ISD Intel (4/28)
As we reported earlier this week, UConn transfer Juwan Durham is scheduled to take an official visit to Notre Dame next weekend. Irish assistant coaches Rod Balanis and Ryan Humphrey obviously made strong impressions on the 6-foot-10 power forward when they made the trip up to Storrs to meet with him earlier this month. "It went great," a source told us of the meeting. "I think the fact that they showed the initiative to go up to Connecticut to start forming the relationship with him is going to be very beneficial in the overall decision making." Humphrey's personal story, having started his college career at Oklahoma before finishing with the Irish, also caught Durham's attention. "The opportunity he had with Coach Humphrey helped as well," we heard. "He's a young man who also had some injuries, transferred into Notre Dame and had a phenomenal experience. That's another thing he talks about." Durham is excited to see Notre Dame and South Bend. "He's looking forward to go up there next weekend as are his mother and father," we were told. "Juwan has been a Southern kid, except for last year, his entire life. It's going to be interesting for him to see the Midwest." But he does have some people close to him with Midwestern roots who have given him an idea of what to expect, plus the Irish basketball program is a strong lure. "Obviously, the success the Irish have had over the years and Coach (Mike) Brey's track record speaks for itself," the source said. "It's not like he's going into unchartered waters. He feels comfortable about it. "He's a very thought-provoking kid. Yes, he's a great basketball player, but he's a really intelligent kid who is going to really sort out a lot of different things when he makes this decision." The visit to South Bend will be Durham's first official in the transfer process and he's looking at two others. "He is most likely going to visit Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech," we were told. "At the moment, those are the only three he's contemplating." What about Louisville, a school that was considered to be a serious contender for Durham? "They're out." IRISH SURVIVE HUBB'S SECOND CUT: As we reported yesterday, the Notre Dame men's basketball program is on the verge of getting one of its top 2018 targets on campus for an official visit this weekend. We still aren't sure all of the details of that visit have been ironed out yet, but we haven't heard of any specific roadblocks that would prevent the trip from happening either. The Washington, D.C. point guard cut his list to six schools last month, but this week we were told the list has been trimmed even more. "It's down to four now," a source told us. "It's down to Notre Dame, Villanova, Maryland and Virginia." Syracuse and Kansas are the two schools that are no longer under consideration. The 6-foot-3 guard doesn't have a firm timeline for a decision, but our source didn't believe it would play out too long. "I think he'd like to get it over sooner rather than later, but we haven't set a date yet." IRISH IMPRESS MUHAMMAD: While Notre Dame hopes to get Hubb on campus this weekend, the Irish did host New Jersey guard Luther Muhammad for an unofficial visit yesterday. The 6-foot-3 guard from Jersey City told Irish Sports Daily late last night that he liked the visit more than he thought he would and that his interest in Notre Dame increased with the stop. Notre Dame will still have to beat out some East Coast schools like St. John's and Seton Hall among others, but Muhammad told us he's intrigued enough in the Irish at this point that he's leaning toward taking a return visit to South Bend. EARLY ENROLLEES MAKE MOST OF HEADSTARTS: The interesting thing about early enrollees, especially at Notre Dame, is that many times the prospects who take advantage of the opportunity to get a jump on getting accustomed to college life are the prospects who need the least time making the adjustment. That was pretty much the case with Notre Dame's batch of early enrollees this year. Running back C.J. Holmes, tight end Brock Wright, safety Isaiah Robertson and offensive linemen Robert Hainsey and Aaron Banks all arrived in South Bend in January ready to work on the field and in the classroom. There were some bumps in the road, most notably Holmes being sidelined midway through spring practice with a shoulder injury, but the experience was beneficial to all, according to multiple sources. Even in Holmes' case, while it was disappointing for him to go down right when he started to feel like he was catching the attention of the coaches, he was able to use his limited time on the field in the spring to do just that. The hope is that he'll be ready for action come fall. For each of the others, last week provided their first chance to suit up in front of a crowd inside Notre Dame Stadium, but the benefits of enrolling early extend far beyond playing in the spring game. "I think it's been outstanding," one source said. "Number one, all of the early enrollees were capable of getting snaps and getting