Print Edition of Irish Insider for National Signing Day

Meet the Class of 2017

Jafar arMstrong

wiDe receiver

6’1” • 185 Bishop Miege High School Shawnee Mission, Kan.

originally committed to missouri, Jafar Armstrong switched his commitment to notre dame on Jan. 29. Armstrong was a wide receiver and kick returner at bishop miege high school near his hometown of shawnee mission, Kansas. At bishop miege, Armstrong helped carry the team to three consecutive state championships while earning recognition as an allstate receiver in each season. he holds the Kansas high-school state record for most touchdown receptions at 45, snagging 21 in his senior year. Armstrong’s athleticism means he may see time on the special teams unit.

Jordan genMark-heath

saftey

6’2” • 205 Cathedral Catholic High School San Diego

notre dame received good news on Jan. 26 when safety recruit Jordan Genmark-heath announced via Twitter that he had decommitted from california and committed to notre dame. Genmark-heath committed to cal back in october, but rescinded his commitment because of coaching changes in the program. Genmarkheath is currently ranked by rivals.com as the no. 67 athlete in the class and the no. 73 player in the state of california. he is listed by rivals.com at 6 feet, 2 inches and 205 pounds. At safety, Genmarkheath recorded 65 tackles, four interceptions and five pass-deflections during his senior year.

david adaMs

linebacker

6’1” • 225 Central Catholic High School Pittsburgh

Three-star linebacker david Adams verbally committed to notre dame in march and will join high school teammate Kurt h inish in south bend as members of the class of 2017.

Adams totalled 95 tackles, five sacks and an interception in his senior season.

Adams is at his best when he gets to play downhill in run defense or in obvious passrush situations. Adams does not avoid blocks so much as he runs through them to reach the quarterback or ball-carrier.

Adams is listed at 6 feet, 1 inch and 225 pounds.

dillan gibbons

Defensive line

6’4” • 295 Clearwater Central Catholic Clearwater, Fla.

dillan Gibbons was one of the first commits in the class of 2017 for notre dame. Gibbons made his decision to play in south bend in early April 2015. Gibbons has shown flashes of finesse in his game, but at 295 pounds, it is his brute force that sets him apart from other guards in his class. With the offensive line always talented for the Irish, Gibbs may look to train in positions across the line, demonstrating throughout his high school career that he has the athleticism to help notre dame anywhere it needs him. Gibbons will join the 12 scholarship offensive linemen already on the team.

aaron banks

offensive line

6’7” • 344 El Cerrito High School El Cerrito, Ca.

notre dame finds size and talent in four-star recruit Aaron banks. While the offensive line will be returning many of its starters, the unit has lacked the depth it has boasted in years past, something banks will add. banks is the 13th-ranked offensive tackle in the country and comes in at the 16th-best recruit in his home state of california, according to r ivals. com. banks’ combination of size and athleticism leave his future open, as he has the ability to play as either a tackle or a guard.

robert hainsey

offensive line

6’5” • 276 IMG Academy Bradenton, Fl.

The Irish have already added Under Armour All-American robert hainsey to their ranks on the offensive line. hainsey has strong pass-blocking and runblocking abilities, giving him future opportunities at both offensive tackle and guard. hainsey will add depth to the Irish roster, no matter which position he ultimately plays. hainsey comes into notre dame as the 11th-ranked offensive tackle in the country and 21st best commit overall coming out of Florida, according to rivals. com. hainsey attended ImG Academy in bradenton, Florida, for his high school career, but is originally from Pittsburgh.

avery davis

quarterback

5’11” • 188 Cedar Hill High School Cedar Hill, Tx.

davis is a r ivals.com threestar recruit ranked as the 19thbest signal-caller in the class of 2017. The dual-threat quarterback follows in the footsteps of fellow dual-threat gunslingers and recent signees deshone Kizer and brandon Wimbush.

