ISD Intel (7/28)
People not playing close attention may not realize what Notre Dame is getting in Jack Lamb. The 2018 California native who committed to the Irish on Thursday isn't your typical tackle-to-tackle Mike linebacker. "He's the complete opposite," Ground Zero 7-on-7 coach Armond Hawkins told Irish Sports Daily. "He's very athletic. He has hips to turn and run. He's long, athletic. He can run. He has great ball skills as well." He's more CJ Mosley than Riley Bullough. In fact, the 6-foot-4, 224-pounder didn't play all that much linebacker for Ground Zero. "We didn't really play him at linebacker much, we were able to play him at cornerback because he's long and can run and can cover," Hawkins told Irish Sports Daily. "When we first got Jack two years ago, we started training him to cover versus being a linebacker." Aside from his physical gifts, Lamb has the intelligence to succeed at Mike. "In a nutshell, he's smart," Hawkins said. "He's a smart kid. He picks things up real quick." Every high school player needs to work on every aspect of their game to prepare for the next level and Hawkins believes Lamb will make the biggest strides when he gets into Notre Dame's strength program. "It's not that he's not strong, but once he gets cut, he'll be an action figure," Hawkins laughed. When he visited South Bend back in June, the Irish coaches talked about adding 15 to 20 pounds to Lamb's frame without slowing him down. "Easy," Hawkins agreed. Lamb's athleticism, smarts and frame offer Notre Dame the chance to play him at multiple spots. "He could end up in the middle, he could end up on the outside, he could end up playing rush end," Hawkins said. "He could end up doing whatever they want." Lamb is a quiet, mild-mannered young man who doesn't feel the need to do much trash-talking on the field, but multiple sources have told us he has a switch he can flip and when he does, watch out. His easy-going demeanor would allow him to naturally fit in in locker room and he should fit in with the Irish especially well. He's been taught when he's a member of a team, the team comes first and he's had the opportunity to prove that. Here at Irish Sports Daily, we've highlighted the fact Lamb was given the advice to be selfish with his decision, but other than that one instance, he's not the kind of kid who would consider an opportunity to help himself if it came at the detriment of his team and he's demonstrated that fact. TREMBLE TRENDING TOWARD ND-UGA BATTLE: Notre Dame is going to have a battle on its hands to add a second tight end after all, but it's not one the Irish can't win. After a visit to South Bend last month, the Irish looked to be on the verge of landing 2018 Georgia tight end Tommy Tremble. He named Notre Dame his top school after the visit and there was talk about the potential of a decision before the end of the summer. But after an unofficial visit to Georgia, Tremble is now set on taking officials before a final decision and the Irish and Bulldogs as co-leaders atop his list with UCLA in the mix as well. He'll take officials to all three and could also make stops at Tennessee and South Carolina this fall too. He'll be in South Bend for the Irish's game against Georgia, which will allow him to compare how each team uses its tight ends side-by-side. The outcome of the game may not be of major importance as long as one team doesn't get blown out. Tremble's father played at Georgia, but even before he was offered by Notre Dame, we said we didn't see him as a lock to the Bulldogs. Part of the reason for that was the fact that Tremble's mother felt the program had sort of tossed his father to the side after he suffered an injury, but that was addressed during their last visit to Athens. He has his mother's blessing to pick either Notre Dame or Georgia. While the other schools remain in the picture, this looks to be a Georgia-Notre Dame battle and the Irish will now indeed have to overcome the fact Tremble grew up wanting to be a Bulldog. CRAIG KEEPS LOW PROFILE: One thing we were struck by when we spoke with 2018 California offensive lineman Will Craig at The Opening earlier this month was him acknowledging he's told college coaches he wasn't interested in having extensive conversations on the phone all of the time. Some kids aren't into all of the communication of the process and he said coaches have respected that, but it must be difficult to recruit a kid with such limited contact."Will has earned a lot of interest from the college coaches and they have done their duty in contacting him," Jeff Evans, his coach at Granite Bay High School told us earlier this week. "I know it is frustrating for them because they have limited time to contact players, and the truth is, Will probably spends half of his day away from his cell phone." His coach is sure to make it clear Craig's preference has nothing to with being arrogant in any way. "He is not married to his phone, that is for sure!" Evans said. "He went two weeks this summer without a phone because it was broken and he really didn't seem to mind. Try