Irish In Race For Calvin
Jamire Calvin didn’t completely shut the door on anybody else, but the 2017 California wide receiver announced his favorites back in June, naming a top eight of Alabama, Arizona State, Cal, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Oregon State, UCLA and Washington State.
“I just had a good feeling about all of them when I talked to the coaches and when I took my visits there,” Calvin said of his current leaders.
He checked out a game in South Bend last fall and the Irish made the list based on their history and his relationships.
“Just the tradition they have at Notre Dame and how it’s such a winning program and what they did with Will Fuller last year at the receiver position,” the 5-foot-10, 175-pounder from Los Angeles said. “It just really interests me.”
Notre Dame Associate Head Coach Mike Denbrock is leading up Calvin’s recruitment for the Irish.
“Pretty much that he wants me to help them win a championship and how great I could fit in their offense,” Calvin said of what he hears from Denbrock.
Calvin’s good friend and Cathedral High School teammate, 2017 defensive end Hunter Echols, recently decommitted from UCLA and has Notre Dame near the top of his list. Echols was in South Bend for June’s Irish Invasion.
“He just told me how much he loved it,” Calvin said of Echols. “He loves the staff and loves everything about the school. It was just a great experience.”
Calvin will take an official visit to Notre Dame in the fall, but hasn’t finalized a date yet.
“I just want to get a feel for the coaches and the environment while I’m out there socially,” he said. “I want to see if I could picture myself there for the next four years.”
The Irish have a pair of receiver commits in Michael Young and Jordan Pouncey, but their board got a little shorter when Hezekiah Jones committed to Texas A&M last week. Tarik Black, Osiris St. Brown and Jeremiah Holloman also remain high on Notre Dame.
Calvin isn’t claiming any leaders within his top eight right now, but he did say Nebraska and Alabama are also assured to get official visits. Calvin and Echols would like to play together in college and are looking at some of the same schools.
“We’re going to take some of the same officials and try to figure it out,” he said.
Calvin knows what he’ll be looking for.
“The relationships I have with the coaches, the environment and from a football standpoint, where I feel I could succeed the most on the field,” he said.
But he doesn’t have a timeline for when that decision will come.
“Not yet. I want to take my officials first.”