The quarterback possesses elite speed for the position and has a strong, accurate arm. As a starter for dallas powerhouse cedar hill, davis played against some of the best high school talent in the country, accounting for 2,148 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and only four interceptions in his junior season.

kurt hinish

Defensive line

6’3” • 283 Central Catholic High School Pittsburgh

Kurt hinish, an athletic defensive tackle, has great potential to be an asset to the notre dame defense. From Pittsburgh, the central catholic high school product is a force to be reckoned with, especially with his ability to be extremely fast off the line of scrimmage. hinish had notable offers from baylor, Pittsburgh, Penn state and Tennessee among others.

hinish has a big frame with great quickness to get into the backfield, with plenty of room for development on his game. hinish joins teammate david Adams in the notre dame recruiting class of 2017.

ewell

Defensive line

6’4” • 295 Lake Taylor High School Norfolk, Va.

The Irish gained a valuable addition for their defense from norfolk, virginia in darnell ewell. A defensive tackle, ewell attended Lake Taylor high school and verbally committed to the Irish on July 15. With his speed, agility, and strength, ewell is not afraid to take his opponent head-on. ewell will compete from the moment he steps on notre dame campus. he is able to shock the offense before breaking through and taking down runners. his level of intensity and physical capabilities should allow him to become a strong collegiate player and a boost to the Irish front.

running back

6’ • 190 Chesire Academy Hamden, Conn.

At the running back position, notre dame’s backfield will be boosted by the commitment of four-star running back c.J. holmes. ranked as the fifth-best all purpose back in the nation by rivals. com, holmes stands at 6 feet, 200 pounds. holmes has already enrolled at notre dame for this semester in preparation of next season along with four others from the class of 2017.

Joining a team that looks to have a rebound season, holmes may have a chance to make an immediate contribution at both running back and wide receiver, Irish head coach brian Kelly said at his presser Wednesday.

Meet the class of 2017

cole

kMet

tight end

6’6” • 240

St. Viator High School

Arlington Heights, Ill.

The Irish managed to land one of the best tight ends in the country in cole Kmet, an Army AllAmerican and four-star recruit, ranked 95th overall in the class by rivals.com.

Kmet chose the Irish over a host of other schools, including michigan, ohio state, michigan state and Iowa, committing in october 2015. Kmet impressed with his receiving and blocking as a participant in the U.s. Army All-American bowl this January. Kmet is a very talented recruit. certainly presents an option for the Irish offense.

Myron tagovailoa-aMosa

defensive Line

6’4” • 270

Kapolei High School

Kapolei, Haw.

myron Tagovailoa-Amosa received serious buzz going into signing day. The three-star defensive tackle boasted thirteen division I offers, including Usc and Washington, but committed to the Irish on signing day.

Tagovailoa-Amosa is a highmotor player who has both the size and athleticism to get into the backfield and make plays in run defense. he finished last season with 18 sacks as a senior in high school, and is ranked as the no. 4 prospect in hawaii by rivals.com. he proves to be a strong addition to a defensive line that could use his athleticism up front to improve upon last year’s pass rush.

Joshua lugg offensive Line

6’7” • 280 North Allegheny High School Wexford, Pa.

Lugg, despite his impressive physical traits, was not highly touted at the time he committed to notre dame in the middle of August 2015 — however, his reputation changed after a strong showing in the Army All-American game. now a four-star recruit according to r ivals.com, Lugg jumped to 22nd for his position and sixth overall in Pennsylvania. Look for Lugg to learn from the impressive offensive line already in place at notre dame before becoming an impact player down the road.

kofi warDlow

defensive Line

6’4” • 295 St. John College High School Washington D.C.

Three-star recruit Kofi

Wardlow is a weakside linebacker, who can play defensive end, from st. John’s college h igh school in Washington. he is a member of the class of 2017 listed at 6 feet, 3 inches and 230 pounds. r ivals.com has him ranked 47th for his position and as the seventh overall recruit from the district of columbia.

Wardlow is known for his speed rush and his ability to put pressure on the quarterback from the edge. In only his second season of playing football, Kofi finished his senior season with 84 tackles, 28.5 tackles for loss, and 9.5 sacks.

Jonathon Maccollister

defensive Line

6’4” • 253

Bishop Moore High School Orlando, Fla.

