Recruiting Week In Review
Written by Joe Bradshaw
Notre Dame’s recruiting efforts take them all over the nation. They don’t possess the luxury of recruiting their backyard very often, certainly not like schools from Florida, Texas, California and all across the South. That’s not to say that Indiana doesn’t produce outstanding players, they do. Sheldon Day is but one example of the blue chippers that come from the Hoosier state. Still, the mass quantity of FBS players doesn’t begin to compare to those in other states. As a result, the Irish must have a presence in the South and West.
Last week Irish Sports Daily reported on two prospects, one from talent-rich Texas and the other from much closer to home. What have you been missing by not being a member of Irish Sports Daily?
D’shawn Jamison, CB, 5-10, 174, Lamar High School, Houston, TX is considered by most to be a heavy Texas lean. That doesn’t mean that he’s completely ruled out any other schools. One of those that still has his attention is Notre Dame. Perhaps the biggest card the Irish have to play in his recruitment is Defensive Backs Coach Todd Lyght.
“He’s a great coach,” Jamison said of Lyght. “He’ll do anything he can just to get to you. He tried his hardest with the defense I can see because they started off slow, but at the end, they finished hard. That’s what I like about Notre Dame.”
After last season’s defensive difficulties, recruits are going to have to take a leap of faith that the Irish defense will rebound. Jamison seems to have taken that leap, so much so that he’d like to possibly take both an unofficial and official visit to Notre Dame.
“Mostly the campus,” he shared about what he most wanted to see. “The academics and stuff, seeing how I would benefit their defense, seeing what my major is, seeing if they have my major.”
Besides Notre Dame and Texas, Jamison is also considering TCU, Oregon and USC. He plans to commit in August but still take his official visits.
“The main thing will probably be the love they’re showing, academics and also seeing how the defense is.”
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Notre Dame scours the nation looking for talented players that fit both their system and their culture. It’s a bonus when they can find such a prospect close to home. They have done just that with Cameron McGrone. McGrone, LB, 6-1, 210, Lawrence Central High School, Indianapolis, IN recently fulfilled a long-term goal when he participated in The Opening.
“It’s just the competition,” he shared. “These are the best players in the country and I’ve been waiting two years to be able to play against these guys so it’s pretty amazing.”
Prior to the opening, McGrone visited South Bend for Irish Invasion. While this was his second visit to the campus, it was the first since having been offered a scholarship. He not only received the opportunity to work with the coaches by coming to Irish Invasion, but he also got to bring a number of family members so they too could experience Notre Dame.
“I had both uncles and my auntie there, so it was more family getting to see the school and really talk to the coaches,” he said. “It felt more like a family feel since I had most of my family there.”
McGrone has been developing a very good relationship with his position coach, Clark Lea. Lea took advantage of the Invasion to work one on one with McGrone. That was just one factor in his strengthening relationship with Lea.
“Me and Coach Lea text on the daily,” he said. “Our relationship has gone to new heights since the offer.”
Some believed McGrone would commit at Irish Invasion, but that did not happen. In fact, he took a visit to Michigan that same weekend. The Wolverines offered him during that visit. It appears as if Michigan is Notre Dame’s chief rival for his signature. The four-star recruit plans a mid-October commitment.
“Right now, in my eyes, I kind of see mid-October, kind of like the middle towards the end of my season,” he said. “That’s probably when.”
While McGrone viewed The Opening as a wonderful chance to compete against the best, it did not provide him with a chance to show his true value as a player. McGrone prides himself on the physicality and sheer violence with which he plays the game.
“I love to make the opponents uncomfortable,” he explained. “I love to make them play at my pace.”
These two summaries represent just a sample of the Notre Dame football recruiting information available each week on Irish Sports Daily.