rank of the Draft Combine were from Connecticut." In recent months, we've heard from sources about how the previous strength and conditioning regime may not have pushed the players hard enough and this source, close to one of the younger members of the team, agreed. "We worked hard in high school," the source said. (The player) was like, 'We worked harder in high school than we did last year.' "Now, I hear it in his voice and I feel it in the way he talks, how jacked they are about the workout program and about the season." There have been no complaints regarding Balis' program, which is surely due to change itself, but also a sign that this group was starving to be pushed closer to the edge. "He's been really impressed with how intense their workout is now," the source said. "That'll carry over. That's the main thing, how hard you work in the offseason to get yourself ready. They're working and training like a big-time program now." SANDERS READY TO STEP FORWARD ON FIELD: A couple weeks ago in this space, we talked about how wide receiver C.J. Sanders is ready to be more of a leader in the locker room now that he's a junior, but he's also excited about the chance to have a larger impact for the Irish on the field. Sanders seems energized by the arrival of new receivers coach Del Alexander. He's told people he believes in Alexander and appreciates the inspirational messages from his new position coach. "It seems like they're really building something special," one source said. "I think that trust, bond and being hungry together is almost like a fresh start. 'Let's build and create something different starting right here.'" Sanders provided a special-teams spurt right out of the gate, returning a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns as a true freshman in 2015. He returned two kickoffs for touchdowns this past year and also hauled in 24 passes for almost 300 yards and two more touchdowns as a slot receiver in 2016. His current focus is on getting stronger and faster and now that spring practice has rolled around, he's concentrating on fine-tuning his skills and correcting any mistakes in order to continuing growing within the offense. "It's like one of those things with a kid outside the candy store, waiting for the doors to open so he can take over," we were told. "He's excited and he's excited to have a new coach, being able to be used. That's his main thing. He knows he has the talent. He just wants to be used as part of the team however he can help. He plays three different positions and his goal is to be the best and be put in the best situation so he can help the team." McINTOSH READY TO SHOW WHAT HE CAN DO: Unlike Sanders, Deon McIntosh didn't get a chance to make an impact on Saturdays during his freshman season, but entering his sophomore season, the Florida native is ready to do just that. "He's excited," a source close to the running back/receiver told ISD. "He's just trying to show what he can do. He wants to fight for playing time this year, so he's really excited about it. He said he can't wait. He's been anxious." McIntosh was recruited as a running back, but the Irish decided to cross-train him at wide receiver as well. That decision was made to take advantage of all of his talents, but also doubled his learning load as a freshman. "Things are getting easier for him," one source said. "I think this is going to be a little bit more of an adjustment with a new offense and new coordinator. But it's not too bad. Learning another position that he wasn't used to playing took a lot of his effort and a lot of focus." Despite the extra workload and the belief that it could have had something to do with him not seeing the field last fall, McIntosh is convinced he'll be better for it in the long run. "I think he's an athlete," we were told. "It's something he wanted to do anyway, convert over to receiver. It's a challenge and he's looking forward to it." We were told splitting time at the two positions remains the plan moving forward, but there did seem to be some wiggle room of him potentially focusing on one spot more than the other. Either way, the 5-foot-11, 190-pounder believes he's ready to show why he was such an important recruit coming out of Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale a year ago. "He's a player," we heard. "Deon is a baller. One thing for sure, once the lights come on, he's always been a player when the lights come on. "Once he knows what to do, he will be able to show that he's a baller. He will make plays. There's no doubt in my mind about that." RECRUITING BUSHES: Notre Dame has a trio of critical visits coming up on the offensive line. The expectation is that Ohio's John Dirksen will love Notre Dame when he visits soon and he'd probably be on Commit Watch when he arrives. Much the same for Michigan's Ryan Hayes, who comes next week and could be even more likely to pull the trigger. Both are very important targets for the Irish right now. The Irish would love to bring in three more offensive linemen to go with current pledge Cole Mabry and Florida's Nicholas Petit-Frere could end up being the