Three-star defensive end Jonathon maccollister committed to notre dame on June 17. ranked 45th nationally at the defensive end position, maccollister stands at 6 feet, 4 inches and 253 pounds. he is a native of orlando, Florida, where he attended bishop moore catholic high school. Throughout his high school career, maccollister showed the ability to get after the quarterback as well as to stand strong against the rushing attack of his opponents. he’ll look to continue much of the same at notre dame.

brock

tight end

6’5” • 238

Cy-Fair High School Cypress, Tx.

one of notre dame’s top recruits in the 2017 class is tight end brock Wright from cypress, Texas. As the no. 44 overall recruit according to r ivals.com and the top tight end recruit, Wright was a highly sought after player who signed with the Irish on June 26, 2015. With ability to pull and block downfield, Wright could be a significant addition to the Irish offense.

Wright will be the quarterback’s friend as a big target who is able to quickly create space from his opponent and run down the field. With his talent, he will open up notre dame’s depth chart again.

JereMiah owusu-koraMoah

Linebacker

5’11” • 188 Bethel High School Hampton, Va.

owusu-Koramoah decommitted and visited both notre dame and michigan state in the finals weeks before signing day. The three-star linebacker, who informed Irish head coach brian Kelly of his commitment during Kelly’s presser, is ranked as the no. 40 outside linebacker prospect by rivals.com.

Under new defensive coordinator mike elko, owusu-Koramoah looks to be a good fit in the rover position and figures to be utilized in quarterback-spy situations. owusu-Koramoah has good size and could see play at linebacker.

Michael young

wide receiver

5’11” • 175 Destrehan High School Destrehan, La.

michael Young, a quick and speedy wide receiver, is sure to get well-acquainted with notre dame’s offense. The destrehan, Louisiana, native ran in an offense which is quite similar to Irish head coach brian Kelly’s offensive system. Young had notable offers from Arizona, Auburn, oregon and West virginia among others. Young has the potential of becoming a great receiver in notre dame’s spread offense. Young has the ability to out-step defensive backs and run crisp routes. Young is also known for outmuscling defenders and creating good blocks down the field as well. he was rated a three-star recruit by r ivals.

isiah robertson safety

6’2” • 185 Neuqua Valley High School Naperville, Il.

Although robertson also excelled as a kick returner and wide receiver for neuqua valley high school, the notre dame coaching staff believes robertson will be most impactful playing in the Irish secondary. The four-star, 6-foot-2 inch, 185-pound athlete from naperville, Illinois, is rated as no. 4 prospect from Illinois and the no. 202 overall prospect, according to r ivals.com. If his slimmer frame starts to fill out, robertson should be even tougher, as he already plays the ball well in the air and is not afraid of contact.

Johnathan Doerer kicker

6’ 3’’ • 183 South Mecklenburg High School Charlotte, NC.

notre dame added a kicker to its 2017 class on signing day with 6-foot, 3-inch prospect Jonathan doerer. doerer attended south mecklenburg high school in charlotte, north carolina, and is a two-star recruit according to percent of doerer’s kickoffs resulted in touchbacks.

Drew white

Linebacker

6’ 1’’ • 225 St. Thomas Aquinas High School Fort Lauderdale, Fl.

o n film, d rew White constantly delivers big hits while displaying both speed and explosiveness. c onsidered an impassioned leader at s t. Thomas Aquinas, White could eventually captain the Irish defense at the middle linebacker position.

class of 2017 offers plenty of potential

There are a lot of ways to look at notre dame’s 2017 recruiting class.

You could look at it as a disappointing end to what at one point had the makings of a top-five haul. After an impressive zero decommitments last year, the Irish lost six different high school prospects during or after the 2016 season who had verbally committed to notre dame.

had linebacker donovan Jeter, wide receiver Jordan Pouncey and cornerbacks Paulson Adebo and elijah hicks signed with the Irish today, brian Kelly would be a much happier man.

but that’s what a 4-8 season, no bowl game and a lot of coaching turnover does. It’s hard to compete with schools like michigan, ohio state or Alabama for recruits when you lose to duke and navy.

Which brings us to the other way to look at the 2017 recruiting class: despite all the coaching changes and the poor season, notre dame still managed to sign 21 scholarship athletes and keep the core of its class together.

Irish head coach brian Kelly deserves a lot of credit for this. I have always maintained that recruiting is one of Kelly’s biggest strengths, and his staff pulled off some key late flips for a team looking to get back to the top of college football.