finding another teenager you can say that about!" Craig seemed to be nearing the end of his recruitment when Notre Dame offered back in June. He still could make a final decision without visiting South Bend, but Craig was excited by the Irish offer and he wasn't the only one. "It is Notre Dame bro!" his coach said. "Joe Montana! The Golden Dome! When Notre Dame calls, your heart skips a beat for a moment. It is impossible to not feel that history. "Hell, my heart skipped a beat when Notre Dame called. I walked around school that day feeling pretty cool and they weren't even calling for me!" AUSTIN COMING TO THE END: Earlier this week, Kevin Austin Jr. announced he'll be making his college commitment on August 11th. The 2018 Florida wide receiver is still down to the four schools he trimmed his list to a couple months back Notre Dame, Miami, Duke and Tennessee. Austin has been huddling with his family and going over the strengths of each school, searching for the program that fits what he's looking for on and off the field best. "It is a lot of pressure and it's a lot for a 16 and 17-year-old," one source told us this week. His parents are certainly involved and offering a ton of guidance, but this will be Austin's decision in the end. "Once he makes the decision, he can enjoy his senior year and be confident that, 'This is where I want to go,' and he can start planning for his college life," we were told. "He's the one who has to live there for four years and he's the one who has to have these relationships. "It's where he feels comfortable. 'Can I live here for four years? Can I play with this team? Can I work with this coach and coaches for four years?' It's really up to him." We know he's remained in contact with the Notre Dame staff. Over the last several months, he's formed a very strong bond with fellow South Florida native Autry Denson. Austin and Denson don't just share a geographical background, they shared the same Little League coach growing up, one both point to for teaching them values on and off the field they take with them today. Distance will not be an issue at all, so that shouldn't work against Notre Dame in comparison to a school like Miami. In fact, we're told there's a chance Austin's mother could move with him if he decides to go away. We still like our Notre Dame predictions here. JONES AFTER AUSTIN: Notre Dame wide receiver commit Micah Jones is certainly hoping Austin joins him in South Bend. Jones pointed to Austin, along with Maryland defensive lineman Thomas Booker and Georgia cornerback Donte Burton as the guys he and his fellow commits are currently working hardest on now that Lamb and Shayne Simon are in the fold. Austin's style of play and talent has Jones excited about the possibility of pairing up with him at Notre Dame. "Just being the receiver he is," Jones said of why Austin is so coveted. "He's lengthy as well as really fast. "Having me and him on the outside could be two dangerous threats to stretch the field. We're both really big kids who are also really fast, so it'd be a really big get for us." JONES GETS TO WORK: Meanwhile, Jones has been spending his summer working with multiple trainers trying to improve his entire game. Jones spends time at EFT Sports Performance, Deep Impact Performance Training and Throw It Deep, a quarterback training facility. "I go to EFT for the footwork and skills stuff as well as DIPT, which is the place out by me, which works on my footwork," said Jones. "I also go to Throw It Deep to work with Jeff Christensen, which is really cool. He's taught me a lot of stuff. He's a really good quarterback coach, so he lets me know how I'm doing and stuff like that." Christensen spent eight years in the NFL and trains dozens of current NFL quarterbacks, including Kirk Cousins, Ryan Tannehill and Brock Osweiler. As a receiver, Jones finds it helpful to understand what quarterbacks are thinking. "Just knowing their direction and knowing what they're looking for really helps," said Jones. "Getting out of breaks faster, getting out of breaks at the time they need you to, knowing when they're going to throw the ball off their footwork really helps a lot." ND STAFF MADE SMITH A PRIORITY: Notre Dame offensive coordinator Chip Long wasn't 2018 running back Jahmir Smith's primary recruiter, but he more than filled in for Autry Denson last weekend when the three-star North Carolina running back visited. Long was sick, but bit the bullet to make sure Smith knew he was a priority according to Foster Cates, Smith's assistant coach who accompanied him on the visit. "We got to spend a little bit of time with Coach Long and he was actually under the weather and still came in to speak with Jahmir," Cates said. "They got to sit down and get to know each other and watch some cutups of what Notre Dame is going to do with their offense." The time and effort given by Long showed Smith and Cates the Notre Dame staff is willing to go the extra mile for its players. "It spoke volumes to come in while he's sick and not feeling his best," stated Cates. "He explained how