Recruiting Week In Review
Written by Joe Bradshaw
Winning certainly boosts a program’s stock in the recruiting wars. Winning impressively like Notre Dame has the last two weeks supercharges its message to prospects. It’s not difficult at all to understand how recruits will want to play for a team that performs like the Irish have against Wake Forest and Stanford. They’ve been explosive on offense, showcasing both a power running game and an efficient passing game. The defense starts with a dynamic pass rush and an opportunistic pass defense. It seems that every time one Notre Dame player makes a tackle there are four or five more swarming to the football. It’s been such a long time since an Irish football team played like this and as exciting as it is to watch, it’s also bound to have an impact on recruits, especially if it continues.
Irish Sports Daily reported on two 2020 prospects whose speed and athleticism would fit in perfectly with what we’ve been seeing from Notre Dame lately on both sides of the ball. They represent the kind of dynamic playmakers that college playoff teams seem to possess in abundance. What have you been missing by not being a member of Irish Sports Daily?
Mookie Cooper, RB, 5-9, 175, Trinity Catholic High School, St. Louis, MO didn’t know much about Notre Dame before he visited for the Stanford game. The Irish coaches tried to get him to visit earlier, but he couldn’t make it. When his friend and teammate Reggie Love planned a visit, he asked Cooper to come along. The four-star prospect took the opportunity to learn more about Notre Dame.
“I know education is real big down there, but I don’t know that much,” he said prior to his visit. “We’ve been down there but it was only a short visit. I just want to see the offense and how they use their backs.”
Cooper’s been timed at 4.4 in the forty and that speed, along with the talent to go with it, has resulted in dozens of offers from schools like Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Penn State, Wisconsin, Auburn and many others. Still, he’s keeping his focus on having a successful season.
“Sometimes it’s overwhelming, but I try not to focus on it too much,” he said of recruiting. “I’m just trying to get through the season and then I’ll pick the right moment to make my decision.”
Cooper is certainly going to be looking at more than just athletics when he finally makes his college choice.
“The school I feel like can help me besides football, like after football, life after football,” he shared. “The school I feel is most loyal to me and who I know has got my back.”
Cooper doesn’t yet have a Notre Dame offer, but acknowledges that one would be meaningful.
“It would prove that I can do both things academically and with my athletic ability, just that I’m a student-athlete,” he explained.
Cooper has already visited Texas, Illinois and Michigan.
“Texas was fun,” he said. “It’s a big environment. It’s a different type of football down there compared to Illinois but it was fun.”
Cooper’s also hoping to get to Georgia and Florida this fall as well. He knows the coaches like his elusiveness and athleticism.
Cooper doesn’t have a monopoly on athleticism. Lamareon James, ATH, 5-11, 175, Indian River High School, Chesapeake, VA was timed at 4.3 in the forty at Virginia Tech’s camp and that speed is mixed with a versatility that will enable him to play on either side of the ball at the next level. Coaches from universities like Virginia, Virginia Tech, Maryland, North Carolina, Michigan and Morgan State have already stepped up with offers and Notre Dame may not be far off. They reached out to James this summer and invited him to a game this fall.
“I was surprised but I was also excited at the same time,” he said. “I know they’re good every year. I know they play big time schools, so I just can’t wait to visit to see what the academic program is about and also see what’s on campus.”
James is not taking his scholarship offers for granted.
It’s a blessing for me because growing up, I had a lot of doubters, people doubting me,” he shared. “I just show up when it’s time to play and I proved everyone wrong. Coaches say they like my speed, they like that I can play multiple positions. On the offensive side they like that I can play running back and slot receiver at the same time.”
James has taken unofficial visits to Maryland and North Carolina, as well as camping at Virginia Tech. He has good things to say about his Maryland and North Carolina visits.
“They were great,” he said. “As I said, I like to look at the academics first, so when I went to both of their schools, I first went to see what the academics were about and then I looked to see what the sports were about.”
He intends to take more visits in the fall, but right now he’s focusing on three schools, Notre Dame, Michigan and Virginia Tech. He plans to study engineering and all three are in the top 25% of engineering schools in the nation. His other priority in choosing a school is his comfort level.
“The biggest thing is going to be whether I feel like I’m at home.”
These two summaries represent just a sample of the Notre Dame football recruiting information available each week on Irish Sports Daily.