playing time out there. That's what I think is remarkable, because of the skill levels, I think they got the most out of it because they were involved." That same source said he felt each of the freshmen fit in with their teammates and classmates easily. "From my interaction with the guys, it appears to me that all of them, from a maturity standpoint, are definitely able to handle enrolling early and it appears to be going good," we were told. "I haven't heard any horror stories. "I think they're all doing well. My interactions with Brock and with Rob, with Banks of America, with CJ and Isaiah is that they're all having good experiences and acclimating well." A separate source pointed out the fact that at least a couple of the early enrollees had excelled in the classroom during their first college semesters. "They've made that adjustment very easily and very well," we were told. And while the other four may have received more fanfare during the recruiting process, Robertson certainly made his presence felt during the Blue-Gold Game. "Right from the beginning of the game, he was out there," one source said. "He likes to hit. I think with a little more size and experience, knowing what he's doing out there, I think he's going to be scary." NOTES FROM UNDER ARMOUR CHICAGO: As we reported immediately after the visit on Saturday and in the days to follow in our full interview with Jalen Mayfield, the 2018 Michigan offensive lineman was a little disappointed with the lack of communication he had with Irish coaches during his visit. Mayfield, who has offers from schools like Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa, Arizona and Cincinnati among several others, expected to get a bit more time with members of the Notre Dame staff while on campus, especially with head coach Brian Kelly and offensive line coach Harry Hiestand. Ironically, what probably made it a little more disappointing was the fact that he enjoyed virtually every other part of the visit so much. But that's also the good news. We've been assured multiple times since the visit, that the disappointment doesn't nearly rise to the level that would cause Notre Dame to be eliminated or anything like that. We get the sense Mayfield was puzzled more than angered. And, again, he remains interested in Notre Dame. In fact, we believe if the Irish do decide to pursue Mayfield seriously and were to offer, they would immediately jump inside Mayfield's current top three of Michigan, Michigan State and Iowa. At the moment, the Wolverines have a solid lead, but he has family close to South Bend and the coaching staff at his high school has some pretty strong connections to the staff at Notre Dame. There have been some signs that the Irish could indeed decide to jump in the race, but there have been some mixed signals, so we'll see. Notre Dame talked about coming down to evaluate Mayfield in person in late-May, but that'll likely be too late as we expect him to really narrow his focus well before that. 2019 Michigan athlete Julian Barnett was a bright spot at wide receiver on Sunday and certainly didn't look like an underclassman on the field multiple top 2018 players. The 6-foot-2, 186-pounder from Belleville High School has early offers from schools like Michigan State, Iowa, Georgia, Auburn, Arkansas, Arizona and Missouri among others. He's listed by most outlets, including Irish Sports Daily, as a wide receiver, but we're told he'd be perfectly happy being recruited by Notre Dame as a defensive back. He's already been to South Bend and is looking forward to returning in the future. He's also looking forward to an anticipated stop by Irish assistant Todd Lyght during the Evaluation Period. Ohio State hasn't offered yet, but the Buckeyes seem to have his attention. We don't know for sure, but we get the sense Michigan might not be a factor here even if it wanted to be. Notre Dame is a different story. 2018 Detroit prospect Eli Collins is another versatile athlete. He's listed as a running back and that's where he performed during Sunday's camp. The 6-foot, 195-pounder from University of Detroit Jesuit High School visited Notre Dame earlier this month and a source tells us he really enjoyed the visit and would like to come back. He's expecting the Irish to drop in on him in the coming weeks. Notre Dame is recruiting him as a Rover candidate, though, instead of a running back, but that's completely fine with Collins. In fact, he'll be at camp this summer looking to prove to the staff that he has the coverage ability to play that position. KEEP AN EYE ON THE COLORADO QBs: Earlier this week, we had stories on a pair of 2019 Colorado quarterbacks. Luke McCaffrey is the latest in a long line of football standouts in his family and his name has been known by many for some time. On the other hand, Ty Evans was a new name for us this week and a prospect waiting on his first offer. Still, we think it's worth it for Irish fans to keep an eye on both. With McCaffrey, he's seen brothers go to Duke, Stanford and Michigan. While he's close with