they are going to feature the running back and how they are going to get downhill. Those things really appealed to Jahmir. The commitment to the kids showed by Coach Long showing up." Denson was out of town, but his message to Smith was clear and never changed throughout the process. "Coach Denson has been upfront from the very beginning," explained Cates. "He isn't one that is going to call all the time or text every night. Jahmir got to see that first-hand that Coach Denson was going to focus on his kids and the guy already there. "He has never wavered or changed throughout Jahmir's recruitment. He didn't all of a sudden start calling all the time or change up his recruiting plan. He focused on making his guys better football players, men, Christians and everything else." HANSEN HELPS OUT: As we said in this space last week, Rich Hansen lets his players at St. Peter's Prep choose the colleges they think are best, but it certainly helps the Irish that he's a fan of the program and sees many similarities between Notre Dame and The Prep. Shayne Simon became the latest Marauder to commit to Notre Dame when he announced his decision on Tuesday and Hansen was not disappointed. "He was happy," Simon said of his coach. "He thought it was a great fit for me. He's excited for me. He wants me to accomplish my goals, win a championship here and then go on to the next stage of my life." Simon was also grateful for the ability to lean on Hansen's extensive experience throughout the process. "He was really helpful. I'd never really gone through something like this before. We were kind looking at him throughout the steps of the process, 'What do we do here? What do we here?' He's been great to me and I can't thank him enough." LEA-DING MORGAN TO SUCCESS: Last week, in this space we talked about how Irish wideout Miles Boykin could be in for a boost this upcoming season with the addition of Del Alexander as Notre Dame's new receivers coach. Flipping over to the other side of the ball, the addition of Clark Lea as linebackers coach could benefit Nyles Morgan as much as anybody. Morgan could see big bump in his production working under Lea, much like Marquel Lee did last season at Wake Forest. Lee led the Demon Deacons in tackles for loss with 20 and was second in sacks with 7.5, which was more than double the production he had the previous season in both categories. While at Syracuse, Lea also helped sophomore Zaire Franklin get to double-digits in tackles for loss (11), finishing second for the Orange in that statistic in 2015. Notre Dame hasn't had an inside linebacker put up that many TFLs since Manti Te'o back in 2011, when he had 13.5. Working with Lea in new defensive coordinator Mike Elko's scheme should mean a big increase in plays made behind the line of scrimmage for Morgan this season. COULD ND HOOPS BE CLOSE TO LANDING BIG MAN?: When news came down that the Notre Dame men's basketball program had extended an offer to 2018 Massachusetts forward Nate Laszewski earlier this week, sources weren't immediately ready to talk about the potential of Laszewski making a quick decision. Sources have yet to come out and predict Laszewski to the Irish soon, but we do think his timetable could be accelerated a bit more than initially thought. One source we spoke with immediately after the offer felt Laszewski would likely take official visits in the fall before picking a school, but later in the week, sources closer to the situation talked about a decision possibly coming in a matter of weeks. Laszewski is focused on finishing the summer season strong and is currently with his New England Playaz summer squad playing in the adidas Select Series Las Vegas Summer Classic. A quick decision would likely be promising for the Irish given the fact we know the offer was a big one for him. Notre Dame seems like an ideal fit on and off the court for Laszewski, who is a stretch-4 who can put the ball on the floor, shoot, pass and rebound. He's also somebody who is serious about his academics. Geographically, it's also a fit as Laszewski's family has roots in the Midwest with his parents both attended college at Wisconsin.
ISD Intel (5/12)
Last week in this space, we took a look back at how Brandon Wimbush cemented his status as a potential breakout college football star with his performance this spring, but Wimbush wasn't the only Notre Dame quarterback turning heads this fall. Brian Kelly was clear is saying there is no quarterback controversy in South Bend, but the Irish head coach was equally clear on how impressed he was with what he saw from Ian Book this spring. And Kelly wasn't the only one.We caught up with Book's personal quarterback coach at The Range, Will Hewlett, for his thoughts on what he saw from the redshirt freshman."I'd like to say I was surprised, but I fully expected him to have a really good spring and perform well," Hewlett says. "Going into the spring with a lot of the focus being on Brandon Wimbush, and deservedly so, I felt like Ian did every little thing he possibly could have from my perspective, sitting back