Examining Notre Dame's visitors list for junior day

ND Insider takes a closer look at Notre Dame’s expected visitors for this weekend’s junior day.

2017 targets

Update: ATH Tyrell Ajian and LB Drew Singleton did not make the visit.

• LB David Adams, 6-1, 225; Pittsburgh (Pa.) Central Catholic: Adams fits the prototype of a Notre Dame linebacker. If he decides to leave his home state of Pennsylvania, the Irish are likely to be the beneficiaries. Adams played in front of five Notre Dame coaches when the Irish visited Pittsburgh last fall.

Penn State and Pittsburgh are also in pursuit of the four-star linebacker. Both Rivals and 247Sports peg Adams as the No. 4 inside linebacker in the 2017 class.

• ATH Saiid Adebo, 6-1, 180; Mansfield (Texas) High: Adebo didn’t wait more than a couple weeks after receiving a Notre Dame offer to visit the Irish. The defensive back/wide receiver also claims offers from Oklahoma, Baylor, TCU, Arkansas and Texas Tech.

247Sports slates Adebo as a four-star recruit and the No. 17 athlete. Rivals ranks him as a three-star prospect and the No. 54 wide receiver.

• ATH Tyrell Ajian, 6-1, 185; Mansfield (Ohio) Madison: The four-star recruit visited Notre Dame for the Irish Invasion and its season opener last year. Following the second visit, Ajian admitted that he considered committing while on campus.

The Irish will look to solidify their lead with Ajian again this weekend. Michigan, Michigan State and Kentucky are among the teams also vying for the wide receiver/defensive back.

247Sports slates Ajian as the No. 13 athlete in the 2017 class. Rivals ranks him 23rd.

• WR Tarik Black, 6-3, 201; Cheshire (Conn.) Academy: Rarely do the Irish find top recruits in Connecticut, but Black is the exception. The four-star wide receiver landed a Notre Dame offer in January. Alabama, Michigan, Stanford and UCLA are among the other schools in pursuit of Black.

Rivals ranks Black as the No. 17 wide receiver in the class. 247Sports slates him 18th.

• WR Trey Blount, 6-2, 195; Atlanta Pace Academy: Notre Dame extended Blount an offer in February on signing day. The Irish hope he returns the favor with his signature next year.

Blount, who also claims offers from Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, Auburn and Michigan State, will visit with a pair of his high school teammates.

Rivals ranks Blount as a four-star recruit and the No. 48 wide receiver. 247Sports slates him as a three-star prospect and No. 50 at the position.

• RB Robert Burns, 5-11, 205; Miami Gulliver Prep: The longtime Miami commit hasn’t completely shut down his recruitment. Irish running backs coach Autry Denson’s relationship with Burns appears to have opened Burns’ eyes to the possibility of playing for Notre Dame.

Rivals ranks Burns as the No. 18 running back in the class. 247Sports slates him 23rd. Both peg his as a three-star recruit.

• QB Avery Davis, 6-0, 190; Cedar Hill (Texas) High: Davis tops the list of potential pledges for Notre Dame this weekend. The three-star recruit is making his second visit to campus. Davis has been a priority at the position for Notre Dame since he received an offer in October. Davis will be joined by his teammate Charleston Rambo, an Irish wide receiver target, on the visit.

247Sports slates Davis as the No. 12 dual-threat quarterback in the 2017 class. Rivals ranks him No. 14 at the position.

• RB A.J. Dillon, 6-0, 228; Groton (Mass.) Lawrence Academy: Dillon is also making a return visit to Notre Dame. The four-star recruit will be joined on campus by his grandfather, former Irish All-American Thom Gatewood. Dillon visited South Bend for the Irish Invasion last summer and received a Notre Dame offer in January.

A growing offer list that includes Michigan, Wisconsin and Florida State may require Dillon to take more time to consider his options, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he decided to follow his grandfather’s path.

Rivals ranks Dillon as the No. 16 running back in the 2017 class. 247Sports slates him No. 18.

• DT Haskell Garrett, 6-1, 286; Las Vegas Bishop Gorman: Notre Dame has had success recruiting at Bishop Gorman, but Garrett has different plans. The four-star recruit committed to Ohio State in February.

The Irish will try to change Garrett’s mind and get him to follow the same college path from Bishop Gorman as Ronnie Stanley, Alizé Jones and Nicco Fertitta.

247Sports slates Garrett as the No. 4 defensive tackle in the 2017 class. Rivals ranks him sixth at the position.

• CB Thomas Graham, 5-11, 173; Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) High: A commitment to USC won’t stop Graham from visiting Notre Dame. The four-star recruit isn’t scouting a future rival. He remains open to a number of different schools and wants to make more visits.

Rivals ranks Graham as the No. 6 cornerback in the 2017 class. 247Sports slates him seventh at the position.

Graham discussed his recruitment with ND Insider here.

• DT Kurt Hinish­­­­, 6-3, 283; Pittsburgh (Pa.) Central Catholic: Notre Dame continued its push for recruits at Pittsburgh Central Catholic with an offer to Hinish in February. He will join his teammate, linebacker David Adams, on the visit this weekend.

Hinish’s offer list includes Penn State, Baylor, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh and South Carolina. 247Sports slates Hinish as the No. 30 defensive tackle in the 2017 class. Rivals ranks him No. 32 at the positon. Both peg him as a three-star recruit.

• DE Corey Malone-Hatcher, 6-3, 246; St. Joseph (Mich.) High: The local product might be able to give a campus tour to other prospects by now. The four-star recruit has been a frequent visitor to Notre Dame in the last two years.

But keeping Malone-Hatcher close to home won’t be easy for the Irish. Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State and UCLA are also in pursuit of him.