The 2017 class alone will not accomplish this, but the message it sends to the college football world is a strong one: don’t count notre dame out.

because while all the attention was focused on who left, who stayed will cement the future of notre dame football.

Kelly and new offensive coordinator chip Long have all the tools they need to bring back “Tight-end U” with brock Wright

and cole Kmet — the no. 1 and no. 3-ranked tight end prospects, respectively. And that’s not to mention junior Alize Jones coming back from a suspension next season. The Irish will be loaded at the tight end spot.

on the offensive line, notre dame picked up four recruits — three of whom are four-star prospects — to add to what has traditionally been the strongest unit for the Irish. Aaron brooks is the name to watch here, and he could very easily become notre dame’s next ronnie stanley. one notable weakness to the 2017 class is at cornerback, but notre dame flipped four-star safety Jordan Genmark-heath late in the process and has enough young players with experience to fill that need.

The class is a little bit short at the offensive skill positions, but running back c.J. holmes is creating a lot of buzz, and we may see him at wide receiver before all is said and done.

And all of this leaves out the remarkable fact that the Irish flipped three of their targets on signing day itself. Linebacker/safety Jeremiah owusu-Koramoah, defensive lineman myron TagovailoaAmosa and linebacker Kofi Wardlow all turned notre dame’s way when it mattered most. obviously, there’s a long way to go before notre dame gets back to the glory days, but after a disappointing season, national signing day brought momentum to a program which badly needed it. Kelly has his players. he worked hard to get them. now he just has to coach them.

Contact Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@nd.edu

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

New coaches propel strong final recruiting month

By ZACH KLONSINSKI Assistant managing e ditor

Just a month ago, it looked to many fans as if n otre d ame’s 2017 recruiting efforts were going to match the team’s on-field performance in 2016.

The list of Irish decommitments seemed almost as star-studded as those who were still riding the train to s outh b end, especially after two cornerbacks — r ivals. com four-stars Paulson Adebo and e lijah h icks — decided to reopen their recruiting process Jan. 9 and 10, respectively.

Adebo and h icks joined four other players, including four-stars defensive end r obert b eal and linebacker Pete Werner, who had decommitted from n otre d ame following a 4-8 season and numerous coaching changes.

“The first loss, the second loss, the third loss didn’t really have an impact,” according to b ryan d riskell, recruiting analyst for b lue and Gold Illustrated. “They didn’t really lose guys.

“ b ut then they kept losing and kept losing and kept losing and kept losing, and then you’re 4-8 and your coach is on the hot seat, and there’s a lot of uncertainty. And that’s when you start losing kids.”

d espite the decommits, d riskell said the panic from some fans surrounding what was a top-10 class entering the season was hyperbolic.

“People are talking about, ‘This is like some of those Tyrone Willingham classes or some of [ c harlie Weis’s] bad classes,’ and it’s really not bad at all,” d riskell said. “ … People don’t deal with disappointment very well.

People don’t deal with things not going their way very well. s o instead of looking at it, ‘oK, well that’s a bummer, but what is the class?’ it’s ‘o h my god, n otre d ame’s never going to win another football game.’ The perception gets a little extreme.”

And that was before the new faces on the coaching staff went to work.

“They’re grinders. They really are grinders,” d riskell said of the new coaching staff. “The work ethic this staff has shown has really been impressive in a short period of time. b eing able to make three flips, to be able to keep the class together that they inherited basically together … is really impressive.”

n otre d ame successfully flipped four players in the week leading up to national s igning d ay: three-star receiver Jafar Armstrong, twostar kicker Jonathan d oerer, three-star defensive end Kofi Wardlow and three-star linebacker Jeremiah o wusu. The latter pair also comprised two of n otre d ame’s three signees on national s igning d ay, bringing the total number of Irish commits to 21.

“‘It’s n otre d ame.’ That’s what the kids are saying,” d riskell said on why kids have flipped to the Irish.

“And ‘ h ow can I pass up an opportunity play at n otre d ame?’”

d riskell said most of the credit for the final-week turnaround lay with the new coaches and the organizational efforts of Irish recruiting coordinator m ike e lston, who is entering his second season in that role.

