Recruiting Week In Review
Written by Joe Bradshaw
If Notre Dame hopes to compete for national championships, they’re going to need to consistently bring in dynamic talent at skill positions, talent that can go toe to toe with the Alabamas, Clemsons and Ohio States of the world. The Irish have not always been successful in recruiting that level of ability but the current staff seems determined to do just that on a yearly basis.
Last week Irish Sports Daily reported on two offensive recruits that the Notre Dame coaching staff are very high on. What have you been missing by not being a member of Irish Sports Daily?
Kenan Christon, RB, 5-10, 185, Madison High School, San Diego, CA possesses an outstanding offer list that consists of Alabama, USC, TCU, UCLA and Stanford just to name a few. Notre Dame is also on that list and the Irish have targeted him as the running back they most want for some time now. It’s clear, though, that if they are to land him, they’re going to need to beat out some of the best schools in the country. In order to do that, they’re recruiting the three-star prospect very hard. Recently, Notre Dame Wide Receivers’ Coach Del Alexander visited Christon’s school.
“He was just checking me out,” Christon reported. “He really couldn’t say too much. He was just talking about how Notre Dame could really use me and the Running Backs’ Coach really likes me. Coach (Autry) Denson wants to come out and see me too.”
Christon (pictured above with his father) was thrilled when he originally received the offer from the Irish and has remained pleased with how they have continued to recruit him very hard.
“I’m pretty sure they only get limited time when they get to go see players, so it means a lot to me that I’m one of the guys they choose to come out and see,” he said. “I like that they like to have the position coach come, so I know who I’m talking to, who I’m going to be with if I go there and all of that stuff.”
Christon wants to visit South Bend but has yet to lock in any dates. He’s planning to take as many trips as possible over the summer and since Notre Dame is one of the schools that consistently stays in contact with him, one would hope that the Irish would be on his visit list.
“There’s a handful of schools that stay in contact with me,” he shared. “They keep showing interest in me how they talk to me and how they communicate.”
Christon plans to major in Business in college and is looking for a complete college environment, not just one that consists of athletics.
“It has to be the best environment for me; not just the football aspect, but I want to have a good learning aspect and I want to feel like a good teammate; I want to feel like I’m welcomed to the team and I want to be able to play.”
Luke Deal, TE, 6-5, 230, Emerald High School, Greenwood, SC is much further along in his decision-making process than is Christon. He’s completed his official visits and now is finalizing where he will attend college. With the choices available to him, it’s going to be a difficult decision. He took his five official visits to North Carolina State, Michigan, Notre Dame and finished up with Ohio State and Auburn. In addition, he’s traveled to Clemson many times and they are also high on his list.
“They went great,” Deal said of his final two visits. “Ohio State was awesome. It’s a crazy cool city, I’d never been there. Coach (Urban) Meyer is an impressive guy and I had a great time there. Then we went to Auburn and Auburn was great. I loved the staff and the overall feel of things down there.”
Now that he’s completed his visits, Deal plans to evaluate everything he’s seen, heard and felt and make a decision. From all indications, Notre Dame will get very serious consideration.
“Notre Dame is still definitely one of the top schools in my group of schools,” he said. “It’s Tight End U, no doubt. I saw a statistic the other day that since 2003, every starting tight end from Notre Dame has been to the Draft.”
Deal continued.
“The Draft is obviously an amazing goal for me to set, but that’s not what I’m about. What really stood out about Notre Dame was the culture and the difference from all of the other schools. It’s a small school feel with a lot of history and heritage, but they’re ready to work there. I believe that’s a place where you can win a national championship and be elite for a long time. That stands out to me.”
Deal insists that distance won’t be a consideration, that Notre Dame will get as much consideration as Clemson. He’s looking for the best fit overall, not simply the closest and most convenient school.
Notre Dame Offensive Coordinator Chip Long will present the final case for the Irish when he visits Deal prior to his May 25th decision. Though still appearing and sounding calm, Deal insists that the decision is stressful.
“I’ve had a lot of long conversations with my parents, but really I’ve got to put my trust in my gut. I’m praying about it and putting my trust in God. Everything will work out.”
These two summaries represent just a sample of the Notre Dame football recruiting information available each week on Irish Sports Daily.