Hitting The Road: Dallas Gant
Written by Alec Swain
Dallas Gant is reportedly set to unofficially visit Michigan today. One of Notre Dame’s top linebacker targets for the 2018 cycle and the Midwest powers are battling it out for Gant’s commitment. Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Notre Dame and others are making Gant a priority. Many have the standout linebacker from Toledo pegged to stay in-state and play for Ohio State, but it does not seem to be a “slam dunk.” Gant seems to have legitimate interest in many of his options, which makes his visit to Michigan an important one.
When Jim Harbaugh hired Chris Partridge from Paramus High School in New Jersey, it definitely aided in the Wolverines landing Rashan Gary and Drew Singleton. They had both played for Partridge and chose to join Jabrill Peppers and their former high school coach in Ann Arbor. This turned out to be an excellent hire as Partridge has dominated on the recruiting trail and is considered to be one of Michigan’s best recruiters. In addition, he has shown his value as the linebackers coach as he continues to produce talented groups through constant turnover at the position.
Partridge will definitely be a key factor for Michigan if they are going to win this recruiting battle. Partridge has proven he can bring in talent to Ann Arbor and would love to add Gant to the commitment list along with the already-committed Otis Reese. Last cycle Michigan brought in an impressive amount of talent on the defensive side of the ball. Along with Singleton, the Wolverines added Ben Mason, Jordan Anthony and Josh Ross to the linebacker group. The addition of Gant would certainly count as a continuation of the recruiting success at the position.
Gant is definitely a type of talent to be fought over and schools will continue to recruit him to the end of the 2018 cycle. The effort the current commits are contributing may significantly increase Notre Dame’s chances in this one. Gant has been to campus a couple times now and has developed a relationship with the current group.
The last time Gant was on Notre Dame’s campus was for the Junior Day, which ultimately resulted in commitments from Braden Lenzy, Micah Jones, Cole Mabry, and Kalon Gervin. In addition, all six of Notre Dame’s commits (at the time) made it to Junior Day. Notre Dame’s class has since grown to 12 commits and Gant has been targeted as one of the top prospects to add to the class. Ohio State may be perceived to be in the driver’s seat, but with the relentless effort by both the staff and the current 2018 class, Notre Dame may be in a better spot to land Gant than originally thought.
Only time will tell with Gant’s recruitment. The Irish should be confident based on the full-court press they put on Gant throughout the process. There is a long way to go in this recruitment, but no matter where Gant goes, the Irish staff and commits cannot be blamed for a lack of effort.