Notre Dame football recruiting: Still hope for WR McKenzie?

KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Despite the academic challenges that are still holding him back, wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie wants in at Notre Dame.

The 5-foot-8, 160-pounder proved his football prowess for Florida state champ American Heritage this sea-son, but his academic standing prevented Notre Dame from accepting a verbal commitment from him in October. That hasn’t changed his feelings about the Irish.

“Right now, I really want to go to Notre Dame. (Running backs/slot receivers) coach (Tony) Alford really wants me to come as well. I'm just waiting on my test scores in January and we'll see where it goes from there.”

The list of backup schools for McKenzie includes West Virginia, Rutgers and Wake Forest, but he has yet to line up visits with those schools.

McKenzie took the SAT for the second time on Dec. 7, but said he doesn’t know his score yet. He also plans to take the test once again on Jan. 25. With that and a better dedication in the classroom, McKenzie hopes everything works out for him and the Irish.

“I put myself in this situation by not doing the right things in school,” McKenzie said. “I needed to be re-minded what I wanted to do to get on the right track and do the right thing. I just gotta do what I gotta do now.”

As a senior, McKenzie rushed 22 times for 251 yards and seven touchdowns, caught 41 passes for 892 yards and seven touchdowns, and tallied 793 yards on punt and kickoff returns with six more touchdowns.

TJames1@SBTinfo.com | 574-235-6214 | Twitter: @TJamesNDI