Irish Invasion drawing nation's elite football recruits to Notre Dame
Brian Kelly took a calculated risk.
Instead of taking his coaching staff on the road for a trendy satellite camp circuit, the Notre Dame head coach decided to build his summer recruiting season around one major event on campus.
That major event, Irish Invasion, will take place under the lights of Notre Dame Stadium on Friday night. The two-hour camp, slated to start at 8 p.m. EDT, headlines a weekend built around getting elite prospects to visit Notre Dame.
At least 80 recruits have confirmed plans to be on campus Friday to compete in the camp or soak in the atmosphere. It’s the culmination of months of work by the coaching staff and the recruiting office to invite prospects and convince them to make the trip.
“Getting it on these kids’ radars early is key,” said 247Sports director of recruiting Steve Wiltfong. “Making Irish Invasion a priority when you’re going out and recruiting kids helps them get it scheduled and planned for their summer. It was a really great effort because there are players from all over the country coming.”
The visitors list includes Irish commits, top recruiting targets in the 2016 and 2017 classes and prospects heading into their sophomore, junior and senior seasons. They will come from different parts of the country — California, Florida, Texas, Massachusetts, etc. — and even Canada.
Notre Dame’s coaching staff had to coax recruits to schedule a trip in which the recruit has to pay for travel as an unofficial visit and a camp fee of $55. The camp allows recruits, who will wear helmets but not shoer pads, to impress the staff and receive hands-on coaching.
Recruits started to arrive on campus as early as Thursday night to meet with coaches and explore Notre Dame’s campus. Friday morning will include much of the same as the day builds to the night's main event.
Last year, Notre Dame hosted its first Irish Invasion camp open to the media and roughly 60 recruits attended the event. Inviting recruits to participate in a camp isn’t a new concept, but turning it into a spectacle is the new trend.
“As recruiting continues to change and develop, having marquee events on your campus that get a lot of buzz are big now,” Wiltfong said. “Irish Invasion has quickly become one of the more notable events in the country in just its second year being a public deal. Last year they had a strong list. This year, it’s even better. Notre Dame not only has a chance to make a run at some of their key 2016 guys, but they’re going to have an opportunity to really make an impact on some 2017 guys and get ahead."
The group of 14 targets with Notre Dame offers in the 2016 class is heavy on wide receivers and defensive backs. Four have received four-star ratings from 247Sports and Rivals: wide receivers Marquez Callaway, Javon McKinley and Donnie Corley and cornerback Joejuan Williams. The other 10 are slated as three-star recruits.
The 2017 class is headlined by stars. All seven of the recruits holding Irish offers are rated as four-star recruits by 247Sports. Quarterback Hunter Johnson and tight end Brock Wright are ranked as the top players at their position by 247Sports.
“It’s a good group,” said CBS Sports Network recruiting analyst Tom Lemming. “I like the idea of the Invasion. Not only do you get all these kids on campus now, but the key to having great years is having the kid visit several times so they can get comfortable with the staff, the players and the academic support system. That’s the key to recruiting.”
Notre Dame could use some recruiting momentum in the form of a commitment coming out of this weekend. The last Irish pledge came from offensive lineman Liam Eichenberg on April 19. Eichenberg and fellow commits Tommy Kraemer, Dillan Gibbons and John Shannon will also be on campus to help recruit.
Last year’s Irish Invasion included three eventual commitments: running back Josh Adams, linebacker Te’von Coney and Eichenberg. But Lemming insisted that an immediate commitment wouldn’t spell bad news for the Irish. As long as the camp helps produce quality commitments down the line, it’s working in Notre Dame’s favor.
“No urgency,” Lemming said. “It all comes down to if there’s some great players that want to commit. You don’t want to take B-list guys early. Sometimes the fans get mad, but you should never follow social media if you’re a college coach.”
This weekend, however, should produce positive buzz on social media. Recruits have been tweeting about the Irish Invasion throughout the week. As their visits end, more good news could be on the way.
VISITORS LIST (updated Friday)
The following recruits are expected to be on campus for Friday’s Irish Invasion.
2016 commits
LS John Shannon
OL Liam Eichenberg
OL Tommy Kraemer
2017 commits
OL Dillan Gibbons
2016 targets
WR Marquez Callaway
WR Javon McKinley
WR Donnie Corley
WR Chase Claypool
WR Kevin Stepherson
CB Joejuan Williams
CB Eric Cuffee
CB Carlos Becker
DB Jalen Elliott
S Ikenna Okeke
S Spencer Perry
S Chacho Ulloa
S Devin Studstill
DE Tomon Fox
2017 targets
QB Hunter Johnson
TE Brock Wright
DE Robert Beal
DE Vandarius Cowan
DE Corey Malone-Hatcher
DB Tyrell Ajian
OL Jedrick Wills
2016 prospects
WR Rontavius Groves
LB Chase Pine
LB David Reese
TE Noah Turner
RB Malik Staples
RB Toks Akinribade
WR Emmanuel Rugamba
LB Amen Ogbongbemiga
DB Mason Alstatt
LB Alexander Gagnon
RB Gabriel Brooks
WR Brandon Wadley
S Christopher Schilling
CB Jordan Jones
2017 prospects
QB Sean Clifford
QB Jake Allen
OL Matt Bockhorst
RB A.J. Dillon
QB Chris Katrenick
QB Tyler Lytle
WR Russ Yeast
TE Cole Kmet
QB Lindell Stone
TE Matt Dotson
WR Jaevon McQuity
DB Demarquez Trotter
WR Joshua Palmer
QB Dante Sparaco
TE Keegan Cossou
RB Chase Hayden
WR Scott Nelson
CB Ambry Thomas
QB Walker Wood
DE James Hudson III
RB Mike Warren
DB Mitch West
RB Charles Jones Jr.
QB Robbie Blosser
RB Elijah Barnwell
TE Trevor Kent
WR Jalen Datil
OL Trevor Campbell
OL Josh Lugg
DE Josh Maize
LB Ben Mason
DB Brandon Sebastian
QB Noah Vedral
DB Nick Okeke
WR Oliver Martin
DB Cameron Weems
QB Ben Brooks
2018 prospects
ATH Houston Griffith
RB Bryce Ray
RB Steven Livers
tjames@ndinsider.com | 574-235-6214 | Twitter: @TJamesNDI
