Tag: college football recruiting

Notre Dame Football: Five-Star Receiver Jordan Johnson Signs with Irish

With the playmakers in this class you can easily see why this recruiting class is expected to be much more impactful for Notre Dame than some of the ranking spots it has received.

Notre Dame swing for the fences and hit an absolutely mammoth home run in this recruiting cycle when Jordan Johnson’s National Letter of Intent arrived Wednesday.

Johnson, a St. Louis product is a five-star recruit and the most highly-regarded receiver Notre Dame has landed during Brian Kelly’s ten years at the helm.

Johnson had 26 different offers and some thought he may explore elsewhere after Chip Long’s departure but that proved to not be the case Wednesday.

Alabama, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Texas A&M, USC and Wisconsin were just a few of the traditional powers to offer Johnson.

His junior highlights are a bit old by now but these are the best compilation of Johnson’s work I could find.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmD5pi3HcAE&w=560&h=315]

I can’t put into words how big of a get this is for Brian Kelly and his staff.  247Sports ranks Johnson as the highest recruit that Notre Dame has landed since Michael Floyd in 2008 and the third best since 2000, with only Duval Kamara also being ranked ahead of him.

Couple him with Tyree and Notre Dame has their second and third offensive skill position players to sign on with Notre Dame and come with a five-star ranking since Brian Kelly took over in 2010.

With the playmakers in this class you can easily see why this recruiting class is expected to be much more impactful for Notre Dame than some of the ranking spots it has received.

Notre Dame Football: Cornerback Landon Bartleson Signs with Irish

Bartleson is listed at 6-1, 182 pounds and originally committed to Notre Dame back in June of this year.

Signee number four of Wednesday morning was three-star cornerback Landon Bartleson of Danville, Kentucky (Boyle County High School).

Bartleson chose Notre Dame over the likes of Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan and Colorado.

If you’d like to see his speed on display the best example of that would be this touchdown run early this past September.

Bartleson is listed at 6-1, 182 pounds and originally committed to Notre Dame back in June of this year.

Notre Dame Football: 5-Star RB Chris Tyree Signs with Irish

An easy way to see how big of signing a player can be is by looking at other schools to offer them and as Tyree’s list includes but is not limited to the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State, its easy to see good of player he is.

Perhaps the biggest name of the day to sign a letter of intent for Notre Dame has officially done so as Chris Tyree is officially a member of Notre Dame’s 2020 recruiting haul.

Tyree is a speedy, shifty all-purpose back that comes with a five-star grade from 247Sports and ranked as the 25th highest player nationwide in this 2020 class.

An easy way to see how big of signing a player can be is by looking at other schools to offer them and as Tyree’s list includes but is not limited to the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State, its easy to see good of player he is.

Running backs coach Lance Taylor and former offensive coordinator Chip Long hit a long home run with this signing.

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Tyree enters Notre Dame as the most coveted recruit at running back since perhaps Julius Jones.  It’s feels safe to say if you aren’t already familiar with his work that you’ll quickly become familiar with what the captain of the Under Armour All-American Game has to offer.

Tyree is scheduled to enroll in June of 2020.

You can find a fantastic write up on Tyree here.

Notre Dame’s National Signing Day: Five Things to Know

Five-star wide receiver Jordan Johnson hadn’t announced if he was going to announce his signing on Wednesday and some took that as him not being thrilled with Chip Long’s departure and what it meant for his commitment.

 

The early period for recruits in the class of 2020 to sign their letters of intent is upon us and it promises to be a huge day for the future of Notre Dame football.

The first commitment was announced by the Notre Dame football Twitter account around 1:30 AM ET on Wednesday with the official announcement coming from German prospect, Alexander Ehrensberger, a three-star defensive end.

In what will be a huge day in shaping the landscape of college football for the next few years here are five things you should know about Notre Dame’s day:

1:  Size Matters (at least in rankings):

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Ohio State Recruiting: 5 things to watch heading into the 2020 early signing period

It’ll be the third year of the implementation of the early signing period. Here’s five things to watch for Ohio state and Ryan Day.

Here we go with another crazy start to the early signing period for college football. It’s squashed right in the middle of all the playoff and bowl preparations, meaning coaches are working double and triple-time on the already crazy hours this profession demands.

Nobody really knew how this early signing period would play out, but what we’ve seen over the first two years is that over 80% of a college program’s class is typically taken on the first day of the period. That means its a pretty bid deal and can make or break the future of a place like Ohio State.

Here’s five things to watch heading into the 2020 early signing period set to begin on Wednesday.

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Notre Dame Football: Star Tight End Recruit Confirms Commitment

Theoretically that is still the case with Notre Dame and Michael Mayer, a four-star tight end recruit out of Alexandria, Kentucky, but there sure don’t appear to be any issues holding him up from officially becoming part of Notre Dame’s 2020 class.

I understand it because until the ink is dry and every “t” is crossed and “i” is dotted there is always a chance something could change.