final piece to the puzzle. He also visits next week. Georgia's Warren Ericson is probably an inside guy, but is another who is high on the board for Notre Dame. Defensively, we've removed a few prospects from our Target List. At this point, we'd be surprised if Notre Dame was a serious option for Ohio defensive linemen Aeneas Hawkins or Leonard Taylor North Carolina's Alan Tisdale also falls into that category. However, the Irish should be able to open the eyes of New Jersey defensive back Shayne Simon if they are able to get him on campus next month as expected. It will be important for Notre Dame to do so too because at this point, Michigan could have the edge. Simon is teammates at St. Peter's Prep with Irish commits Jayson and Justin Ademilola, which will help, and he seems like the kind of kid who would certainly fit at Notre Dame. Atlanta defensive back Myles Sims is a top target who has maintained solid contact with Notre Dame. He's another guy with a tie that could help the Irish as he's good friends with current defensive back commit Derrik Allen. California safety Julius Irvin is another name to keep an eye on. The Anaheim native plays for the same Servite program where the St. Browns used to play and is still extremely tight with top 2018 wide receiver target Amon-ra St. Brown. There may be no safety higher on Notre Dame's board than Oregon's Talanoa Hufanga. He has offers from schools like Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA, Cal, BYU, Arfizona State, Nebraska, Michigan and Tennessee among others, but has shown a legitimate interest in Notre Dame. He would represent a major, major get for the Irish. It's clear IMG defensive back Houston Griffith likes Notre Dame and the school has just about everything he's looking for, but he plays things pretty close to the vest and has plenty of options, so it's impossible to be extremely confident about Notre Dame's chances just yet. IMG cornerback Brendan Radley-Hiles has been a top target for Notre Dame for a while now, but we're not overly optimistic about the Irish's chances just yet. Houston cornerback D'Shawn Jamison is a flat stud, but probably a long shot. Washington defensive back Tre'Shaun Harrison may have some other schools possibly Washington and Michigan higher than Notre Dame right now, but we're guessing he visits at some point, so the Irish should get a chance to show him what they can offer. We're not so high on Notre Dame's chances at Virginia athlete K'Vaughan Pope, but we do believe the Irish will have a shot at Texas wide receiver/cornerback Jaquayln Crawford, who has talked about possibly visiting this summer. MORE RUCKERT REACTION: As we've said in the past, despite landing two of the top tight ends in the country in America last cycle, Notre Dame isn't about to ease up recruiting the position. Instead, the Irish are looking to capitalize and continue their claim as Tight End U. Last week in this space, we talked about 2018 Florida tight end George Takacs, who has strong ties to Notre Dame and will take his recent offer from the Irish seriously, a process that is sure to include an upcoming visit to South Bend. Notre Dame hosted another top 2018 tight end target last week in New York's Jeremy Ruckert.https://twitter.com/Jeremy_Ruckert1/status/839953737376485376We were able to dig a little deeper into what Ruckert's visit to South Bend could mean for his recruitment down the stretch. One thing is clear, the Irish have cemented themselves as players in the process. Exactly how strong of players isn't clear and may not even be clear to Ruckert himself just yet. At the end of December, Ruckert released a top five that included Alabama, Florida State, Michigan, Ohio State and Wisconsin. For the most part, those schools remain, with the exception of the Seminoles, who we hear have faded significantly. At one point, a couple West Coast schools Stanford and Oregon seemed to be working their way in, but that's far from a certainty now. When he announced his favorites, he added that Notre Dame could work its way in based on his visit and it sounds like that's exactly what happened. From all accounts, Ruckert was impressed with just about everything he saw during his trip to South Bend and, perhaps most importantly, he felt he could fit at Notre Dame. Comfort could be the deciding factor, which is something one recruiter mentioned to Ruckert and his camp months ago. "At the very beginning stages, one of these coaches said, 'You know what's going to have to happen with a kid like Jeremy? He's going to have to figure out what school by visiting and seeing how he fits in,'" a source said of the conversation. "This guy was honest. 