his brother, Dylan, who enrolled at Michigan a couple months ago, the feeling among many is that each brother is trying to do their own thing. Given the family's obvious preference for academic schools, Notre Dame is definitely going to have a legit shot at the youngest McCaffrey brother, who is looking forward to getting back to South Bend this summer.http://www.hudl.com/video/3/4900040/57fe8446688ec24b2455b783 Evans may not have McCaffrey's pedigree and certainly doesn't have his offer list, but he's a kid the Irish have been impressed with on film and believe he still has plenty of time to continue developing. Evans grew up an Irish fan, but it's still good for Notre Dame to show such an interest so early in the process. That should keep his attention moving forward. He too will be in South Bend for a camp this summer.https://www.hudl.com/video/3/5225450/5840d3ae5b3cda20d44493cb SPEAKING OF EVANS: We heard from Evans' head coach and offensive coordinator on Wednesday. Irish Sports Daily also had the chance to speak with his personal quarterback coach, Tim Jenkins, who spent time with the St. Louis Rams and Calgary Stampeders before getting into the business of training quarterbacks. Jenkins echoed many of the thoughts from Evans' high school coaches. "Ty's an unbelievable kid," said Jenkins. "For me, we try to compare him across all of the guys we work with. I always joke when I talk to people about him, he's the Peyton Manning guy. You're either going to pick him up and he's going to win a bunch of games for you or you're going to play against him and he's going to kick your butt for four years straight. That's kind of the Peyton Manning talk he gave the Colts." According to Jenkins, Evans is "extremely humble and an extremely hard worker." "But he's got a massive competitive chip on his shoulder," he added. "I think the longer and longer this process gets, the more and more I've seen his drive increase to prove he belongs in the conversation with all of the top kids in 2019." Jenkins described Evans' arm talent as "elite." "You could legitimately stack him up against some of our pro prospects this year; the PJ Walker kid at Temple, Austin Apodaca (from New Mexico)," said Jenkins. "If you put them all in black hoodies with the hood up and they went through a pro-style workout, Ty would look the same. We don't have a lot of high school kids I can say that about. From a physical standpoint, Notre Dame would be getting everything they need to be successful in that offense. Jenkins is currently working to help Evans increase his football IQ to prepare him for the next level, but believes the sophomore is already ahead of the game in that aspect as well. "We're working our butts off to make sure he's ready for that level when it comes," he said. "I think that's the number one thing and to be honest, I think he's a victim of his circumstances. He can only go against what defenses are going to run against him. At the high school level, it's always tough for these guys. "They see Cover 3, they see Quarters and they see Man. To have to decipher a ton of it, I think it's more he hasn't had a chance to prove that he can. I'll tell you what, the second he starts to face multiple defenses, it's going to be no issue because of all of the film work and everything else he's doing." Evans, himself, is quick to pass out credit to those who've helped him. "I've been blessed to be surrounded by such a supportive group of coaches," he told ISD. He also gave us an idea of why he was so fired up about Irish assistant Todd Lyght stopping by his school on Tuesday. "I plan on coming to campus in June," he said. "I love the Irish and I will keep grinding and outwork anyone to get there. I really appreciate Coach Lyght coming out. "I've heard from schools like USC, Florida State, Washington and Georgia came by my school as well. But it's always been my dream to play for the Irish." BETWEEN THE HASHES: Not surprisingly, we're already starting to hear rumblings on the trail of the recent sexual assault accusations at Michigan State causing recruits to look elsewhere. It's not a thing that is going to turn every recruit off, but it's certainly going to be a challenge the Spartan staff is going to have to acknowledge and address with just about every family moving forward. And there will certainly be some who cut the Spartans out of consideration altogether. In fact, we spoke with the father of one such prospect this weekend and this prospect is one who had Michigan State included in his top group of schools before the recent news. "Nah, he's not going to State," the father said. "Not with all of that mess going on up there." If it seemed like St. Peter's Prep head coach Rich Hansen wouldn't have a problem with 2018 New Jersey safety/linebacker Shayne Simon heading to Notre Dame, that's because he wouldn't. A source close to the situation tells us Hansen has to remain partial and he's certainly done so, but it's pretty obvious he believes Notre Dame's defensive scheme under Mike Elko would fit Simon "perfectly." Now, Michigan is pitching a similar role, so it'll still be hard to beat the Wolverines, but the feeling is that the Irish's system would probably be the more natural fit for Simon.
