Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Signing Day Predictions for the Class of 2014
By Andrew Hall
Jan 2, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Team Highlight tight end Tyler Luatua (9) during the first half at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Notre Dame Football Recruiting
The Fighting Irish will close out the class of 2014 tomorrow evening when Michiah Quick and John “JuJu” Smith have made their final decisions public around 6 p.m. Notre Dame is hoping that this will be a Signing Day to remember. Will it be? Here are the final predictions for the class of 2014:
Daniel Cage – 12 p.m. ET – Finalists: Michigan State & Notre Dame
Yesterday, Former Wisconsin Defensive Line Commit Craig Evans committed to Michigan State. This gives the Spartans a total of 3 Defensive Tackles in the class. Will Michigan State accept a commitment from Cage? Will Cage want to be in a class with 3 other Defensive Tackles? One of the answers to these questions is probably no. Therefore, Cage will select Notre Dame tomorrow at his school, Winton Woods, in Cincinnati.
Prediction: Notre Dame (Confidence: Low)
Terrence Alexander – 10 a.m. ET (ESPNU) – Finalists: Stanford & Notre Dame
Alexander will make his college declaration on ESPNU tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. His high school program, John Curtis, is one of the best programs in nation, producing some of the best talent in the country each year. Technically, the finalists for Alexander are Ole Miss, Stanford and Notre Dame but the Rebels appear to be running 3rd. Alexander values academics and will select between two of the finest in the nation. He seems to like Notre Dame a lot but this could go either way.
Prediction: Notre Dame (Confidence: Low)
Michiah Quick – 6 p.m. ET – Finalists: Oklahoma, Notre Dame & UCLA
This one is difficult to get a read on. Quick was apparently a big Notre Dame fan and dreamed of going there. Why would he turn them down? His high school teams mostly play at Oklahoma. UCLA, a more “local” school, is making a late push. It truly could be any of these schools. Oklahoma has been considered the favorite for a while.
Prediction: Oklahoma (Confidence: Medium)
John “JuJu” Smith – 4 p.m. ET (ESPNU) – Finalists: USC, Notre Dame & Oregon
Everyone suggests that John Smith could go somewhere other than USC, a school that he seemingly visits daily. Based on his interviews, his personality seems like someone who would go to Notre Dame. But, USC is such an easy choice. Making the difficult choice is hard for an 18-year old.
Prediction: USC (Confidence: High)
Courtney Garnett* – Finalists: Notre Dame & Oklahoma
Garnett will sign with Notre Dame or Oklahoma. According to many reports, he is “torn” between the two schools. However, he is more familiar with Oklahoma. That being said, an argument could be made that Notre Dame is fresher in his mind. Notre Dame falls short here.
Prediction: Oklahoma (Confidence: Medium)