'Everybody has a story to convince a kid to come to their school. They're going to tell him they're going to throw it, we need you, we want you.' The only way to decide is to go visit the coaches and visit the players. This guy was 100 percent right." Ruckert's comfort level with each coaching staff will be important, but the New Yorker is mature enough to realize that many if not all of the coaches at the school he chooses could be gone by the time he graduates college. "The guy gave such sound advice," the source continued. "These coaches are all great and you have to try to fit in with a guy who can coach you for sure, but what school will you fit at if those coaches aren't there? If you want to stay somewhere for four years, four and a half years, what school fits into Jeremy Ruckert and what type of players?" BETWEEN THE HASHES: Shammond Cooper and Isaiah Williams are eyeing a stop in South Bend for the Irish's Sophomore Day next month, but the 2019 Trinity Catholic High School teammates could end up moving that trip up a week. On the other hand, 2018 Missouri defensive end Daniel Carson was looking at trying to get to South Bend during his spring break, but it sounds like that visit may have to wait until summer.
ISD Intel (2/10)
Junior Day will truly be Junior Weekend for Micah Jones. The 2018 Illinois wide receiver is scheduled to arrive in South Bend today, take in Junior Day festivities tomorrow and leave sometime Sunday. The 6-foot-5, 195-pounder from Warren Township High School has already been on a couple unofficial visits to Notre Dame, so this won't be a sightseeing tour. He's well aware of what Notre Dame offers from a football standpoint and an academic standpoint, so more than anything, this trip will be about getting around the current and future members of the Irish to see how he fits. He'll obviously have plenty of time and opportunities to do that, especially with all six 2018 Irish commits scheduled to be in town. But he's also looking forward to catching back up with the coaching staff, specifically wide receivers coach Del Alexander, offensive coordinator Chip Long and head coach Brian Kelly. Jones had a lengthy conversation with Alexander on National Signing Day last week and the coach explained how much values Jones as a prospect. "They stay in pretty good contact," a source on Jones' side of things told Irish Sports Daily. "He definitely views him as a key 2018 receiver coming in." Jones is also intrigued by Long's scheme and is looking forward to hearing more about how he could be utilized within it. "Coach Long likes to use receivers in different formations, not just one position," we were told. "You'll get to move around. With his size and athletic ability, he could play inside and outside." Notre Dame is just one school that has been pitching Jones on being a potential "building block" for their 2018 class. Jones is also taking a close look at Northwestern, where he visited last week, Michigan State, Illinois, Iowa and Ole Miss and he's said he will make trips to all in the coming months. The Northwestern trip was good, but the Irish can certainly offer more from a football standpoint. "They're very similar, it's just that Notre Dame is on a bigger national stage," the source told us. Jones said he wants to make a decision in March or April, although some believe it could come much sooner. There's no doubt the Irish will be one of the schools he's looking at closest all of the way until the end. "I think Notre Dame would be a good place for him to play ball at. The academics are great, prestige, you're on television every weekend. It's a smaller school, which I think works well with his personality." Additional Analysis From Uyeyama: The question with Jones is going to be if he can develop into a player who can separate. He doesn't have the long speed or short-area quickness to suggest he can get open against elite athletes who play corner. But, as long as he thrives making contested catches, that may not matter. When we saw him at Irish Invasion he did a great job doing so and did it again during his junior season. I think his ceiling could be for him to be a bigger version of Corey Robinson. If he can be more consistent than Robinson was, then that would make him a really nice piece in an offense. HAWKINS HAS THE PEDIGREE: Aeneas Hawkins comes from a football family. His father, Artrell Hawkins, played defensive back in the NFL for 10 years with the Bengals, Panthers, Redskins and Patriots. His uncle, Andrew Hawkins, is entering his seventh year in the NFL as a receiver with the Browns after a couple years in the CFL. Hawkins may be changing things up by not playing a skill position, but the 2018 Ohio defensive lineman has certainly received a lot from his family. "It's just his athleticism," Moeller High School head coach John Rodenberg said of what has allowed Hawkins to turn into one of the top prospects in the Class of 2018 with offers from schools like Notre Dame, Ohio State, Alabama, Florida State, Pittsburgh, Penn State and Cincinnati among several others. "He's really off the charts speed-wise, especially for his size. He's aggressive, he's well-coached. His father and uncle both played in the NFL, so he's just a great athlete. He understands the game. He understands what's expected of him, so he has an edge on people. He knows how to work and what it's going to take to get to that level." Hawkins also has a natural personality that allows him to fit in with essentially anybody. "He's a captain, so he's definitely a leader," Rodenberg said. "He really conducts