Notre Dame Lands 4-Star Cornerback Cole Luke
By Andrew Hall
Oct 27, 2012; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bob Stoops argues a holding call against line judge Todd Reese in the second quarter that brought back a touchdown against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE
Oklahoma Head Coach Bob Stoops is still being haunted by a 30-13 thrashing from the Fighting Irish. This time, it is off-field. On Thursday, Notre Dame landed 4-star Cornerback Cole Luke out of Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona. This commitment comes as a big surprise to Fighting Irish writers, fans and probably coaches.
Notre Dame was considered to be trailing for the Cornerback last week. It seemed very unlikely that the Irish would land him. If anything, Notre Dame would land another 4-star Defensive Back L.J. Moore out of Fresno, California. But not Cole Luke. Luke, who had officially visited Notre Dame on the 21st of September, visited Oklahoma for the showdown between the Irish and the Sooners. The victory did not only pay dividends on the field but off for the Fighting Irish.
Witnessing the win for Notre Dame and the spectacular Defensive performance made the difference for the young High School star. Today, Luke decided to cast aside Oklahoma and Texas (which he had officially visited on October 5th) for Notre Dame. This is huge for Notre Dame who was looking for a premier Cornerback in the secondary.
They definitely landed a player on Thursday. Luke is ranked as the 221st best player in the country according to Rivals.com. Cole Luke is ranked as the 65 best player and 8th best Corner in the country by 247sports.com ESPN has Luke as the 33rd best Cornerback in the country. Similarly, Scout.com has Cole Luke ranked as their 20th best Corner. Rankings essentially mean nothing. They especially mean nothing when everyone has a different opinion about the player. But the consensus is that Cole Luke is a good 4-star Cornerback.
Brandon Huffman of Scout.com wrote about Luke, “Luke has good anticipation and instincts and very good awareness. Does a great job opening his hips and good recovery ability. Is a tough corner with good closing speed and won’t hesitate to pop the receiver. A good athlete who just needs to add some more bulk to a frame suited for more weight.” This sounds like a Defensive Back that is suited to play at Notre Dame and in Bob Diaco’s system.
This probably finishes out Notre Dame’s recruiting of Cornerbacks in this class. Notre Dame currently has 22 commitments. They probably would take 2 more commitments. The Fighting Irish have three Cornerbacks currently committed: Luke, Kinlaw and Butler. Notre Dame would probably take another Safety if one wanted to come on board. However, it is probably more likely that the Fighting Irish are looking for another Linebacker or Pass Rusher and a Running Back or Wide Receiver.
Overall, this is huge news for the Fighting Irish. What makes it even better is the fact that it was totally unexpected. This is another step closer to Notre Dame closing out the 2013 class.