ISD Intel (4/21)
Dallas Gant is scheduled to make his commitment on May 16th, but a few months back, the 2018 Ohio linebacker made another commitment, when he started working out full-time at Elite Athletes Only in Toledo. Dan Jones, owner of EAO Sports, is a demanding, while encouraging trainer. "When we train athletes, I'm using all of the same methods and technology as other strength coaches, but I do a lot of what we call, mindset warfare," says Jones, who also serves as strength coach for the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL. "Just taking guys and making them become comfortable with uncomfortableWe really teach kids about work ethic and about drive. We teach the Dallas Gants of the world to believe in themselves, have confidence and never let anybody outwork you." One of Jones' key beliefs is that the mind will quit before the body. "If you're used to the suffering and lactic acid is building up and your ventilation is bad, your ability to breathe and everything else late in the game," he explains. "You're suffering just as much as the other guy, but the difference is you understand it and have a bit of a comfort zone with the pain zone. "If you practice that way, the games are easy." Jones, who has trained guys like former Ohio State All-American and current Indianapolis Colts offensive lineman Jack Mewhort and former Michigan starting center Jack Miller among many others, acknowledges his style isn't for everybody. "But we've been fortunate enough, lucky enough, I'm hoping maybe good enough to develop a lot of professional and high-level Division-I athletes and world champion ju-jitsu fighters," he says. It didn't take long for Gant to decide it was for him. "He kind of came in and stuck his toe in the water," Jones recalls. "He started training once or twice a week. It didn't take long. I bet after three or four sessions, he was totally committed to changing and training 100 percent at EAO. The buy-in comes from not just commitment to consistent training. You have to work hard because that's our culture." The results are already evident. "He's only been here four months and he's gone from 205 to 226," says Jones. "His progress is dramatic in his ability to execute and control his body in space, his speed/strength, his strength/speed, his total strength. I won't get into the science of it, but I can't believe the difference in this kid in a short period of time. By the time I get him to August, I expect to have him probably 232, 233, explosive, wicked with a mental edge and ready to compete. "When these kids go and gain that 20, 25, 30 pounds or whatever, they're faster and more explosive because of the way we trainWe're never moving the body or the bar through space slowly, we're always accelerating." Jones calls Gant's work ethic "fabulous." "He's pretty quiet," the trainer says. "I started out calling him The Quiet Riot. He's on time. He's very respectful. He's very coachable. Dallas is very, very articulate. Academically, he's very smart. His dad is a lawyer by education, he's like third in command with Toledo Public Schools. His mom has her Masters and is a principal at a local high school. They're very, very high on academics. It's number one for Dallas." That's one clear reason Notre Dame made Gant's final five along with Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State. "As much as he wants to go to a good football school and all of the ones that are in front of him are all very good schools, including Notre Dame, but academics are a big part of it," Jones continues. "He's a faith-based kid. He's been raised in Catholic schools, in a private setting. This kid embodies it all. He's got the tangibles, he's got the intangibles. He's got the work ethic and the internal drive and desire to succeed. "He's not a liability. You don't have to babysit this kid with him getting in trouble in school or socially. He's low-risk. I think he's high-return. You're not going to have problems with him academics or socially. He's going to bring it all to work. Yesterday's gone, he knows that and he's going to bring it today." Tomorrow, Gant will be back in South Bend for the Blue-Gold Game, a chance for Notre Dame to potentially move to and/or secure its spot at the top of his list less than a month before his announcement. BIG WEEKEND FOR GANT: Gant may be the most important visitor this weekend. The Toledo native has been to Notre Dame countless times, so there really isn't much more to see around the campus. However, that doesn't mean Notre Dame and the Irish commits won't have a significant impact on him heading into his May 16th decision. In speaking to one source, the Notre Dame commits are the one group Gant has spent more time around than any other school. Through the various camps, 7-on-7 events, or whatever it might be, there has always been a Notre Dame commit around