ISD Intel (5/5)
Coming into the spring, there were high expectations for Brandon Wimbush and the New Jersey native performed well enough that the expectations are even higher for Notre Dame's next starting quarterback coming out of the spring. We spoke with a source close to Wimbush's development, who credits the quarterback with ramping up those hopes. "I really believe that all throughout the spring, he really won over his coaching staff, won over his teammates and gave them a clear view as to what they'll be able to expect going into the fall," we were told. "There's a heightened sense of excitement going into the summer and heading into the fall about what this season could potentially be. I think it could be something completely special, very special, just from what I was able to witness on that field. "There were a few plays that we left on the field that he had an opportunity to go back, watch the film and learn from, but other than that, he displayed all of the attributes that he's going to bring to this Chip Long offense." Wimbush was picked off twice during the Blue-Gold Game, including one attempt in the red zone to Miles Boykin. "Brandon took a shot, he was decisive and he believed he could thread that thing in there, but he probably should have taken more care of the football in the red zone," the source said. "It was really a misjudgment, miscalculation, miscommunication." With a quarterback who has Wimbush's arm talent, there will always be a fine line between taking advantage of that talent and forcing a throw. "What I do like about it, he made a decision and he was aggressive with it," the source said. "Through reps like that and being able to see it on the field, going back to film and watching it, he'll understand sometimes you have to pick your poison and live to see another day. "He sees a window of opportunity and he was decisive and aggressive about the decision. It wasn't like he hung onto the ball too long, he made the decision and went with it. He tried to show some level of timing and anticipation. Sometimes, you misjudge and miscalculate. Sometimes you make a wrong read based upon what you see. Through time and experience, you'll begin to understand when you should take those shots. But when you know you're blessed with an arm like he possesses, he's in a more advantageous position to take those risks and he's going to win more times than not. He has that gunslinger mentality. We have to find a way to keep it under control to the point where he doesn't put himself and his team at a disadvantage or bad situation." Since arriving at Notre Dame two years ago, Wimbush has seamlessly adjusted to different roles. Coming in as a freshman, his goal was to compete for the backup job, which was suddenly his once Malik Zaire went down in the second game of the season. He spent last spring trying to turn a two-person race between Zaire and DeShone Kizer into a three-person race before having to make the most of a redshirt year as a sophomore. Now, he'll be thrust into the spotlight as he promises to be a trendy pick as a breakout college star. But he'll be able to handle it, according to our source. "One of the unique qualities about Brandon is that he doesn't allow all of that hype to go to his head," we were told. "He takes it all into consideration. He understands what it all is, but it's not like he allows his head to swell up and inflate his ego. He gets it. "He understands what this process is, he understands what it entails. He understands there are going to be some tremendous things said about him in the media leading up to his full indoctrination as Notre Dame's QB1, but with all of that being said, he's going to remain level-headed. It's a quiet, humble confidence that he possesses, but he doesn't allow all of this hype. It's all a business approach. He's excited for the opportunity and he wants to take full advantage of all the opportunities that he'll get to continue to grow and learn." FROM THE BUSHES: It certainly looks like a clear Notre Dame-Ohio State battle for 2018 Ohio linebacker Dallas Gant at this point. While we don't believe Gant has made a decision yet, with an announcement scheduled for May 16th, we do feel comfortable saying the Buckeyes are currently in front. The lack of a firm decision just yet should give the Irish some hope, but it would require a change of thinking on Gant's part. We still see 2018 Maryland defensive tackle Ja'mion Franklin picking Notre Dame when he makes his announcement on July 1st. The key will be whether Franklin decides to completely shut down his recruitment, meaning no visits, after his announcement and how the Irish will handle things if he wants to commit, but isn't ready to completely shut things down. We've heard from multiple sources that PJ Mustipher's visit for the spring game a couple weeks ago went well. It's obvious the Notre Dame staff has done a great job making the 2018 Maryland defensive tackle feel wanted. His parents love Notre Dame and the fact that his brother, starting center Sam Mustipher, has done so well during his time in South Bend, but they're going to let PJ make his own decision. The connection with his brother and the comfort level with everybody on the team should help the Irish, but this one isn't a slam dunk by any means yet. As we've said here for the last couple of weeks, Notre Dame has a real solid shot at 2018 New Jersey Rover candidate Shayne Simon. His mother and aunt attended Michigan and assistant Chris Partridge has done a great job recruiting New Jersey since arriving in Ann Arbor from Paramus Catholic a couple years back, so his ties to the Wolverines are real. Still, his mother is serious about academics and that part of the visit to Notre Dame really seemed to hit home with her. Also, everybody around Simon who we've talked with says