Rivals ranks Malone-Hatcher as the No. 13 strongside defensive end in the 2017 class. 247Sports slates him as the No. 14 weakside defensive end.

• DT Phillip Paea­, 6-4, 282; Berrien Springs (Mich.) High: Notre Dame joined in on Paea’s offer explosion a month ago. Now the local recruit will return to campus for the second time in five weeks.

Paea has been recruited as both an offensive lineman and defensive lineman, but the Irish prefer him on defense. Michigan, Michigan State, Oregon and USC are among the teams also trying to figure out where the three-star recruit could play.

Rivals ranks Paea as the No. 13 offensive guard in the 2017 class. 247Sports slates him as the No. 25 defensive tackle.

• LB Jacob Phillips, 6-3, 230; East Nashville (Tenn.) Magnet: Notre Dame linebackers coach Mike Elston will have plenty of linebackers on campus this weekend. Phillips is another talented one.

Notre Dame joined Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon and Auburn and Tennessee on his offer list in February. Rivals ranks Phillips as a four-star recruit and the No. 9 inside linebacker. 247Sports slates him as a three-star prospect and the No. 43 outside linebacker.

Phillips discussed his recruitment with ND Insider here.

• WR Charleston Rambo, 6-2, 170; Cedar Hill (Texas) High: If Notre Dame lands Davis, the Irish would be glad to have his teammate join him. The two are a dynamic duo on the field. They’ll both check out Notre Dame together this weekend.

Rambo caught 22 passes for 434 yards and five touchdowns as part of an explosive offense. The four-star recruit has attracted offers from Oklahoma, Miami, Ole Miss and Michigan State, among others.

Rivals ranks Rambo as the No. 21 wide receiver in the 2017 class. 247Sports slates him 24th at the position.

• CB Amir Riep, 6-0, 180; Cincinnati Colerain: Almost everybody in the Midwest wants a chance at Riep. Notre Dame is joined by Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan and Iowa on a growing offer list. The four-star recruit attends the same high school as former Irish linebacker Jarrett Grace.

247Sports slates Riep as the No. 6 cornerback in the 2017 class. Rivals ranks him No. 23.

• LB Drew Singleton, 6-2, 215; Paramus (N.J.) Catholic: The last two top players Notre Dame recruited from Paramus Catholic, defensive back Jabrill Peppers and defensive tackle Rashan Gary, ended up signing with Michigan. The Irish hope to change their luck with Singleton.

The four-star recruit is among the most talented visiting this weekend. Singleton’s offer list also includes Alabama, Clemson, Michigan and Ohio State.

Rivals ranks him as the No. 2 outside linebacker in the 2017 class. 247Sports slates him fourth at the position.

• DB AJ Terrell, 6-2, 170; Atlanta Westlake: The Atlanta area will be well-represented at Notre Dame this weekend. The Irish wouldn’t mind seeing their roster reflect that in the future.

The four-star recruit played both ways in his junior season. Terrell totaled 53 tackles, 16 pass breakups and two interceptions on defense and 18 receptions for 273 yards and five touchdowns on offense. With offers from Alabama, Georgia, Auburn and Clemson, Terrell could be a tough pull out of The South.

Rivals ranks Terrell as the No. 13 cornerback in the 2017 class. 247Sports slates him at No. 15.

• OT Andrew Thomas, 6-4, 288; Atlanta Pace Academy: Thomas might be the most talented recruit on campus this weekend. No 2017 visitor has a higher ranking than Thomas at No. 25 overall according to 247Sports. The site slates him as the No. 7 offensive tackle in the class. Rivals ranks him as the No. 10 offensive tackle and No. 67 overall. Both peg him as a four-star recruit.

Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, Florida and Michigan have all offered Thomas.

• LB Pete Werner, 6-3, 215; Indianapolis Cathedral: Werner will make the trip to Notre Dame after Friday’s visit to Michigan. The Irish would like to keep him in his home state.

The four-star recruit has added offers from Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State and Texas A&M are among the schools to offer Werner since the start of the year. The Irish did so in February.

Rivals ranks Werner as the No. 19 outside linebacker in the 2017 class. 247Sports slates him No. 22 at the position.

Werner discussed his recruitment with ND Insider here.

2017 commit

• OL Josh Lugg, 6-7, 280; Wexford (Pa.) North Allegheny.

2017 prospects

• S Chaz Ah You, 6-1, 185; Sarasota Springs (Utah) Westlake.

247Sports: Four stars, No. 10 safety. Rivals: Four stars, No. 11 safety.

• OL Blaise Andries, 6-6, 290; Marshall (Minn.) High.

247Sports: Three stars, No. 37 offensive tackle. Rivals: Three stars, No. 35 offensive tackle.

• OL Tyler Beach, 6-6, 270; Port Washington (Wisc.) High.

Rivals: Four stars, No. 28 offensive tackle. 247Sports: Four stars, No. 32 offensive tackle.

• ATH Allen Stritzinger, 6-1, 183; Warren (Mich.) De La Salle.

Rivals: Three stars, No. 33 athlete. 247Sports: Three stars, No. 31 running back.

• LB Drew White, 6-1, 220; Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas.

247Sports: Three stars, No. 10 inside linebacker. Rivals: Two stars.

2018 targets

• QB Phil Jurkovec, 6-5, 190; Gibsonia (Pa.) Pine-Richland.

247Sports: Four stars, No. 1 dual-threat quarterback.

2018 prospects

• CB Derrik Allen, 6-1, 185; Marietta (Ga.) Lassiter.

247Sports: Four stars, No. 2 cornerback.

• WR Micah Jones, 6-4, 190; Gurnee (Ill.) Warren: Unranked.

• OL Jamaree Salyer, 6-4, 308; Atlanta Pace Academy.

247Sports: Four stars, No. 1 offensive guard.