Gant. Will that pay off? We will see, but it can't be a bad thing. Another interesting aspect of the Notre Dame visit will be what the recruiting office chooses to do with Gant this time around. They can't show him more of the campus and it would be hard to top some of the big games Gant has seen. Notre Dame has made it a point in the past to communicate with the prospect and his family before the visit to ensure they see what they want to see. The Irish will surely put time with the staff on the table, but it will be interesting to see if they have a wildcard up their sleeve this weekend. AUTRY, AUSTIN CONNECTIONS CLEAR: Autry Denson has plenty of credibility when it comes to Kevin Austin Jr., a top 2018 wide receiver out of Florida, who will also be in South Bend this weekend. The Notre Dame assistant coach and the 2018 Florida wide receiver are both from Broward County and that's just the start of their connections. "My coach who coached him in Little League also coached me in Little League," Austin explains. "We both played running back in Little League. He was saying we both had that mindset of getting better and better. "There were, of course, players better than us when we were in Little League, but we just outworked them. I guess you could say we had the same type of mindset." Being able to connect with Denson has made forming a bond easier, according to Austin. "It's great because I can know what he felt and his experiences and the differences he liked or didn't like about both places and his decision," said Austin. Austin also has a connection to Denson through his trainer at Premier Athletes, Sly Johnson. "I'm good friends with Autry," Johnson explains. "He knows if I like someone, they have to be a high-quality person. That's always a good starting point for a relationship. Plus, it's Notre Dame. That's where Rudy went."Johnson also believes Denson's roots are helpful on the recruiting trail. "That's big because he's one of us and he's one of them," he explains. "He's a South Florida guy, but he bleeds green, so you've got the best of both worlds with him. Plus, he's a quality person." That's the other obvious connection between Austin and Denson. "Kevin is like a mini Autry when it comes to being enthusiastic and always doing the right things," says Johnson. "He's kind of too good to be true as a person, you're waiting for something to go wrong with him, but we've been waiting for four years now. You can't be really that good of a person. It's rare to find that." Johnson describes Austin as a "class act." "Oh, my goodness," he says. "You don't get a better quality kid. It's crazy. "The way he communicates. He's always polite and enthusiastic. He always overexaggerates doing the right thing whatever that is. He's always early. He's always mannerable, polite. He helps me with my young kids because he gets to camp early and the youth group is still going on. He'll help them and teach them. He's just a great person." That goes in line with what Johnson tries to teach all of his clients at Premier Athletes. "That's kind of what we embody," he explains. "Being a premier athlete is about being a premier person first, having integrity, pride, doing the right thing, being a good person. Being a good brother, neighbor, nephew, recruit, whatever." The connections between Austin and Denson could prove crucial as the Irish try to beat out the likes of Florida, Miami, Tennessee, Kentucky, Duke, Ohio State and USC for his commitment, but this weekend's visit will also be huge. "Everyone likes to feel at home when they go somewhere," says Johnson. Austin has worked with Johnson since his freshman season at North Broward Prep. "Coach Sly taught me basically everything I know, of course with the help from my coaches on my football team. But Coach Sly really helped me when there weren't a lot of people who thought I could do what I'm doing now." IRISH PLEDGES WILL PLAY KEY ROLES THIS WEEKEND: Several 2018 commits will also be in attendance this weekend as will a number of 2017 signees. Many commits become recruiters once they make their decisions, but they're often mindful of not pushing any other prospects too hard. The Irish pledges needn't worry about this weekend, at least not with a couple of prospects in attendance, including Austin, who has already heard from several of the Irish commits. "They've been saying, 'Come be a part of something great,'" Austin says. "They have one of the top recruiting classes already, so they said I should just join." Austin isn't going to be turned off by any aggressive recruiting tactics from his classmates. "All of my ears are really just open," he said. "I want to hear their perspective on why they committed and their reasons for it." 2018 Michigan offensive lineman Jalen Mayfield is of a similar mindset in that he is interested in what other players are being brought in to each program. Mayfield is also set to be at Notre Dame on Saturday. He doesn't have an offer from Notre Dame yet, but he does have offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and