Four-star recruit Braden Lenzy commits to Notre Dame
Last week, Notre Dame added size. On Wednesday, the Irish added speed.
Braden Lenzy, a 6-foot, 175-pound recruit, became the second wide receiver to commit to Notre Dame’s 2018 class. He shared the news Wednesday night on Twitter.
“After much thought and talking with the people closest to me, I have decided to verbally commit to … THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME to play football & run track!” Lenzy wrote in his Twitter announcement.
Lenzy, a junior at Tigard (Ore.) High, committed five days after wide receiver Micah Jones.
Lenzy’s speed — a recorded 40-yard dash of 4.47 seconds — complements Jones’ size at 6-5, 195. Both are rated as four-star recruits.
Both also attended Notre Dame’s junior day event earlier this month. The Irish have already added four commitments from recruits who visited that weekend with Jones, Lenzy, offensive lineman Cole Mabry and cornerback Kalon Gervin all joining Notre Dame’s recruiting class.
“When you were there,” Lenzy said Wednesday night, “they made it seem like there was no other place to be — like it would be a mistake to go anywhere else.”
The speed displayed by Lenzy could be utilized on either side of the ball, but he recently said Notre Dame wide receivers coach DelVaughn Alexander had made him a priority. Lenzy’s potential to also play cornerback has landed him the athlete designation in most recruiting rankings.
“He's outstanding,” said CBS Sports Network recruiting analyst Tom Lemming. “This is another major catch for Notre Dame. He's one of the best players in the Pacific Northwest. He's a really good two-way player and a terrific athlete."
247Sports slates Lenzy as the No. 13 athlete in the 2018 class. Rivals pegs him as the No. 21 athlete.
Lenzy caught 43 passes for 840 yards and five touchdowns during his junior season. He also rushed 12 times for 142 yards.
The Irish lured Lenzy from many of the top programs on the West Coast. Lenzy’s offer list included USC, Stanford, Oregon and UCLA. The Trojans hosted Lenzy for an unofficial visit on Monday.
Lenzy would be the first football player from Oregon to sign with Notre Dame since defensive end Ethan Johnson in 2008.
Running track at Notre Dame wouldn’t be uncommon for Lenzy. This year, freshman cornerback Troy Pride Jr. has run for the Irish track team. During head coach Brian Kelly’s tenure at Notre Dame, former Irish football player Josh Atkinson, George Atkinson III and Bennett Jackson have also run track.
Last year, Lenzy recorded times of 10.86 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 21.79 in the 200.
Notre Dame’s 2018 class, which is ranked No. 2 in the country behind Penn State, now consists of 11 verbal commitments. The Irish didn’t hit 11 commitments in the 2017 class until June of last year.
Notre Dame’s recruiting momentum — which includes 11 commitments in the 2017 and 2018 classes in the last 28 days — couldn’t be much hotter.
“It's like a renaissance in their recruiting. There has been a major pickup,” Lemming said. “You can see the enthusiasm.
“When you start doing stuff this early, the other kids around the country start getting the idea that there's something special going on at Notre Dame. The one key word in recruiting is perception. The perception now is that Notre Dame is the place to go. That's why they're getting kids from all over the country."
• Staff writer Mike Vorel contributed to this report.
tjames@ndinsider.com | 574-235-6214 | Twitter: @TJamesNDI
God, Country, Notre Dame! #IrishBouND18pic.twitter.com/NQDPdRLWsm
— Braden Lenzy (@blspeedy21) February 23, 2017
— Brian Kelly (@CoachBrianKelly) February 23, 2017
#IrishBouND18 is at again! Another special addition to a great class! Who's next?
— Coach Mike Elko (@CoachMikeElko) February 23, 2017
My Lord☘️ https://t.co/0jBSBZ0ypn
— Malik Vann❕ (@MalikVann7) February 23, 2017
Coast to coast. #IrishBouND18
— Aaryn Kearney (@aarynkearney) February 23, 2017