here, to prove he can A) hang and play for the Irish and B) that he's a competitor. I think a lot of people were probably surprised by his performance, but that's kind of his MO. "I think everyone was surprised when he ended up at Notre Dame. Who's this 6-foot tall kid out of Northern California? That's kind of been his story. For those who have watched him and known him, that's what we've come to expect. I'm really pleased for him. He should be pumped up coming out of spring."Book has been aware of doubters throughout his career, but it's never necessarily bothered him, according to Hewlett."One of the neat things about Ian is that I don't think there was ever an element where he had any kind of anger or discouragement," the coach says. "He never appeared to ever really be affected by the lack of recruitment. I think sometimes the coaches and parents get more caught up in it than everyone else."During the recruiting process, he was confident he would find the right fit and it ended up being Notre Dame."The schools that weren't quick to judge him on first glimpse were smart and ended up offering him," Hewlett says. "One offensive coordinator at a big Pac-12 school admittedly said that he missed on Ian after watching his senior film and regretted it. But it worked out great and I think it's still working out great for him."Book prides himself on his accuracy and ability to deliver the ball under pressure and is always looking to improve."We're on a never-ending quest to perfect the mechanics," Hewlett says. "I always look at athletes that I train and think, 'Where can we get one or two percent better that will add up over the long term?'"We're going to continually look at adding more velocity to his throws. I think he showed he has the velocity and arm strength during the spring game."That may not always be obvious when Book is being compared to Wimbush, who Hewlett says, "might have the strongest arm in the country.""We're going to look at refining little things and finding deficiencies anywhere and eliminating those," Hewlett adds. "I think he'll handle the pressure well and be able to handle the situation. Making sure he's prepared and feels confident in his ability to hold up to the moment. He's going to continue to learn and grow with his staff obviously. They did a fantastic job."Hewlett is convinced Book will get his chance eventually and will take advantage of it when it comes."I think the staff is probably as confident as I am in his ability to be a player for the Irish and not just an arm. He'll contribute. He will contribute. By the time he leaves the Irish, he will have contributed to Notre Dame, so I'm excited for him."DECISION ON HORIZON FOR AUSTIN: We spoke with a source down at North Broward Prep this week about 2018 Florida wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr., who announced a final four last week of Notre Dame, Duke, Miami and Tennessee."From an academic standpoint, from a football and a future standpoint, I don't think many on campus were surprised by the four he selected," our source said. "We knew he was looking for high-academic schools. We knew he was obviously looking for an opportunity to play at a high level. "Seeing those four schools, it was exactly what I'd expect from him knowing how much he commits himself to the classroom and knowing how much he'll commit himself to a high level of college football. He expects that of himself. I know that regardless of where he goes, he's going to expect himself to go in there and compete and be a guy who's ready for that competition and what's next."When he announced his finalists, Austin teased that an announcement would be coming "soon," but other than that, no timeline has been defined."I'll be honest, I really don't," our source said. "I know the process of making a decision soon is very much in play. I know he's ready to get that weight off his shoulder, but I'm unsure as to when that decision is going to come."There has been some late buzz that Duke could be a bigger factor here than many believe, but our source noted several reasons why the Irish are considered by many to be the frontrunner."I think the experience, all of the intangibles are there obviously, as are the tangibles," we were told. "The experience and the feel of the campus, even him just going to check out the spring game. I know that was a Saturday experience unlike anything he's ever seen. Those Saturday experiences and game day experiences and the support from the town and the school are very big to him. "Tied to that, the tradition of the program and the tradition of the University are second to none really. It's hard to name a brand quite like Notre Dame Football. I think those things are big for him along with the classroom setting and the campus. His family is very much playing a role in the decision as well and all of those boxes seem to be checked."IRISH STAY BUSY IN TEXAS: Multiple members of the Notre Dame staff have spent time in the Lone Star State the last couple of weeks with defensive backs coach Todd Lyght canvassing the state last