the kid is really a Notre Dame type of kid, so this one should be interesting. It continues to look like a Notre Dame-Ohio State battle for IMG defensive back Houston Griffith. The Irish were down to check in on him and his teammates this week and he continues to show a legitimate interest in Notre Dame even though the Buckeyes could have a bit of a lead right now. A couple West Coast safeties to keep an eye on include California's Julius Irvin and Washington's Tre'Shaun Harrison. Both have expressed some interest in visiting, but it'll be telling if they actually do. On that note, we've heard Washington is doing a fantastic job recruiting out there and that Chris Petersen is just a great salesman because of his total honesty. We've also heard USC head coach Clay Helton is doing a very good job for the Trojans for the same reason. Notre Dame was down to see 2018 Florida offensive lineman Nicholas Petit-Frere this week. He may not receive as much attention as some other prospects, but Petit-Frere is a very, very important recruit for the Irish this cycle. It isn't clear when he'll make his decision, but Notre Dame put itself in a good position with a visit back in March. The Irish will have to beat out schools like Florida, Alabama, Auburn and Ohio State to get him, but they're right there. It seems likely Notre Dame will try to take four offensive linemen in 2018 and with two in the fold already with Cole Mabry and John Dirksen, the Tampa target is probably the best bet for a third at this point with Notre Dame still trailing Michigan for Ryan Hayes. We heard from Florida wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. earlier this week and we'll have more on him below. As we've said in the past, Austin is "definitely" a Notre Dame type of kid. He truly enjoyed his visit and we remain high on Notre Dame's chances of landing him over Miami, Tennessee and Duke. 2018 Oregon wide receiver Chase Cota is another Notre Dame kid, but his connections to Oregon, where his father was a standout, could be difficult to overcome. The feeling among many is that this will end up being a battle between Notre Dame, Oregon and Stanford. Notre Dame remains in the race for 2018 New York tight end Jeremy Ruckert. The Irish had a good conversation with him last week and he expressed an interest in returning, possibly in June. With previous chatter that he could be finished with visits, a return trip to South Bend this summer would confirm the Irish's chances as legitimate against Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin. DOWELL OK WITH WAITING: As we reported last week, 2018 Ohio defensive back Michael Dowell remains in contact with Notre Dame and did catch up with the Irish staff as planned last week after receiving a visit at school. "They didn't offer me, but said they were going to keep recruiting me and to stay in contact," said Dowell. "The next step toward an offer would be to keep working and staying in contact with them. They're going around and seeing some other guys during the Evaluation Period right now. I can just hope for the best." The 6-foot, 195-pounder already has offers from schools like Michigan State, Iowa, Indiana, Cincinnati, Duke, Maryland, Pitt, Syracuse and Vanderbilt among others, but he admits Notre Dame is one he wants. "I do want the Notre Dame offer, so it's kind of humbling in a way," he acknowledged. "It just gives me something to work for. It just shows me I still have things to work on. Obviously, I knew that beforehand, but it helps me keep things in perspective." The delay in receiving an Irish offer isn't causing any negative feelings on his end. "I wouldn't really say that just because I'm very familiar with this process," he said. "I've gone through it with my brothers who are at Michigan State. I understand how it works. I'm not mad. I'm a little disappointed and wish I could have done better, but I understand the process and I hope to hear from them soon, so that's all I can do." If the Irish do join the mix, expect them to be serious, serious players. IRISH COMMITS STAY AFTER AUSTIN: Kevin Austin Jr. is unlikely to take any more visits before making his college announcement, meaning the trip he took to Notre Dame for the Irish's spring game a couple weeks back will be the 2018 Florida wideout's final one before a commitment. Coming into that visit, Austin told us hearing from the current members of Notre Dame's 2018 recruiting class would be important. Coming out of the visit, it's clear the members of the class see Austin as a potential important piece. "I heard from Braden Lenzy, Micah (Jones) and Markese (Stepp)," Austin told us this week. "They tell me we can make the Notre Dame recruiting class and our class could be the best ever for Notre Dame and we'll come in there and start early and make a big impact. "They're really a great group of guys who seem to be good throughout the process. They're trying to get a lot of guys over to their school to make them the best. That's really great to see." BOOMER SURE TO BE A SOONER?: The headlines seem to write themselves when you're talking about a top prospect in the state of Oklahoma with the last name Boomer, but 2019 Oklahoma tight end Grayson Boomer is saying, "Not so fast my friend," with the talk of him being a lock play for the homestate power. "That's what a lot of people say, but I'm really wide open," the 6-foot-5, 230-pounder from Collinsville, Okla., told ISD this week. "I'm going to go wherever I feel comfortable. It's not like, 'Oh, all of the Oklahoma kids are going to OU, so I'm going to go to OU.' I'm going to go where I fit in best and where I can excel and make it to the next next level." And Boomer, who received an Irish offer recently, is well aware of Notre Dame's success with getting tight ends to that next next level as Kyle Rudolph