himself well off the field. He's one of the guys who can get along with the top kid in class and can also get along with the kids who struggle in class. He's got a very good personality." Hawkins will be in South Bend for the third time inside of a year this weekend for Junior Day. Like Jones, he could be in for an extended stay as he too could end up arriving today and staying until Sunday. He's called current Irish and former Moeller defensive lineman Elijah Taylor a mentor and could very well end up staying with Taylor this weekend. "Elijah is doing well and it seems like he's going to start getting a little bit of playing time, so that's always going to be good for him," Rodenberg said. The coach believes Hawkins would be a fit at Notre Dame as well. "He'd be a great fit. He's going through the process and taking a look at a lot of good schools. I think he just wants to make sure he's real thorough." Additional Analysis From Uyeyama: The Notre Dame coaching staff deserves credit for getting in early with an offer to Hawkins who now has an offer list that shows he is a big-time prospect, even if his overall ranking doesn't reflect it. Having only played one year of varsity football, he still has a long way to go to develop. Still, his four-star traits are. That is why I graded him out at 90 and wouldn't be surprised if he eventually ends up close to a top 100 player before the process ends. He has a terrific first step and, even at 260 pounds, can threaten as an edge rusher. If he gets as big as expected, he has the tools to be an awesome interior pass rusher. He is only scratching the surface as to how good he will eventually be. F18HTING IRISH ALL OVER "GERV": The 2018 Irish commits weren't waiting for Kalon Gervin to even have an offer from Notre Dame before starting to push the 2018 Michigan defensive back to join the crew. "I've been talking with the commits for like a month now," Gervin told Irish Sports Daily this week. "They want me to come be a part of it, man." When the Cass Tech standout finally did get that offer from the Irish on Monday, the commits were ready to pounce. "They're blowing my phone up right now," Gervin laughed. Gervin will have the chance to catch up with those guys in person this weekend, when he makes the trip down to South Bend for Junior Day. He is scheduled to travel from Michigan along with his friend and Irish linebacker commit Ovie Oghoufo. "That's my guy," Gervin said of Oghoufo. "It helps a lot. They're going to recruit and Ovie, that's my guy, so he's going to recruit me too. He's been recruiting me from before I even got the offer." The two Michigan defenders have seen their recruiting processes mirror each other in some ways. "We've pretty much been getting offers around the same time," Oghoufo said. "We got the same offer our first time, it was Akron. We both got Akron the same day. "It's great. We compete against each other. We know we're both headed places. I want him to be my future teammate for sure, which is why I'm trying to get him up there and committed." Oghoufo, who stars at Harrison High School, respects Gervin's game. "He brings a different type of feel to the game," the Irish pledge said of Gervin. "He's very versatile position-wise. He could play corner, safety. He's very fast. He runs a 4.3. It speaks for itself. "He's a very determined dude. What he wants, he sets out to get it and that's definitely the type of person I want to be around. That's why I'm pushing for him." Gervin has told us his interest in the Irish is serious and Oghoufo believes him. "I think he's feeling it. We'll see when we get up there. I know throughout the ride, we're going to talk about it a lot." Additional Analysis From Uyeyama: Listed at 5-11 and 170 pounds, I think that may be generous unless he grew a couple of inches since last summer. It's possible that he did, but when I saw him in person last June at the Sound Mind/Sound Body camp in Detroit, he looked downright tiny. Not that his size prevented him from standing out that day. With other top 2017 prospects competing, Gervin was as good as anybody. He plays with a chip on his shoulder and is extremely physical in press coverage. I love his speed and compete level. His size is the only big detractor in my opinion. He's a very good prospect who is worth taking a shot at even if Notre Dame has struggled to land recruits out Cass Tech. FROM THE PARENTS' PERSPECTIVE: Much is made of how things are looking with each individual recruit, but what about the adults? Parents and coaches play huge roles in where the kids decide to go as they look out for the kid's best interest. While most parents leave the decision up to the prospect, they are still the ones who provide advice and can often influence the decision without even trying. We caught up with James Gant, the father of 2018 linebacker Dallas Gant, who will also be at this weekend's Junior Day. Recruiting style is one thing the elder Gant has noticed that varies from coaching staff to coaching staff. "It's an interesting process," Mr. Gant stated. "Some coaches have a different style. Some coaches have a style