WR recruit Boykin making another trip to Notre Dame

The weekend following signing day, Miles Boykin made a trip to Notre Dame. The visit didn’t unfold like a typical recruiting event, but he knew that he wanted to return soon.

He’ll do so Saturday for Notre Dame’s junior day.

“I just really liked it,” said Boykin, a wide receiver from Providence Catholic in New Lenox, Ill. “I had a good feeling when I was down there. I didn't get to meet all the coaches because they were on vacation, but I really like (safeties) coach (Bob) Elliott.”

Elliott took over Boykin’s recruitment following the departure of offensive coordinator Chuck Martin, who recruited the state of Illinois for the Irish. Saturday’s visit will mark Boykin’s third trip to Notre Dame — he also visited in November for the BYU game — and he’s hoping to find out where he fits in the Irish recruiting plan.

At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, Notre Dame has recruited Boykin as a hybrid tight end/receiver but hasn’t extended an offer. He’ll be able to strengthen his relationship with more members of the coaching staff Saturday.

“They said they think I'm the best in the Midwest at that position and maybe one of the top guys in the nation, so they're definitely interested in me,” Boykin said. “Hopefully an offer is coming soon.”

The hybrid option intrigues Boykin, who plays mainly wide receiver at Providence Catholic. Virginia Tech has also pitched a similar concept to him, which would utilize him both as an attached tight end and a split-out wide receiver. The Irish staff can easily call on footage from Tyler Eifert’s career as an example.

“It's an interesting position to be not really pinned down to do one thing,” Boykin said.

His size and athleticism has attracted the likes of Michigan State, Ole Miss, Illinois and Kentucky to offer. Recently LSU has started to express interest in Boykin, who also stars on the Providence basketball team. He scored 24 points in the regular season finale this week.

“I don't really have any favorites yet, but Notre Dame is definitely a school I'm very interested in,” Boykin said. “They're close to home, the academics are outstanding there and the football is as well."

Boykin hopes to build a busy spring schedule with visits to Oregon, Michigan State and Ohio State. His offer list could start to expand after a boost in the Rivals rankings. He sits as the No. 10 wide receiver and at No. 114 overall in their recent rankings update. 247Sports slates him as a four-star prospect and the No. 41 wide receiver.

"I'd rather play receiver if I had a choice, but I don't think it's that big of a difference,” Boykin said. “The coaches are going to put me where I can make the biggest impact and I'm OK with that.”

Soon he’ll start dissecting his options heading into his senior season. The Irish could make themselves a legitimate contender with an offer this weekend.

"I'm looking at the coaching staff and academics,” Boykin said. “Those are probably my two biggest things. Location isn't that big of a deal to me, but the coaching staff and academics will be important.”

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