Three DL Targets Visiting Elsewhere This Weekend
Written by Alec Swain
Notre Dame fans are always excited to hear about recruits headed to South Bend to spend time on campus getting to know coaches, players, academic standards, campus life and everything else the school may offer. It is a chance to have face-to-face interaction with recruits that cannot be matched by phone or direct messaging. The more frequently Notre Dame can get targets on campus, the better its chances will be of landing a commitment. This is an obvious statement to Notre Dame fans, but it is important to remember when Notre Dame prospects are visiting other programs.
This week, three of Notre Dame’s defensive line targets are taking unofficial visits to other schools. Ronnie Perkins, Aeneas Hawkins, and Tyreke Smith are all prospects Notre Dame fans are familiar with. Recruiting the defensive side of the ball has definitely been an area of focus many Notre Dame fans wish to improve upon. Many would agree it starts on the defensive line and the addition of any of these three targets would be a step in the right direction. However, Notre Dame is not the only suitor for these talented defensive linemen.
Perkins, the 6-foot-4, 250-pound weak-side defensive end from Lutheran High School North in St. Louis, is reportedly set to visit Missouri unofficially on Thursday of this week. It is obvious Perkins (pictured above) has some interest in his “hometown” team and that Missouri’s staff sees him as a valuable in-state target on their board.
As shown in the edit below, Missouri’s staff definitely plans to emphasize in-state recruiting. Perkins has a deep list of offers that include Illinois, Iowa, Iowa St, Minnesota and Oklahoma, but it is clear that Perkins will be a priority target for the Missouri Tigers moving forward.
Irish Sports Daily has confirmed Smith is set to take an unofficial visit to the in-state Buckeyes this weekend. The standout 6-foot-3, 260-pound defensive end at Ohio’s Cleveland Heights High School will again make his way down to Columbus. Smith, originally from California, is not the Buckeyes’ typical in-state prospect, but his presence on campus cannot be overlooked. Urban Meyer often gets the prospects he wants, which makes Smith’s multiple visits to Ohio State somewhat concerning for Notre Dame fans. However, Smith tells ISD he has plans to return to Notre Dame in the near future, so he is obviously still evaluating all of his options.
Hawkins is another 2018 Ohio defensive tackle prospect who will take an unofficial visit this weekend. The 6-foot-3, 260-pounder from Cincinnati’s Archbishop Moeller High School will be at Penn State. This is not Hawkins’ first time on campus as he has unofficially visited during the fall last season both before and after he received an offer. Hawkins is definitely familiar with the Penn State staff by now and with multiple visits to the Nittany Lions it is clear that they should be taken seriously in this recruitment. Plus, with James Franklin’s reputation as a vigorous recruiter Hawkins’ interest in Penn State should be noted. Once a top target on the Irish’s board, as we reported in last week’s Intel, at this point, we’d be surprised if he ended up at Notre Dame.