Iowa among others. He acknowledges the Wolverines are his current leader."Really, how they have really good NFL experience," he said of why. "They send 14 players to the NFL this year, which is really unbelievable. And just the guys they're bringing in who I feel I could surround myself with to be great too." He sees a similar situation in South Bend. "I see Notre Dame is surrounding their players right now with some really great players in our class," he says. "Whatever program I go to, to be successful, you need to get good players. I think most, if not all, of these programs are getting great players to try to build their programs with." He's taken note of the players Notre Dame has landed. "I've seen Kalon Gervin. He's a really good guy. They've got a couple other o-linemen committed. I've watched video of them and they're really good. When I visit down there, that will give me a lot to think about. I know they're going to bring in top-end talent to compete. That really helps knowing they're not just going to get a good player and surround him with average players. They're looking for the best of the best and trying to win on the national level, not just locally." PITCHING COTA: 2018 Oregon receiver Chase Cota heads to South Bend for the first time this weekend. The four-star prospect is one of the hottest receivers in the country with Alabama and Georgia offering the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder earlier this week. Notre Dame is getting a visit due in large part to his relationship with 2018 Irish receiver commit Braden Lenzy. Both live in Oregon, although they are about eight hours apart, but they have developed a friendship over the years at various camps and 7-on-7 events. Lenzy has only visited South Bend once, but once was all he needed to know Notre Dame was right for him and he committed shortly afterward. The four-star prospect plans to show Cota why he committed this week and told us about a pitch he will likely use this weekend. "I have told him about the great academics, atmosphere, and football," Lenzy said. "A lot of people don't understand how great the alumni base is once football is done. You're able to get a job and are able to network. Notre Dame is second to none. "I would mention that to him. Everyone is going to be in the same situation, except Markese (Stepp), and we are all going far away for college. That's what makes everyone get closer too." 2019 OHIO TE EXCITED FOR FIRST ND VISIT: Spencer Klopfenstein will make his first trip to South Bend this weekend. The 6-foot-4, 216-pounder knows a good deal about Notre Dame, as his coach is a fan of the Irish. "It will be my first time going, and I have been waiting a while to visit Notre Dame," Klopfenstein said. "My coach is a big Notre Dame fan. He set the visit up, and I am just happy to have my name brought up. "He has told me that he likes the stadium. We both want to see the facilities and everything. I know Notre Dame is a nice program, so I am excited to get up there." The Ohio native is just seeing his recruitment pick up this spring and made the short trip to Cincinnati earlier this spring. "I went to a Cincinnati spring practice, but that's been it so far," he explained. "I liked the tempo of the practices. It was amazing to me how fast they were able to get in and get out. They were able to get all their stuff done. It was also a nice campus." Klopfenstein knows he has to keep working on his game to earn his first offer and that's exactly what he is doing this offseason. "Right now, I am better at receiving the ball," said Klopfenstein. "Blocking was my weak point last year, but I am working on it this offseason. I am working on my footwork throughout the blocking process and getting my hands better to hold my own." ON THE LAMB: Make no mistake about it, Notre Dame was one offer Jack Lamb really wanted, so the 2018 California linebacker was truly excited when he landed it on Tuesday night. In fact, we have it on pretty good authority that the Irish are in the top tier for Lamb along with schools like USC, UCLA, Washington, Stanford and Penn State. Both of his parents are Penn State grads, which is one reason the Nittany Lions are so high on the list. Lamb is tentatively planning a visit to South Bend this June. It'll be interesting to see what the Irish's need at the spot is by then, but if there's still room, we're confident the Temecula, Calif., native will take a good, hard look at Notre Dame. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder has turned heads during the camp and 7-on-7 circuit in recent months and has even seen time and succeeded while playing cornerback at times this offseason. KAHO HOLDS IRISH HIGH: 2018 Nevada linebacker Brandon Kaho committed to BYU last summer, but the three-star prospect remains diligent in finding the best fit for him. The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder recently released a top eight, which included the Irish. Kaho was relieved to cut his list down to Notre Dame, BYU, Utah, Cal, Washington, Stanford, UCLA and Oregon, in no particular order. "It took a lot of stress off of me, and it allows me to focus on the schools I really want to look into," Kaho told Irish Sports Daily. "There are a few other schools I'd love to talk with that haven't offered, but I am focused on these eight for now." Notre Dame's efforts have been led by Brian Polian, who knows the area well after coaching at Nevada for the last four seasons. However, it's a West Coast school that has the attention of Kaho. "Washington is recruiting me the hardest right now," stated Kaho. "Coach Polian and I haven't talked much because we have both been busy lately." However, expect Notre Dame to be a player as long as it wants to be as Kaho holds them in high regard. "The education and football is something special and unique." ZAIRE A FUTURE GATOR?: Former Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire has yet to announce his next destination, but one spot is emerging as the clear frontrunner, although there are still some hurdles to be cleared. It's apparent Florida is Zaire's most likely landing spot right now, but it'll require an SEC rule change. Per current conference rules, the Gators are ineligible to bring in a fifth-year transfer because of multiple previous graduate transfers failing to complete their coursework at Florida. But there's a growing confidence among those in Gainesville that the rule could scrapped or at least eased up in some fashion that would allow the Gators and other SEC teams additional opportunities to be eligible for transfers. Sources have told us Florida is indeed Zaire's preferred school right now and that would make sense. Florida is the kind of major program he's always been looking for. The Gators' quarterback situation is probably more of a mess coming out of spring, where nobody distinguished themselves in a positive way, than it was coming into spring, virtually assuring Zaire he would walk into the role of starter. And Florida is in the midst of tinkering with its offense to use the quarterback more in the running game, which would obviously fit Zaire's style. HOOPS RECRUITING UPDATE: As we said in this space earlier this month, the Notre Dame men's basketball staff will be getting on the road to scout prospects in the Class of 2018 and beyond in the coming weeks. The combination of getting head coach Mike Brey on the board and the opportunity to see many of the current targets go head to head in showcase sneaker events should result in a significant narrowing of Notre Dame's board as the Irish determine which prospects deserve the most attention. We're told Notre Dame's meeting last Friday with UConn transfer Juwan Durham went well and the Irish are hopeful he'll make it to South Bend in the coming weeks for a visit. While the Irish could end up landing a point guard on the transfer wire, it seems more likely they'll need to sign one in the upcoming 2018 class. Current starting point guard Matt Farrell will be gone after next season and while TJ Gibbs is a promising young player waiting to take over full time, now is the time to start looking for the next young guard to take over when Gibbs departs, which is pretty much in line with the Irish's cycle in years past. Look for Notre Dame to go after some of the top 2018 point guards in the country, including Tennessee five-star Darius Garland and Prentiss Hubb, a high four-star out of Washington, D.C., who recently included Notre Dame in his top six. The Irish also have several other top perimeter targets on their list. New Jersey shooting guard Luther Muhammad has been on the board for a while. Many expect him to stay out East, but Muhammad tells us he's planning to be in South Bend at the end of the month for an unofficial visit, which we mentioned in this space last week. Pennsylvania shooting guard Robby Carmody, New Jersey guard Jalen Carey, Massachusetts guard Cormac Ryan and Texas wing Gerald Liddell are all top targets and players the Irish have varying chances of landing. In the frontcourt, Wisconsin's Joey Hauser and Vermont Academy's Simi ****tu are receiving much of the early attention, but keep an eye on guys like Ohio's Pete Nance and Marcus Bingham of Michigan. As we mentioned, it's important for Brey to get out and see these players in person in order for the Irish to get a firm determination of their board, but if somebody is coming on a visit, they would sacrifice having the head man on the road for hosting top targets. In addition to Muhammad, a potential transfer could want to get on campus this month, something Ben Hansbrough did years back, and that would be worth pulling Brey off the road. Also, as we mentioned before, Notre Dame could try to dip back into the Class of 2017 and there's a chance somebody in that class would want to visit South Bend in the coming weeks before making a decision, something Farrell did during his process. Or Notre Dame could feel it's close to closing with a top 2018 target and look to have Brey get that wrapped up quickly the way the Irish did with Gibbs during his process.