that is very much engaged in the process and communicate a lot to make sure they build relationships and that's fine. "You have other coaches who have made the decision to let us work through the process and that's fine too." With Notre Dame and Ohio State two of the programs recruiting his son the hardest, it's easy to see a correlation between Urban Meyer and Brian Kelly. Meyer is known for being an aggressive recruiter throughout the process, while Kelly has often taken on the role of closer. "I would say that different styles don't make it better or worse, but it's just something we have seen from different coaches. We respect all of the styles. We have recognized how the coaches handle it. Everyone has a different recruiting style and approach to recruiting. I would say it's been a very interesting process for us as parents to experience." GANT WOULD FIT ALMOST ANYWHERE: Gant is a standout on the field and in the classroom, but you'd never hear it from the linebacker whose former head coach points to Gant's humility as one of his greatest strengths. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder from Toledo also offers some flexibility given his frame and athleticism. "I personally think he's going to be an outside linebacker," former St. John's Jesuit head coach Doug Pearson told Irish Sports Daily. "I think he's athletic enough to play Will, but I could also see him being the Sam with his length. I could see him walking up on the line of scrimmage and being a Sam linebacker covering the tight end. "I don't know how big they're going to get him. He's got the frame, he could put on a bunch of weight and do whatever. He runs well enough to be a Mike, I think he's athletic enough to be a Will, but if I was a betting man, I'd say he's a Sam because of his length and being able to walk up on a tight end at 240 pounds." Obviously, new Irish defensive coordinator Mike Elko's scheme doesn't place the same focus on the three linebacker spots as more traditional defenses, but Pearson's points are still valid. "The Will in Mike Elko's defense, or at least the closest thing to it, is the Buck," ISD expert Jamie Uyeyama said. "Gant will have to get more physical and improve his recognition skills to play there, but he has the type of speed where he can be a sideline-to-sideline player once he adjusts from playing more of an outside role. "The traditional Sam role doesn't exist in Elko's defense, but the replacement for it is the Rover. That is the spot where Gant could start out before transitioning to a Buck. That way he can be a hit-and-run player and they can take advantage of his athleticism in coverage, as a perimeter run defender, and rushing the passer. Regardless of the position he will settle into, Gant has the potential to be a dynamic defender who makes plays in all situations. He is right near the top of the defensive recruiting board for the Irish." LENZY FACED FIRE AS FRESHMAN: In 40-plus years of coaching, Craig Ruecker had never started a freshman on varsity until Braden Lenzy. A couple years back, Ruecker was watching the freshman squad at Tigard High School and it didn't take long to notice Lenzy."I'm going, 'That kid doesn't even belong out there,'" Ruecker remembered. "There were a whole bunch of 14-year-olds playing freshman football and then you've got this one kid, who happens to be 14, but is running past everybody and doing this and that."While Ruecker's varsity squad was notching up victory after victory, he knew his team was weak at one of the corner spots, so he brought the freshman up. After a couple weeks of practice to get accustomed to the size and speed of the players on the varsity level, the freshman was thrown in at corner."He was 5-foot-nothing, 135, 140 pounds, but he was really athletic," Ruecker recalled. "We ended up starting him about the last eight or nine games."It didn't take long for opponents to test the young freshman, but Lenzy was up to the task. In one midseason game, Tigard faced Lakeridge and quarterback Eric Dungey, who would go on to start as a true freshman at Syracuse a year later. Dungey tried "picking on" Lenzy, but that didn't work out for him."The receiver Braden was covering didn't catch any balls, Braden had one interception and about three knockdowns," Ruecker said."We're all looking at ourselves going, 'I think we have a football player here.'"Notre Dame and several other schools agree and have already extended offers to Lenzy, who is up to 6 feet and 160 pounds. The Irish will get the chance to host Lenzy for this weekend's Junior Day.South Bend is a long way from Portland, Ore., but Lenzy has some ties to the Midwest and Indiana as both of his parents graduated from Purdue.Lenzy is a standout athlete who plays both ways for Tigard now and could end up on either side of the ball in college.Additional Analysis From Uyeyama: Some guys just have a different level of speed and Lenzy is one of those guys. He can flat out fly. Will Fuller comparisons get thrown out a little too loosely in my opinion, but I can't help but think of him when seeing Lenzy. They both look like they could stand to down