Recently Rivals has done a series of articles where they take a look at a prospects top list and rank the contenders for their verbal commitment. After Maryland WR Don’t’e Thornton released his Top 12 schools this weekend, Rivals recruiting analyst Adam Friedman ranked the contenders for Thornton’s pledge.
The way Friedman see’s the star WR’s recruiting going at the moment has the Irish running third, behind Oregon and Penn State. Although Oregon is the first school that is mentioned, “If the Ducks are in the lead for Thornton, it isn’t by much.” This bodes well for Notre Dame’s recruitment of the 6’5” and 195-pound star.
Previously Thornton had been committed to Penn State, backing off his verbal in August of last year. Although rare, players have recommitted to their original school, and Thornton is continuing to have a relationship with the Nittany Lion’s staff. What the do have going for them at the moment is fresh faces, as James Franklin had to replace his WR coach with Taylor Stubblefield and his offensive coordinator with Kirk Ciarrocca, who just coached arguably the best pair of WR’s in the country last year at Minnesota.
Being in third place isn’t a bad spot to be for the Irish, as Thornton “was on campus last summer and really enjoyed the atmosphere.” It gave him a feel similar to his high school, which is always a plus in recruiting. Notre Dame has an opportunity to add another talented WR to their roster and it looks like the Irish will hope that they can edge out the other top contenders.