Notre Dame lands visit from Penn State QB commit Brandon Wimbush
Notre Dame’s efforts to recruit a quarterback in the 2015 class, which once seemed dead, will be given new life this weekend.
Senior quarterback Brandon Wimbush will make an official visit to Notre Dame for Saturday’s game against Stanford. Rich Hansen, his head coach at St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, N.J., said Wimbush and his mother were scheduled to leave for South Bend on Friday night.
Wimbush will be the first 2015 quarterback the Irish have hosted on campus since losing the commitment of top prospect Blake Barnett in June. The 6-foot-1, 212-pound Wimbush has been verbally committed to Penn State since May.
“He's committed to Penn State, but Notre Dame does some of their best work with players that are committed elsewhere, particularly at quarterback,” said CBS Sports Network recruiting analyst Tom Lemming. “All the top quarterbacks are gone, so they have to go after the quarterbacks that are already committed.”
Under Brian Kelly, the Irish flipped the commitments of quarterbacks Everett Golson (North Carolina) in 2011 and Gunner Kiel (LSU) in 2012. In contrast, Notre Dame was dealt a loss this summer when Barnett ended up committing to Alabama after ditching the Irish. Notre Dame remains without a commitment at the position.
The Irish are targeting a quarterback in Wimbush that fits their profile. He attends a Catholic high school. He was a finalist in the Elite 11 quarterback competition just like Golson, sophomore Malik Zaire and freshman DeShone Kizer. And he can make plays with his feet.
“I like the way that he's a leader on the field,” Lemming said. “He gets the job done and can beat you with his arm or his legs. That's the type of quarterback Notre Dame is looking for.”
Both Rivals and 247Sports rate Wimbush as a four-star prospect. Rivals pegs him as the No. 2 pro-style quarterback and the No. 65 recruit overall in the 2015 class. 247Sports slates him as the No. 5 dual-threat quarterback and No. 82 regardless of position.
Wimbush has led St. Peter’s Prep to a 3-1 record this season. The New Jersey powerhouse, one of the most consistent in the country, regularly produces Division-I players. The only loss this season came last week in Bradenton, Fla., against IMG Academy.
Through four games, Wimbush has completed 74 of 101 passes for 1,112 yards and 12 touchdowns with just one interception. He has also rushed for 221 yards and three touchdowns.
Wimbush will join four other Notre Dame targets on official visits this weekend — including safeties Frank Buncom IV and Calvin Brewton, defensive end Mekhi Brown and wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown.
Jennings offered
Gary Jennings may need to make room in his top five.
The 2015 athlete from Stafford (Va.) Colonial Forge reported an offer from Notre Dame earlier this week. The 6-2, 205-pound prospect plays wide receiver, quarterback and cornerback in high school, but would likely project as a safety for the Irish.
Jennings lists a top five of West Virginia, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, Virginia and Boston College but said Notre Dame could work its way in the group.
“I definitely want to try to get out there,” Jennings said of a potential visit to Notre Dame. “It would be pretty cool to get out there.”
Jennings, a three-star prospect, will visit Virginia this weekend and plans to take an official visit to Wisconsin next weekend. Irish tight ends coach Scott Booker initiated contact with Jennings only a couple of weeks before extending him an offer.
“I’m very excited about it,” Jennings said.
247Sports slates Jennings as the No. 126 wide receiver in the 2015 class and No. 36 overall in Virginia. Rivals ranks him as the No. 34 prospect in the state.
Broadus to visit
Senior wide receiver recruit Cordell Broadus, the son of famous rapper Snoop Dogg, announced this week plans for official visits to Florida State and Notre Dame.
Broadus, a 6-3, 192-pound prospect, tweeted on Tuesday that he will make a trip to Tallahasee, Fla., in November and one to South Bend in December.
A well-known USC supporter, Snoop Dogg has said in multiple interviews that he hopes his son picks the Trojans. But Broadus seems interested in the rival Irish as well. The four-star recruit has recently tweeted about Notre Dame’s offense, fan base and retweeted pictures of campus.
247Sports slates Broadus as the No. 12 wide receiver in the 2015 class. Rivals ranks him No. 13.
Broadus teams with Notre Dame safety commit Nicco Fertitta and tight end target Alize Jones at Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas. He has caught 19 passes for 276 yards and three touchdowns in the season’s first six games.
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