a few extra protein shakes. They also both have the band on high alert because they can take it to the house whenever they get an opening. What made Fuller so good was that he learned to harness that speed and became an elite route-runner. Lenzy could be that one day and hopefully he adds the necessary weight over the next few years. If he does, then watch out, because he has an edge to his game that is clear from the way he brings the wood as a defender. I prefer his big play ability on offense, but he is legit prospect at corner too. IRISH IN SERIOUS PLAY FOR SMITH: We know you've heard it before, but this time could be different. Well, we know you've heard that before too, but still. The Irish are in the mix for an elite defensive end in the Class of 2018. He's already made a visit to South Bend and was scheduled to come back for this weekend's Junior Day, but had to cancel because of transportation issues. He's an elite athlete who is also serious about academics, which will give Notre Dame a real shot. Heard all that before too? OK, well, in the case of 2018 Ohio defensive end Tyreke Smith, all of it is true. We checked in with a source close to the Cleveland native this week and they made it clear Notre Dame can offer a lot of what Smith is looking for. "Notre Dame has a rich football history as everyone knows, but more importantly, the type of student-athletes that they recruit are exactly what Tyreke Smith is," the source told us. "He is a high-achiever academically, a high-achiever socially and he happens to be a great football player as well." In addition to Notre Dame, Smith has offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, USC, UCLA, Tennessee and Texas among others. He also has a grade-point average that is about as close to 4.0 as possible. The source confidently told us Notre Dame will "absolutely" be one of the schools Smith takes an extremely close look at. "He has received a number of offers, but I know to get offers from schools like a Notre Dame and some of the other institutions that are known for their academics as well as their athletics is exciting for him and his family." DIRKSEN INTEREST IN IRISH LEGIT: Notre Dame sent out an offer to 2018 Ohio offensive lineman John Dirksen, joining schools like Michigan State, Northwestern, Kentucky and Iowa State. We caught up with his coach at Marion Local High School, Tim Goodwin, who said the 6-foot-5, 295-pounder would give the Irish a serious look. "Notre Dame is Notre Dame," Goodwin said. "It's different. He was excited by the Notre Dame offer, there's no doubt at that. We're in a Catholic area, so that has some pull." In fact, Dirksen is looking into getting to South Bend sooner than later. "I definitely think he's going to come over, maybe for Junior Day and certainly for spring practice for sure," said Goodwin. "I'm not for sure if he's decided (on this weekend), but I know that was one of the dates he was talking about, but I wasn't sure if it was going to work for his schedule." ADEMILOLAS ARE IN: Their last visits to South Bend were quite eventful. Justin Ademilola and twin brother Jayson Ademilola arrived at Notre Dame back in June and looked around campus before working out at a camp. They were quickly told they'd be offered and once they were, they quickly made decisions. By the time they got back to New Jersey, the defensive linemen were committed to the Irish. Well, they're coming back for Junior Day this weekend and they're hoping when they leave this time, it'll be others who will be committed. "Obviously, I think it's good to continue building their relationships," a source close to the brothers told us about this weekend's visit. "They want to meet the other guys who are already committed. Hopefully, there will be maybe some other kids who are about to commit or if they want to commit, maybe they can help answer their questions." There will also be opportunities for the boys to learn more about the academics at Notre Dame, specifically the Mendoza Business School and more on how they'd fit into new defensive coordinator Mike Elko's scheme. Strengthening those relationships with the coaches will be key, but Elko and the rest of the Irish defensive staff have done a really good job of building that already. "They've been excellent, so far they've been excellent." BALIS PRESENT COMING: We suspect there will be a string of tweets from the Notre Dame Football team at some point today following Matt Balis' "surprise" workout. According to sources, Balis has been hyping up Friday's workout and the team has heard from others who completed his offseason program that this workout is one of the ages. "I don't know what the workout is going to be, but he has the kids nervous," stated a source. "He's been hyping it up and I expect there to be some fatalities." Of course, Balis isn't going to deliver literal fatal blows to his kids, but it's a workout that could weed out the weak from the strong. "It's something Balis and Mickey Marotti do," stated another source. "The Ohio State kids hate it." A third source added, "They don't know what's coming. Say a prayer for them."
