Recruiting Week In Review
Written by Joe Bradshaw
Notre Dame’s first big recruiting game did not end well for the Irish. Their heartbreaking loss to Georgia couldn’t help but rekindle feelings of last year in the Notre Dame faithful. After suffering seven (or was it eight) losses by one score or less last season, many in the stands and watching on television must have felt like it was déjà vu all over again.
On the positive side, this year’s version of the Boys in Blue and Gold fought hard if not always well. They didn’t fade in the fourth quarter and the Mike Elko-coached defense played with an energy and ferocity not seen in far too long. And while offensive recruits may have come away less than impressed there’s no way that those being recruited on the other side of the ball could not have been excited by seeing the revamped Irish defense.
Last week, Irish Sports Daily reported on two defensive recruits at a position of need that attended the Georgia game. They came away impressed by all things Notre Dame. What have you been missing by not being a member of Irish Sports Daily?
Julius Irvin, S, 6-1, 180, Servite High School, Anaheim, CA took an unofficial visit to South Bend for the Georgia game. His father accompanied him. For Julius, it was a golden opportunity to learn more about the Irish, but for his father it was more of a reunion of sorts. His father, Leroy, played in the NFL for ten years and knew several of the Notre Dame greats who were in town for the game.
“I’ve known Todd Lyght for a long time,” said Mr. Irvin. “When I found out Todd Lyght was there, it was like, ‘OK, I trust Todd so I would trust my son going there and being coached by Todd.’ We had a chance to sit down and have a long conversation with Tim Brown. He was there and I’ve known Tim for a long time. Tim sat down with him and talked to him for a while and so did Jerome Bettis.”
Of course, the trip was ultimately about Julius though and he got an opportunity to see much of what the Irish had to offer.
“He didn’t really know about the tradition there,” said Mr. Irvin. “He’d heard about it but to be there firsthand and see the tradition. He was also very, very impressed with how great an academic school Notre Dame is. They really rolled out the red carpet for him. They made him feel like they really, really wanted him, so that really impressed him.”
Julius didn’t just get to meet with the coaches and former Irish greats but also with current recruits and players. They addressed the issue of distance with him.
“They really did a good job of giving him some great information,” said Mr. Irvin.
He also got a chance to see how the culture of Notre Dame meshed with his personality.
“He felt like he really fits in there,” his father said. “He had a chance to go out with Geordon (Porter) last night. He was very impressed by that. He feels like he can fit in there. I was really happy for him.”
Julius has a visit planned for Washington next week and also has plans to visit Michigan and USC. After his trip to Notre Dame, though, that was all he could talk about.
“In fact, he said, ‘Hey dad, I really like this place.’ I don’t know what that means, but that’s what he told me.”
Irish Sports Daily
Kalon Gervin, CB, 5-10, 170 Cass Technical High School, Detroit, MI took a very different path to Notre Dame last weekend. Gervin was once an Irish verbal commit but he de-committed and re-opened his recruitment. However, he seems to be re-thinking his views on Notre Dame and visited unofficially for the Georgia game. He was accompanied by his mother, Djuna Payton, who had nothing but praise for both the game and the treatment the Irish lavished on both her son and her.
“Oh, my goodness it was a good game,” she said. “This was my first time on campus and on the field. It was such a close game, but it was such a traditional spirit they have. Tough loss, but it was really, really, really super nice.”
She continued.
“They were really, really focused but Kalon spent a little more time with them than I did. They came to me and talked to me before, it was great. They treated us very well; you would have thought it was an official the way they were treating us. I spoke with the Defensive Coordinator (Mike) Elko. He came out and greeted us before the game even started.”
Payton also got a chance to see Mike Elko the father.
“He’s a great father,” she shared. “His wife even came up to me with the children. She came to me when we first got on the field to look around and feel the energy of Notre Dame.”
Payton also commented on how the Notre Dame players were “very connected.”
“That’s one thing I did notice,” she said. “Just the team itself, you could tell they’re very dedicated to each other. That connection they have, oh my goodness.”
The Players’ Walk caught her attention.
“You would think it was a parade,” she said. “That was the coolest ever just to see the guys. They just look so mature coming in with their chests all out.”
Payton said they had a great time and expressed a need to return.
“They were being as attentive to us as they could be, but that was an important game to them; I know it was by the way they were talking and acting,” she explained. “We have to go back, we’re going back.”
Though they have yet to lock in a return visit, Mrs. Payton said it would be sometime in October.
“It was amazing really,” she said. “The respect they have for Kalon still to make sure he was comfortable and make sure I was comfortable. The food was great. When I come back maybe it won’t be so crazy and loud. I can see there’s a lot of history there. Academically, I’m just wondering how everything is connected to the city. Academics is very important and if he fits. He has to be able to really fit there academically. He’s good in school. He’s very disciplined, that’s one thing about Kalon.”
These two summaries represent just a sample of the Notre Dame football recruiting information available each week on Irish Sports Daily.