“They’re all engaging guys,” d riskell said. “When you coach at the level these

guys came from — when you coach at b owling Green and you coach at Wake Forest — the product you’re selling isn’t as good, so you have to sell you. It’s a whole different animal.”

d riskell highlighted one example with new offensive coordinator c hip Long and Armstrong, the receiver who flipped his commitment from m issouri to n otre d ame on Wednesday.

“Jafar Armstrong is a kid that c hip Long actually recruited when he was at m emphis, so when he got hired they made Jafar Armstrong a priority,” d riskell said. “ … h e seems like a real competitive kid who really wants to prove himself at the highest level, and with all due respect, m issouri’s not the highest level. n otre d ame still is.”

d riskell said it’s hard to forecast how the new faces on the coaching staff will handle recruiting long-term despite the success of the last few weeks, but he said they are checking all the boxes n otre d ame needs them to. “ d o we know what kind of long-term recruiters they’re going to be? n o. b ut as a former recruiting coordinator, I’ve always believed there are three keys to being a successful recruiter. o ne is you’ve got to work your tail off. n umber two: you’ve got to be organized. And three, you have to have a personality.

“And if you do that, and you have a good product to sell, which n otre d ame’s a pretty good product, then I think you can be a good recruiter.”

Contact Zach Klonsinski at zklonsin@nd.edu

Perception overshadows deep class for ND

By BEN PADANILAM Associate sports e ditor

one year ago, notre dame finished national signing day with the 13th-ranked class in the nation, per rivals.

one season later, that number did not change. but the perception and makeup of the class did, with a 4-8 season souring the promise of a top-10 class, according to blue and Gold Illustrated recruiting analyst bryan driskell.

“When you get excited for what a class should be — and they spent the whole year in the top 10, all year they’re in the top 10 — and you’re thinking, ‘This is going to be a really good class, and if we can just win some games, we can add this guy and that guy and the other guy,” driskell said. “ … obviously this

class is not going to meet the goals and objectives as far as adding impact players that it could have and should have had they had a better season. simple as that.”

however, that disappointment has also led to the perception of this year’s class being blown far out of proportion by many notre dame fans.

“[This class is] not as good as it should have been, but it’s also not this disaster, ‘oh my god, this sets notre dame back’ class that people are making it out to be,” driskell said. “It’s right in between those two.

“ … It’s not going to be that high impact class, but what it does is it infuses the roster with good depth and some really quality football players.”

Amongst those quality players

are the likes of brock Wright — the no. 44-ranked overall prospect and top-ranked tight end according to rivals — and offensive lineman Joshua Lugg, who, like Wright, is among the total of eight rivals’ four-star recruits notre dame landed in the 2017 class. driskell believes several of those players could see the field and make an impact as soon as next season.

“You’re still adding good football players. You’re adding guys that have a chance to come in and be impactful,” he said. “You look at a brock Wright; he could play next season. darnell ewell, he could play next season. I have Josh Lugg as the second- or third-best offensive tackle in the country on my grading scale.

“so you’re adding guys who can flat-out come in and play. c.J.

holmes is a highly-ranked running back. Isaiah robertson’s a highly ranked safety. They’ve added two linebackers who I think can play for them.

“There’s some guys coming in — the offensive line class is one of the five, six best in the country. so they’re adding good football players.”

The one thing that the class is lacking, however, is a clear star recruit at a skill position, which has been an area the Irish have had a lot of success in the recent past, according to driskell.

“What they’re not adding are some of the elite, top-end skill players like they have in previous seasons like an equanimeous st. brown, a Javon mcKinley, a chase claypool, a donte vaughn, a Troy Pride [or] a Jalen elliott; guys along

those lines,” he said. but even without that elite talent, the Irish were able to build the depth of their class late. After looking as though it would settle for as few as 15 recruits, notre dame added six more recruits over the final week to bring its final total to 21. so for now, driskell said the 2017 recruiting class will be remembered much like the 2016 Irish season: a disappointment with the late infusion of youth to serve as a silver lining.

“It’s disappointing that the class is not what it should have been, but at the end of the day, this is still a good recruiting class filled with very good depth and some very good football players,” he said.

Contact Ben Padanilam at bpadanil@nd.edu