week followed by defensive coordinator Mike Elko swinging through this week.We mentioned this in this space last week, but received further confirmation this week that despite a verbal commitment to Baylor, 2018 Texas safety Christian Morgan remains open to "major schools" like Notre Dame. Lyght was at Porter High School last week and it sounds like he was impressed with he saw before Elko followed up. While we know Morgan's interest in Notre Dame is serious, despite not having received a Notre Dame offer yet, we get the sense the Irish's interest in Morgan is also serious. Following a stop in South Bend last month, Morgan told us an offer would put Notre Dame atop his list. Baylor is obviously at the top now, but the Bears would have a fight on their hands if the Irish do offer.There always seems to be a couple high school secondaries each cycle that are flat loaded, whether it was Rancho Cucamonga last year or Cass Tech in years past. This year, Lamar High School could have the nation's best defensive backfield. Elite 2018 prospects Anthony Cook and D'Shawn Jamison lead the way at corner, but Al'vonte Woodard would be a highly-ranked corner as well if he wasn't a highly-ranked receiver. They're joined by three other D-I prospects. It's going to be tough, but the Irish are going after both Cook and Jamison. Cook did include Notre Dame in his top 10, although the Irish aren't in the lead pack. Jamison is considered a heavy Texas lean, but has expressed some interest in visiting. Notre Dame will need to get both on campus to even have a shot, but sources tell us they are such great players it's worth the chase.As we mentioned on Thursday's recruiting edition of ISD Power Hour, 2018 Texas defensive end Joseph Ossai has been a Texas A&M lean for a long time now and that remains the case today, but he hasn't shut off other schools by any means. Texas is coming after him hard and out-of-state schools like Notre Dame and Arkansas are also pushing. Notre Dame was at Oak Ridge High School this week and Ossai continues to talk about getting up to South Bend for a visit this summer. Academics will be crucial for Ossai, who wants to major in Engineering. He's in no rush to make a decision either as he'll do his best to keep his focus on his high school squad. He plans to use all five official visits and isn't expected to make a decision until the winter.On Wednesday, Notre Dame extended an offer to 2019 Texas linebacker Nana Osafo-Mensah. The Nolan Catholic High School standout already had offers from schools like Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Georgia, USC and UCLA among others, but the Notre Dame offer was one he wanted. Part of that has do with Osafo-Mensah's Catholic upbringing."He's a kid that will actually mean something to," one source said of Notre Dame being a faith-based school. "Obviously, a lot of kids say it's special because it's Notre Dame, but that doesn't mean anything. That part means something to him."The same source told us Osafo-Mensah "lit up" when informed of the offer and would like visit South Bend at some point."I do think he'll take it seriously for sure. At the end of the day with him and his parents, it's going to be schools like that. It's going to be the Stanfords, Notre Dames, academic places. You throw in the fact that he's a devout Catholic and I think they'll be a frontrunner."We continue to hear how high Notre Dame is on 2019 Dallas safety Brian Williams. The Bishop Dunne standout has offers from premier programs across the country, but does have some interest in the Irish and has told us he's thinking about visiting this summer. Williams is the younger brother of Rawleigh Williams III, who made headlines this week with his story announcing his decision to walk away from the game and his role as Arkansas' starting running back."It was a tough decision for him, but it was the best thing for him," Williams said of his brother. "We're just getting by day to day and he's definitely feeling better about it, so I'm happy for him."I'm happy for him. I'm glad that he was able to make that decision and I'm just glad he has his health. That's what matters to me most, not if he's a football player or not. Just that he's healthy and he's able to be a big brother."JOHNSON TIMELINE NOT SO CLEAR: It's obvious DJ Johnson is going to take a good, long look at Notre Dame now that the 2018 Indianapolis cornerback has his Irish offer. That was obvious even before he got the offer.What's not so obvious is when he may shut down the process.Iowa was Johnson's named leader prior to the offer from Notre Dame, but now the Irish have at least pulled into a tie with the Hawkeyes, if they haven't surpassed them. He visited Notre Dame for a game last fall and is scheduled to be back for next month's Irish Invasion.It's almost certain there will be chatter then about Johnson potentially being on Commit Watch at that time, but there's a chance he'll try to hold off until he has a better understanding of all his options.This week, we spoke to new North Central High School head coach, Kevin