Recruiting Week In Review
Written by Joe Bradshaw
Notre Dame’s game with Pittsburgh was their next to last chance to have recruits in for a game day recruiting visit and they made the most of it. The mostly Class of 2020 group got to see a thrilling Irish come from behind victory and experience the culture of success that the Notre Dame coaches are working very hard to develop. Not every win can be a pretty one, but sometimes even the best teams win ugly. That’s the difference between good teams and great teams.
Two prospects in the Class of 2020 that the Irish are recruiting visited for the Pittsburgh game and experienced the Notre Dame game day experience up close and personal. Irish Sports Daily reported on their impressions from the visit. What have you been missing by not being a member of Irish Sports Daily?
Jordan Turner, LB, 6-3, 220, Farmington High School, Farmington, MI watched Notre Dame struggle to defeat a determined Pittsburgh team and while he may not have seen the Irish at their best, he still loved what he heard from Head Coach Brian Kelly after the game.
“After the game, he said it wasn’t the performance they wanted but at least they won so they have to get better for next week and the next five games,” he recalled.
He also enjoyed the trip and the opportunity to see the campus.
“It was nice,” he shared. I liked it. They took me to the locker room. I went to their player panel and I liked it.”
Turner currently holds scholarship offers from Boston College, Pittsburgh, Maryland, Rutgers, Syracuse and others. While he doesn’t yet have a Notre Dame offer he met with the Irish coaches on his trip and found out what they liked about him.
“They said they really liked my size and they told me to enjoy my time there,” he said. “I’m going to keep in touch with the coaches from Notre Dame.”
Turner didn’t get the full campus tour, but he did get a chance to see some things and nothing impressed him more than the full Notre Dame stadium. Notre Dame’s defense probably came in a close second.
“I like how they were playing,” he said. “I can play that linebacker position. I think I could play where number 22 (Asmar Bilal) plays.”
Semaj Brown, S, 6-1, 175, Thornton Fractional North High School, Calumet City, IL also visited Notre Dame for the Pittsburgh game. Like Turner, he also doesn’t yet have a Notre Dame offer but is hoping to earn one. And also like Turner, he enjoyed the visit.
“It was amazing, amazing,” Brown said of his visit. “The atmosphere, how everything was laid out, how the players were. Everything was just amazing. People were kind, people were so nice. They were just having fun. They love just watching them play. Me watching them and seeing what they do was just great.”
Brown was well aware of the fact that Notre Dame didn’t play very well but he also appreciated their determination in getting the victory.
“They did not give up, that’s one thing,” he said. “They were down. At first, they didn’t start off well, but they picked it up. I was happy they stayed in the game and didn’t give up.”
Like Turner, Brown could envision himself playing for a Notre Dame defense.
“Every drive I would picture myself down there playing,” he said. “I could fit in well with everything they were doing.”
While at Notre Dame, Brown spoke with Notre Dame Director of Football Recruiting, Aaryn Kearney.
“When I was little I came up there,” Brown recalled. “He remembered me. He was talking to me about the offers I got and how amazing the school is.”
Brown does plan to stay in touch with Notre Dame.
“Just stay in touch with the coaches and send my transcripts over and see if I can get a scholarship,” he said of his plans moving forward.
These two summaries represent just a sample of the Notre Dame football recruiting information available each week on Irish Sports Daily.