Recruiting Week In Review
Written by Joe Bradshaw
Is college football really going to be played in 2020? Right now, it appears as if it is. It may look different with less than half filled stadiums but it will still be college football and I can’t wait. The restart of sports can and probably will serve as a tonic for this long national nightmare brought on by COVID-19 and return some normalcy to lives that have had anything but for the last five months. And if college football is going to be played then recruiting classes must proceed because eligibility will be used up and rosters must be replenished with the next crop of student athletes just waiting for a chance to make their mark.
Like all programs, Notre Dame continues to recruit, both to close out the Class of 2021 and get a strong start on the Class of 2022. Last week Irish Sports Daily reported on two prospects, one in each of those recruiting classes. What have you been missing by not being a member of Irish Sports Daily?
Notre Dame just recently reached out to Chance Tucker, DB, 6-1, 170, Crespi Carmelite High School, Encino, CA and liked what they heard and saw and now he has an offer. Notre Dame joins schools like Washington, Washington State, Oregon State, Colorado, Princeton, Dartmouth, Penn and many others. Tucker said that the Notre Dame offer was different.
“This one stood out just because of how prestigious their academics are at Notre Dame,” he explained. “At the same time they also have a great football program and great football tradition. It’s kind of like they have the best of both worlds. It’s just very intriguing to me.”
Tucker is being recruited by Notre Dame cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens. Mickens shared with him why he wants the three star Californian.
“He said he likes my style of play and I know he’s a track guy as well, so I believe that’s one of the things he sees in me because he ran track himself,” Tucker said. “Also I’m tall and lanky. I have speed as well as the footspeed to go with it and a good football IQ. He’s a very good guy. Like I said, I felt like I could relate to him being a track guy and also having a competitive spirit just like him. He’s always going to push me to get better and develop me as a player.”
Tucker is looking forward to continuing to build a relationship with Mickens and “hopefully” getting to South Bend for a visit.
“I don’t really see myself committing anywhere without actually visiting the campus and seeing what they’re all about and the culture of the school,” he said.
Tucker isn’t certain at this point how his recruitment will be affected if he’s not able to take visits and for right now he’s just hoping he will have the opportunity to see his schools of interest. In addition to Notre Dame, he hopes to also visit Washington, Washington State, Colorado and Oregon State.
Tevarua Tafiti, LB, 6-3, 205, Punahou High School, Honolulu, HI knows quite a bit about Notre Dame. The Irish have recruited Hawaii well over the years, Tafiti coming to their attention when they were there recruiting current Notre Dame player, Marist Lifau. Special Teams Coordinator Brian Polian recently reached out to Tafiti and offered him a Notre Dame scholarship.
“He just said he really liked the Hawaii kids and he wanted to have more at Notre Dame,” Tafiti remembered. “He’s recruited Punahou kids to Notre Dame like Manti (Te’o), (Robby) Toma and Marist and now Jordan (Botelho) from St. Louis is there.”
In addition to Notre Dame, Tafiti holds scholarship offers from schools like Washington, Oregon, Utah, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Michigan, Arizona State, Hawaii and numerous others. He was very excited about the Notre Dame offer.
“I was super surprised because I hadn’t talked to them in a while, but I re-sent my film to them,” he shared. “My coach (Kale) Ane was really trying to get me an offer from Notre Dame. It’s a super special school because of academics and football and everything. One thing that really stood out to me when Marist was going through the process was how welcoming they were.”
Unlike this year’s seniors, members of the Class of 2022 aren’t feeling the pinch of time, wondering if COVID-19 will allow them some semblance of normalcy in recruiting. Tafiti isn’t in any rush to make a decision.
“Right now, I still have time,” he said. “I’m going to take visits to see where I feel more comfortable.”
He definitely wants to visit South Bend.
“Right now, I pretty much know that they have a family atmosphere,” he said of the Irish. “I could tell that. I just want to know what their academics are like and their fan base.”
He also hopes to make it to Wisconsin and Michigan.
These two summaries represent just a sample of the Notre Dame football recruiting information available each week on Irish Sports Daily.