O'Shea, about Johnson's timetable."When I first got here, he wanted it taken care of before the season started," said O'Shea, who's only been on the job for a couple months now. "Now, since some more teams have started rolling in and with this next wave of recruiting and especially over the summer, I think he's going to get some more offers. "I told DJ, 'When the time is right, you'll know it. Don't put a timeline on it. When you are ready to pull the trigger, you'll know it.'"In addition to Notre Dame, both Ohio State and Tennessee could end up offering."I think he owes it to visit some of these schools to see what they have to offer and see what's out there," his coach said. "As far as a teenager goes, you need to get up to the school and hang around with your potential teammates because those are the guys you're going to hang with for the next four or five years. Coaches come and go, we all know that. Nothing is guaranteed. "These are the guys you're going to be hanging with and you need to go up there and visit, not only in South Bend. You need to go up to Iowa, you need to go over to Ohio State, you need to go visit some of these schools and see how you fit in and see what your comfort zone is."But O'Shea isn't as concerned with when Johnson picks as a school as he is with Johnson finding the best school for him."If DJ pulled the trigger tomorrow, I'd be right behind him congratulating him and if he waits until Signing Day, I'll be right there for him too. I just want him to be comfortable."TREMBLE A TALENTED TIGHT END: Notre Dame broadened its search base a bit for a tight end in the Class of 2018 when it extended an offer to Georgia's Tommy Tremble last week. Despite family ties to Georgia, where his father played, as we said here last week, he's no lock to be a Bulldog.We caught up with his coach at Johns Creek High School, Matt Helmerich, for his thoughts on the 6-foot-4, 225-pounder."Explosive," said Helmerich, who just arrived at Johns Creek this offseason. "He's got an extremely high ceiling. "I think he was just learning the position a little bit last year. They played him a little bit at tight end and a little bit of an outside linebacker-type position. Now that he's found his niche so to speak as a tight end, he's just going to blossom."Through examining Tremble's junior film, Helmerich said he sees things "you just can't coach.""He's got this one play on film where he catches the ball, turns, jukes out the linebacker and gets upfield another 20 yards in one motion. You just can't coach stuff. That's just natural, God-Given talent and instincts. Once he gets in our system and we coach him up a little bit, I think he's going to be phenomenal."via GIPHY2019 LINEMEN LOOKING TO IMPRESS AT BIG MAN CAMP: Notre Dame has been hesitant about sending out offers to 2019 offensive linemen until in-depth evaluations are done.Some of those evaluations will undoubtedly be done at Notre Dame's Lineman's Challenge on June 24th.At least a pair of 2019 offensive linemen are already looking at making plans to get to South Bend to show Harry Hiestand and the rest of the Irish staff what they can do.New Jersey's John Olmstead already has nine offers from schools like Rutgers, Syracuse, Nebraska, Virginia, Minnesota and UCLA among others. The 6-foot-6, 290-pounder called Notre Dame one of his few dream schools and one he's had some communication with so far. The Irish have stopped by to check in on Olmstead during the Evaluation Period and he said he'll "probably" be able to make it to South Bend for the camp this summer.http://www.hudl.com/video/3/8294781/588b9c6b0c53f224bcb1e863New Jersey's Caedan Wallace has offers from schools like Penn State, Rutgers, Maryland, Oklahoma, Virginia and Virginia Tech. He visited South Bend for a game last fall and said communications with the Irish have increased recently. The 6-foot-4, 315-pounder was also invited to Notre Dame's camp and is still trying to find out if he can make the event. If he makes it, he'll be looking to get an idea of what Notre Dame is like without the hoopla of a game day atmosphere. Right now, the Nittany Lions and the Sooners seem to have a bit of an edge.http://www.hudl.com/video/3/4473074/58239c4411fa80508876e3ffDURHAM VISIT GOES WELL: Notre Dame hoops hosted UConn transfer prospect Juwan Durham last weekend and, according to multiple sources, the visit went about as well as could have been expected."It went great," one source said. "He absolutely loved it."A separate source told us, "It could not have gone better."One of the sources told us the 6-foot-10 Durham was really impressed with the people he met while in South Bend."The genuineness of the coaching staff," we were told of what stuck out most. "He really hit it off with the kids, the players a lot. Their style of play when he played pickup with them was really what he was looking for, a really team-oriented system."It sounds like Durham will take visits to Virginia Tech and potentially toward the end of the month, but at this point, Notre Dame has secured its spot as one of the frontrunners.
