Recruiting Week In Review
Many experts believe that the strength of Notre Dame’s defense this season will be the back seven. In fact, most are very excited about the potential of the Irish defensive backfield. While numerous freshmen were thrust into duty last year, that experience looks to have accelerated their development. However, the fact that so many current players were part of the Class of 2016 and did not have the opportunity to redshirt means that Notre Dame’s lack of defensive backs in the 2017 class must be addressed in 2018.
The eligibility of the current defensive backs on the Irish roster will come to a screeching halt and there better be people to replace them. Last week Irish Sports Daily reported on one prospect that could be part of that group of replacements. ISD also provided in-depth coverage of Notre Dame’s latest verbal commitment. What have you been missing by not being a part of Irish Sports Daily?
DJ Johnson, CB, 5-11, 170, North Central High School, Indianapolis, IN has narrowed his list to two schools, Notre Dame and Iowa, and will make his decision on August 22nd. The date has special meaning for him, it’s his mother’s birthday.
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“She’s definitely the reason I do everything I do,” he shared. “She’s definitely the number one woman in my life. I’ve got a lot of love for her.”
Johnson visited both schools in June and feels comfortable with each. There is a powerful lure for him to choose the in-state school but that’s not the only reason that Notre Dame stands out to him.
“It’s home and it’s just Notre Dame,” he said. “The tradition of football there is great. Just the position I could be in if I went there, I could come in and start at corner, so that’s definitely a big factor as well.”
Location and playing time are two of the recruiting pitches that the Irish coaches are emphasizing to him.
“Be the hometown kid, come in and work hard,” explained Johnson of what the Notre Dame coaches are presenting to him. “They need corners so that’s a big thing they’re putting out there for me.”
Before Notre Dame offered in May, Iowa stood alone atop his board and the Hawkeyes are still very much in play for him.
“I think it’s just the people at Iowa,” Johnson said. “I like how they do things. I know I could come in and definitely play off the bat there too because they’re in need of corners there as well. It’s a special place. I really like it.”
With his decision date looming, one might think that Johnson has already decided and is just waiting to tell the world, but that’s not the case.
“I’m still working through it,” he said. “Honestly, I’m not really sure. I’ve been praying about it a lot. I think it’s one of those things that will eventually come to me and I’ll figure it out but right now I’m battling it.”
Johnson is ready to put recruiting to rest and move forward to his senior season.
“I think it’ll be great,” he said of his upcoming season at North Central. “It’ll be a great season.”
While Johnson is looking forward to putting the recruiting process behind him, Kevin Austin, Jr., WR, 6-3, 198, North Broward Prep, Coconut Creek, FL has already done so. He verbally committed to Notre Dame last week. According to Austin’s strength and conditioning coach John Garrish, the Irish got not just an excellent player but an outstanding young man who has just begun to scratch the surface of his potential.
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“Obviously, he’s going to live up to what’s been said about him from an athletic standpoint, but his leadership ability can’t be measured,” Garrish said. “It’s not something you can measure in stars. You can’t measure a kid’s heart or his leadership capability or sportsmanship or all-around character.”
Garrish continued.
“He’s a person who’s going to do everything the right way. He kind of lives what so many coaches say and the clichés are the truth about Kevin. He’s always the first one in the building, he’ll be the last one out of a building and that’s not really a cliché. That’s every bit of who he is.”
Austin, Jr. attended The Opening in Oregon last month and, according to Garrish, came back a different player.
“It’s been incredible,” he said. “I’m sure that’s what Nike’s objective was; to really prepare them for what is to come. He came back with a refreshed intensity and a refreshed passion.”
Garrish also saw Austin, Jr.’s leadership take a step forward.
“I think it’s easy for a kid to go out there and ‘It’s all about me.’ And they come back like, ‘Yeah I was at The Opening.’ As soon as he could get back, he was back working with his teammates.”
Austin, Jr.’s continued improvement has not been a surprise to Garrish or anyone else familiar with the four-star prospect. He also expects that development to continue long past his high school career.
“On our end, the strides are expected,” he explained. “It’s kind of like sitting back and observing what we know is going to happen. The ceiling is not even close to being touched for Kevin. He has that genetic brilliance and hard-working tenacity that is going to reach immeasurable heights. The improvements he’s made as a sophomore and junior to what we’re going to see from him on the field now is incredible, but like I said, it really is expected. He’s going to make bigger strides next year, he’s going to make bigger strides the year after that. The trajectory is going to keep on going.”
Garrish said he never really noticed that recruiting was stressful for Austin, Jr. He believes that’s because his star was confident in making the right choice.
“He completely understands the gravity of the decision but he is also 100 percent confident in his decision-making ability that he did make the right decision. I think he’s found comfort in that.”
These two summaries represent just a sample of the Notre Dame football recruiting information available each week on Irish Sports Daily.