Dean Ferguson

I have been reaching out to many of the recruits who visited today and am still doing so, but wanted to take a few minutes away from calls to let you know what I've heard so far. First, 2019 Kansas DE Marcus Hicks was offered during the visit today and as I said in the earlier update, Hicks was left speechless. It was a huge offer and Brian Kelly delivered it in person, which was an added honor. Hicks was on campus during the summer and saw a bunch. He was very impressed with the gameday experience on Saturday. He's the kind of kid who would fit at Notre Dame, so they will have a great shot moving forward. Mike Elston is expected to get out to see Hicks wrestle in the coming weeks. I spoke with 2019 Virginia safety Dean Ferguson as well. Ferguson has some legit offers early, so it was good to get him on campus early. He didn't get to spend much time speaking with the coaches, but that's something he's looking forward to doing in the future. He was very impressed with the overall visit and is considering getting back in the future. 2019 Indiana offensive lineman Joe Tippmann is starting to see his recruiting profile raise in a major way after offers from Wisconsin and Purdue in recent weeks. He toured campus and enjoyed the game. He spoke with Elston and Harry Hiestand during the visit and both expressed interest in starting to recruit him and Elston told him he'd be down to check him out soon. 2019 Missouri wide receiver Maurice Massey liked it outside of the cold, but that's not a big deal for him. He didn't get to campus too early, so he missed some of the activities, but still got a tour of campus and was able to take in the game. He also had the chance to speak with wide receivers coach Del Alexander afterward. Alexander let him know the Irish are looking forward to beginning to recruit him. Notre Dame hosted a pair of elite 2020 prospects from Oakleaf High School in Orange Park, Fla. The weather could have been a bigger deal for defensive end Chantz Williams and offensive lineman Jalen Rivers, but it didn't seem to put a damper on either. Both kids have elite-level offer sheets given the fact that they're only sophomores. They decided to make the trip after being intrigued by Notre Dame's success on the field this season. Neither were disappointed with the visit. The competition will be extremely tough for both, but the Irish managed to grab their attention and both are already talking about trying to get back for a camp this summer.