Theoretically that is still the case with Notre Dame and Michael Mayer, a four-star tight end recruit out of Alexandria, Kentucky, but there sure don’t appear to be any issues holding him up from officially becoming part of Notre Dame’s 2020 class.

With the early signing period coming Wednesday, Mayer took to Twitter to confirm his intentions later this week.

You can see the top-rated player in Kentucky participate in the 2020 Army All-American Bowl on January 4. The game will air on NBC at 2:00 pm ET.

Mayer is one of five Notre Dame commitments scheduled to appear in the game.

Notre Dame Football: Never Fear, Tyree Will Be Here

Tyree is ranked by 247Sports to be the No. 1 overall all-purpose back nationally and 25th best player nationally in the 2020 class.

Whenever you shuffle a coaching staff you wonder if it’ll effect recruiting efforts, especially if you’re replacing your offensive coordinator who was helping recruit one of the most sought after running backs in the nation.

Never fear Notre Dame fans: Chris Tyree is 100% on board with his commitment and plans to sign on day one of the Early Signing Period which comes next Wednesday.

Tom Loy of 247Sports had the full report and recap which can be found here. You can find out when Tyree will be enrolling if you click there and be able to read a few quotes from the future Notre Dame back.

Brian Kelly, Lance Taylor (RB), DelVaughn Alexander (WR) and Brian Polian (ST) all joined in on the trip to Chester, Virginia.

Tyree is ranked by 247Sports to be the No. 1 overall all-purpose back nationally and 25th best player nationally in the 2020 class.

Notre Dame Football: Blake Fisher “Can’t Wait” for Visit This Weekend

Fisher chose Notre Dame over the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Michigan and Wisconsin among plenty of other collegiate powerhouses that offered him a scholarship.

Tuesday it was announced by Rivals in their new top-100 rankings that five Notre Dame players were on the list, tied with only Ohio State for the most by any school in the nation.

The highest ranked player on that list for Notre Dame checked in at 18, offensive tackle Blake Fisher of Avon, Indiana.

Fisher let it be known on Twitter on Wednesday that he’ll be back on campus this weekend.

Rivals ranks Fisher as not only the 18th best player in next year’s recruiting class but the top overall player in Indiana next season and the fourth highest offensive tackle in the entire country.

Fisher chose Notre Dame over the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Michigan and Wisconsin among plenty of other collegiate powerhouses that offered him a scholarship.  As you can probably guess, Fisher looks like an alien compared to the other high-schoolers in his highlight tape, one that you can see right here:

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Notre Dame Football: Irish Dominate 2021 Rivals 100

What was viewed as a top class received further validation as the five Notre Dame commitments was the most of any school besides Ohio State who also had five.

Tuesday saw the release of the latest Rivals 100 list, ranking the top 100 prospects in the Class of 2021.

What was already viewed as a top class received further validation as the five Notre Dame commitments was the most of any school besides Ohio State who also had five.

Here’s how a few future members of the Fighting Irish Football team ranked:

Offensive tackle Blake Fisher of Avon, Michigan was the highest ranked Notre Dame commitment, checking in at 18.

The 6’6″, 330 pounder also checks in as the highest rated player from Michigan in 2021.

Lorenzo Styles, Jr. checks in at 34 overall and is the fourth highest rated receiver.

Styles committed to Notre Dame after making an official visit on USC weekend this last October and ranks as the second highest player for 2021 from the state of Ohio.

Quarterback Tyler Buchner of La Jolla, California sky-rocketed in these rankings moving up 23 spots to 42nd overall. Injuries kept Buchner from the field his sophomore but he wasted no time showing off his stardom this fall, leading his team to a state finals appearance.

Buchner had an insane performance in that game despite a loss and remains listed as a “pro style” quarterback – something you may question if you’re to watch any highlights.

Athlete Deion Colzie of Athens, Georgia also soared in these latest rankings, up 23 spots this time to 72.

The 6’4″ Colzie figures to be a favorite target of Buchner’s in the future.

Finally defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio came in at 95, down nine spots from his previous ranking.

Rubio, of St. Peters, Missouri is the only committed defensive player in Notre Dame’s 2021 recruiting class.

Although early, Notre Dame’s hot start on the recruiting trail has them currently sitting atop the 2021 recruiting rankings.

Notre Dame Football: Offers Star Defensive End Scholarship

offers from several powerhouses including Ohio State, LSU, Michigan, Penn State, Florida and plenty of others. He made it known to the world Monday that Notre Dame was in.

The race to find the next great pass rusher at Notre Dame is on as Brian Kelly’s staff made a big-time scholarship offer Monday, to one of the top 2021 prospects in all of the northeast.

Aaron Armitage is listed as a four-star recruit from Blair Academy in New Jersey has already been given offers from several powerhouses including Ohio State, LSU, Michigan, Penn State, Florida and plenty of others. He made it known to the world Monday that Notre Dame was in.

Armitage is listed as 6-4 and 242 pounds and is easy to spot on film.

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The current Notre Dame commitment list in 2021 is very-highly regarded but only has one defensive player on it, Gabriel Rubio, a defensive tackle from Saint Peters, Missouri.