Notebook: Notre Dame offer list expanding in 2017 class
Notre Dame’s coaching staff has kept one eye on the 2017 class while working to secure a strong finish to the 2016 recruiting cycle.
The latest contact period, which allowed the coaching staff to visit schools from Nov. 29 to Dec. 13, produced several noteworthy offers. The following six recruits reported Irish offers in the last week.
• OL Trey Smith, 6-5, 285; Jackson (Tenn.) University School: The four-star recruit reported a Notre Dame offer last Tuesday. Smith claims more than a dozen offers including Alabama, Clemson, Florida State and Stanford. 247Sports pegs Smith as the No. 5 offensive tackle.
Watch highlights from Smith's junior season here.
• LB Baron Browning, 6-4, 220; Kennedale (Texas) High: The four-star recruit also reported a Notre Dame offer last Tuesday. Browning, a Baylor commit,claims more than 20 offers including Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M. 247Sports slates him as the No. 3 outside linebacker.
Watch highlights from Browning's sophomore season here.
• LB De’Andre Wilder, 6-2, 240; Miami Gardens (Fla.) Carol City: Wilder reported a Notre Dame offer last Wednesday after hearing from Irish running backs coach Autry Denson. Wilder claims double-digit offers including Miami, Alabama, Georgia and Wisconsin.
247Sports slates Wilder as a four-star recruit and the No. 17 outside linebacker. Rivals rates him as a three-star prospect.
Watch highlights from Wilder's junior season here.
• WR Kevaughn Dingle, 6-1, 192; Miami Gardens Carol City: The four-star recruit also reported an Irish offer last Wednesday. Dingle claims seven scholarship offers after adding ones from Notre Dame, West Virginia and Central Florida last week. Miami, Tennessee, Cincinnati and Kansas have also offered. 247Sports pegs him as the No. 32 wide receiver.
Watch highlights from Dingle's junior season here.
• WR Jerry Jeudy, 6-1, 169; Deerfield Beach (Fla.) High: The four-star recruit reported a Notre Dame offer last Wednesday. Jeudy claims more than a dozen offers including Alabama, Clemson, Miami and Ohio State. 247Sports ranks him as the No. 12 wide receiver.
Watch highlights from Jeudy's sophomore season here.
• Haskell Garrett, 6-2, 280; Las Vegas Bishop Gorman: The four-star recruit reported a Notre Dame offer Monday. Garrett claims a double-digit offer list including Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas A&M, USC and UCLA. Garrett attends the same high school as Irish offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, tight end Alizé Jones and safety Nicco Fertitta.
247Sports slates him as the No. 5 defensive tackle in the 2017 class.
Watch highlights from Garrett's junior season here.
McCulloch’s top five
If Jeffrey McCulloch chooses to attend college in the Midwest, Notre Dame will likely be his destination. The talented linebacker recruit released his top five on Sunday, and the Irish made the cut.
Notre Dame was joined by Stanford, Texas, Texas A&M and Florida on the list tweeted by the four-star prospect. Michigan, who hosted McCulloch for an official visit last month, was left off the list.
McCulloch’s first official visit went to Notre Dame in October for the USC game. He’s since made official visits to Stanford and Michigan.
The 6-foot-2, 230-pound senior from Houston (Texas) Aldine Davis will play in the Under Armour All-America Game next month. He isn’t expected to make a commitment before January.
Rivals ranks McCulloch as the No. 4 inside linebacker and No. 183 regardless of position in the 2016 class. 247Sports slates him as the No. 8 outside linebacker and No. 89 overall.
Hayes, Kareem sign
Notre Dame announced Sunday the signings of linebacker commit Daelin Hayes and defensive end commit Khalid Kareem. The Irish did so on Twitter.
“The paperwork is in and it’s official,” read the tweet from @NDFootball, which included photos of the players in Notre Dame jerseys. “Welcome to Notre Dame Daelin and Khalid!”
Because Hayes and Kareem intend to enroll at Notre Dame in January, they are allowed to sign financial aid agreements with the school. Per NCAA rules, the agreement is non-binding for recruits, but it reserves their scholarships from the school.
The signing of Hayes and Kareem also means Notre Dame’s coaching staff can make public comments about them. Both were crucial additions to Notre Dame’s 2016 recruiting class.
Hayes, at 6-3, 239, is rated as a five-star recruit and the No. 6 outside linebacker in the 2016 class by Rivals. Kareem, at 6-4, 257, is pegged as a four-star recruit and the No. 9 strongside defensive by 247Sports.
tjames@ndinsider.com
574-235-6214
Twitter: @TJamesNDI
