Three-star WR Geordon Porter commits to Notre Dame

Notre Dame found the speed it was looking for in California.

In turn, Geordon Porter found the college football program he had been searching for in the recruiting process.

The pursuit culminated Wednesday with Porter giving his verbal commitment to the Irish. The three-star wide receiver announced the decision in a ceremony at Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga. He scheduled the announcement after making up his mind last week.

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“I was just like, 'This school is doing really well,'” Porter said Wednesday night following his commitment. “They're No. 3 now. They have great alumni, great tradition. The stadium's always sold out every game. It's a great school to go to."

Porter chose Notre Dame ahead of four other finalists: UCLA, Arizona State, Washington State and Utah. The night before, the Irish were ranked by the College Football Playoff committee as the No. 3 team in the country.

The addition of Porter gives Notre Dame 18 commitments in the 2018 class with three at wide receiver alongside Kevin Austin and Micah Jones. Porter's commitment comes 10 days after safety Paul Moala gave his pledge to the Irish to end a commitment drought of more than two months.

Notre Dame hosted Porter for an official visit the weekend of its 20-19 loss to Georgia on Sept. 9. He made official visits to Arizona State and Utah after that.

“I've never seen a football game like that ever in my life,” Porter said following his Notre Dame visit.

The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Porter received a Notre Dame offer the same day in June the Irish lost a commitment from four-star wide receiver Braden Lenzy. Looking to replace the speed lost with Lenzy, the Irish identified Porter as a top option. In May, Porter was clocked in the 100-meter dash in a time of 10.68 seconds.

Porter brought that speed to the football field in his senior season. In his first four games, Porter caught 17 passes for 404 yards and four touchdowns and returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Porter has been sidelined since then with a broken collarbone, but he is expected to play Friday as Etiwanda tries to secure a playoff spot.

“He's a good athlete,” said CBS Sports Network recruiting analyst Tom Lemming. “He has the quickness and the long arms. He's one of the better players in that area. I liked him when I saw him back in April. It's a good catch for Notre Dame. He's a three-plus-star athlete who was putting together a really good senior campaign.”

Speed runs in the Porter family. His father, George, was recognized for setting a high school record in the United States as a senior at Cabrillo (Calif.) High. He finished the 300-meter intermediate hurdles in 35.32 seconds in 1985. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, that record stood until 2007 and has been bested only twice. George Porter went on to run track at USC.

Geordon Porter's older brother, Grant, is a redshirt freshman defensive back at Washington State.

247Sports slates Geordon Porter as the No. 54 wide receiver in the 2018 class. When the Irish extended Porter an offer in June, 247Sports had Porter pegged as the No. 135 wide receiver in the class. Rivals currently ranks him No. 67 at the position.

Notre Dame's 18-man recruiting class moved up to No. 9 nationally in the 247Sports team rankings. Rivals ranks the Irish class No. 11.

Porter credited recruiting coordinator Brian Polian and wide receivers coach DelVaughn Alexander with making him feel like a priority for the Irish.

“Coach Polian was cool,” Porter said. “He just kept calling me and coming after me. He kept staying in contact. It was a great relationship between the two of us.

"I like (Alexander) as a receivers coach. He played the game. He played receiver at USC. He knows his stuff. I like the way he coaches. He coaches to always go 100 percent, work hard and listen. You can do big things."

The two sold Porter on the possibility of being a deep threat for Notre Dame's offense. His speed will be a welcome addition for the Irish.

“They want to pass the ball deep down the field. That's my specialty,” Porter said. “That's one of the things I like to do. I figured that was the place to be."

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Below are highlights from Porter's senior season via Hudl.

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