is one of his favorite tight ends in the NFL. He also knows the Irish had enough to offer to sign two of the top tight ends in the Class of 2017 in Brock Wright and Cole Kmet. The Irish will have to get Boomer up to South Bend at some point and it isn't clear when that may occur, but his interest in Notre Dame is real. UGA LEGACY NO LOCK FOR UGA: Similarly, many people have 2018 Georgia tight end Tommy Tremble pegged as a lock to follow the footsteps of his father, former Georgia and Dallas Cowboy safety Greg Tremble. But the younger Tremble, who was offered by Notre Dame this week and has several other offers from BCS and Ivy League programs, says he's considering all of his options. "I've been a Georgia fan all of my life, I watched them play, bought the jerseys, half of my clothes are Georgia stuff," he said. "My dad was a pretty good safety and went to The League for two or three years. They sold his jersey in the shop and all of that. "After he hurt his shoulder in the NFL and had to retire, he felt Georgia sort of forgot about him. They have their alumni stuff and all of that, but they treated him the same as if he was just a walk-onMy dad doesn't really care, but my mom does not like Georgia and the way they treated him as an alum. That's one of the things with my thoughts on Georgia." MORGAN MAY NOT BE OUT: 2018 Texas safety Christian Morgan committed to Baylor earlier this week, but we still think there's a chance for Notre Dame to remain in the running if the Irish decide to offer him at some point. We spoke with Morgan earlier this week, just prior to his commitment, and it didn't sound like his feelings on Notre Dame had changed much from his visit last month, when he said an offer from the Irish would shoot them to the very top of his list. He's remained in touch with the staff in South Bend and is expecting the defensive coordinator to drop in on him at Porter High School soon. "I think Coach (Mike) Elko is coming by next week," he told us. "I just don't know when. "They've just been saying the same thing, they just want to see me in person and stuff like that." DOWN A GRADE: Notre Dame extended a pair of offers to 2019 quarterbacks earlier this week, which wasn't a huge surprise to us. Although 2019 California quarterback JT Daniels has been a favorite of Irish fans for more than a year now, we've heard the term "longshot" associated with him for a couple weeks now. That's why Daniels wasn't included on our Top 10 To Watch list last month. Other 2019 prospects who were in contention to be on the list, but were ultimately left off include Ohio defensive tackle Jowon Briggs, St. Louis linebacker Shammond Cooper and Illinois offensive lineman Trevor Keegan. It's still very early in the process, so this list will undoubtedly change, but as it is today, each of those targets missed the cut. Also, 2018 Ohio linebacker Brian Asamoah hit pause on his recruiting plans when schools like Notre Dame and others extended offers. His interest in the Irish is legit, his connection to defensive coordinator Mike Elko is unique and he remains on the board, but he'll need to do a good deal of work in order to be a legitimate Notre Dame target. GOING CAMPING: Irish Invasion is set for Saturday, June 10th. After having a lot of top targets just visit and not compete in years past, we expect a greater push to get many of those guys on the field this time. In addition to Tremble, we've also confirmed Indianapolis cornerback DJ Johnson will be in attendance along with 2019 Colorado quarterback Ty Evans and a couple others. 2019 Kansas defensive end Marcus Hicks has early offers from Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Kansas State. "I've heard a lot of good things and I just really want to learn more about it because I don't know that much in-depth about Notre Dame," Hicks said. The 6-foot-5, 230-pounder from Wichita is confident in what he believes he'll be able to show the Irish in a camp setting. "I think I can definitely show them my speed and my pass-rushing ability, which I've heard I'm pretty good at," he said. 2018 New Orleans cornerback Curry Benn has an offer from Arizona along with offers from smaller regional schools. He's hoping to impress the Irish coaches during his trip to South Bend this summer for camp. "Since I was in eighth grade, I picked out colleges I was into and Notre Dame was one of them because of the academics," the 6-foot, 170-pounder said. "Every year, I did some research and for the past 15 years, somebody from Notre Dame has been drafted into the NFL and I like that." Benn was excited when he began communicating with Irish defensive backs coach Todd Lyght and is looking forward to the camp. "I'll show them a complete cornerback; tackling, covering, everything you're looking for in a cornerback." QUICK HOOPS NOTES: The weather wasn't great, but we're told Prentiss Hubb's official visit to Notre Dame earlier this week went "as good as it could go." We're confident Notre Dame made a great impression on the 2018 Washington, D.C. point guard, who is also considering Virginia, Villanova and Maryland. "We shall see if it was good enough," one source said. The Irish are hosting another big target this weekend in 6-foot-10 UConn transfer Juwan Durham, which we reported last week. Durham is pretty much down to Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech and it sounds like the Irish have done a good job making he and his family feel comfortable. We're not sure if Durham is a candidate to pull the trigger this weekend though. We get the sense he probably wants to take at least one other visit to compare Notre Dame to another school before an announcement, something he didn't do when he initially went through the recruiting process coming out of high school.
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.
