An Eye On The Competition
Written by Alec Swain
It’s easy for Notre Dame fans to get caught up in the latest drama and hype surrounding Irish recruiting and lose sight of what is happening elsewhere as many other programs have been enjoying recent recruiting success as well.
NITTANY LIONS ROAR: On August 7th and August 10th, Penn State added two solid commitments from interior defensive linemen, Aeneas Hawkins and PJ Mustipher. Both prospects were offered by Notre Dame and pursued to different degrees, but fell to the wayside as the staff became more aware of Ja’Mion Franklin. Still, these are still two talented prospects who could flourish playing side-by-side in the middle of the Nittany Lion defense.
GO BLUE GOES BIG IN 2019: Michigan recently held its well-known barbecue, which attracted many of the most highly-sought prospects in the entire country.
The weekend was an extremely successful one for the Michigan staff. The Wolverines added three top prospects, to start off their 2019 recruiting class off with a bang.
Michigan was able to land 2019 Ohio offensive lineman Nolan Rumler, 2019 Kentucky defensive end Stephen Herron Jr. along with 2019 Georgia defensive end Chris Hinton all in the same weekend. All three are huge prospects to land at this stage, ranked as high-four-stars or five-stars depending on the ranking system.
Notre Dame managed to land its top defensive line target in the Class of 2019 the same weekend, when Jacob Lacey committed. The Irish beat out the Wolverines among others for Lacey, but Michigan definitely added three impressive pieces to its front lines on both sides of the ball to begin their 2019 class.
HUSKIES LAND HAMPTON: On August 7th, Washington picked up a commitment from Dominique Hampton who Notre Dame showed partial interest in, earlier in the process and even visited in the spring. As many Irish fans know, the staff plans to be patient and evaluate the senior seasons of certain cornerbacks.
The Arizona prospect may not have been on top of Notre Dame’s board, but it does show the board shrinking. After taking zero cornerbacks in the 2017 recruiting class, Irish fans are well aware of the potential depth concerns at the position. So far, Mike Elko has proven his grit and determination on the trail, we will have to wait and see what he can produce at a position of dire need.
MISSOURI SHOWING UP ON BOARD: Missouri and Notre Dame may not often cross paths on the recruiting trail, but it was hard to ignore Missouri picking up TEN commitments in the month of July alone, including nine within a week. Yes, none of these players held scholarship offers from Notre Dame and are all lower-ranked prospects which the Irish would not recruit as heavily, but it’s still noteworthy.
Did the staff go after lower-ranked players out of desperation because of a slow start to the recruiting cycle? Maybe.
The Tigers only had commitments from dual-threat quarterback James Foster and JUCO wide receiver Harry Ballard, defensive back Tyrone Collins and running back Jalen Knox. The Tigers don’t always bring in the biggest names, but have made splashes in the past with Dorial Green-Beckham and Terry Beckner Jr. Desperation could very well be the reason for this sudden spike in their class.