Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Review Of Jan. 20-22 Official Visits.

Four  talented recruits were on campus for official visits on the weekend.

The Notre Dame Football staff have landed verbal commitments from 15 recruits so far in their 2017 recruiting class. Signing Day is less than two weeks away and the Irish are looking to add up to six more recruits.

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New staff members were officially added to Notre Dame lately. In particular, new Offensive Coordinator, Chip Long, as well as new Defensive Coordinator, Mike Elko, got right down to business by recruiting new players that would fit their schemes.

The Fighting Irish coaching staff hit the road and made several in-home visits. As a result, several new offers have been made and official visits have been scheduled.

Here’s a look at the five recruits who visited Notre Dame this weekend – Jan.20-22.

Tre Norwood – CB – Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Todd Lyght has had his eye on the 5’11, 168 lb. speedster for some time now. On Jan. 11, Lyght visited Norwood in his home and offered him a scholarship.

At the time, Norwood was committed to Louisville. Within a few hours of Lyght’s visit, Norwood decommitted and scheduled an official visit at Notre Dame. Soon after, the flood gates opened and Norwood received offers from several other Power 5 programs including Oklahoma.

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Norwood has very good speed and agility. He also played quarterback at Northside High School and was a menace to opposing defenses all year. He does lack size but proves to be a great open field tackler, possesses great coverage skills and intangibles.

Notre Dame needs to land at least one cornerback after losing commitments from Paulsen Adebo and Eliah Hicks this January.

Check out Tre Norwood’s highlight film here.

Kofi Wardlow – DE – District of Columbia

Unfortunately, Recruiting Coordinator Mike Elston and former Defensive Line Coach Keith Gilmore wiffed on most of their defensive end prospects in ’16. 3 star Jonathon MacCollister from Orlando, Florida is their lone DE commitment so far.

Mike Elko has discovered some “diamonds in the rough” since his hiring at Notre Dame. Elko took a trip to D.C. when the dead period ended on Jan. 12, and dropped in on a pair of DE recruits.

Kofi Wardlow shows brute strength a great athleticism in his senior film. He is raw but with some good coaching and time in Matt Balis’ Strength and Conditioning Program, he could be an effective player for the Irish. At 6’3, 230 lbs., Wardlow certainly has size to work with.

Check out Kofi Wardlow’s highlight film here.

Wardlow visited Notre Dame this weekend and staff showed him what it would be like to be a student-athlete in South Bend. Wardlow is a great student and is interested in the academics Notre Dame has to offer.

Wardlow also visited Pitt the weekend of Jan. 13-15.

Jordan Genmark-Heath – Safety – San Diego, California

This kid has an interesting background.

Genmark-Heath was born and raised in Sweden. He played football there and his club team travelled to Texas and Ohio to test their skill against American talent. He grew a deep love for football, so much that his entire family immigrated to California.

The 6’2, 205 lb. California State Champion played running back, receiver, safety, linebacker and kick/punt returner at Division 1AA, Cathedral Catholic.

Genmark-Heath’s greatest strength is on the defensive side of the ball. Notre Dame is recruiting him as a safety but with his well-built frame, he could be a strong cadidate for the rover position.

Jordan Genmark-Heath is currently committed to Cal where Sonny Dykes was fired after posting a lousy record of 19-30 during his tenure. Look for Notre Dame to try to capitalize on the coaching uncertainty there by showing him why he would fit in with the Fighting Irish.

Genmark-Heath said Notre Dame was a “dream offer.” The Irish could sure use his services as they have had depth issues at safety for a while.

Watch Jordan Genmark-Heaths highlight film here. 

Russ Yeast – WR/Corner – Greenwood, Indiana

Yeast is one of the top recruits in Indiana. He played in the Under Armour All-American game and received many offers including Alabama, Auburn, Miami, Nebraska, Ole Miss and many other Power 5 programs.

Like Norwood, Yeast is committed to Louisville and was committed to Kentucky early in the process. He’s also taken official visits to Auburn and Iowa. He’s no stranger to the recruiting process nor flipping his commitment.

Many Irish fans wonder why Notre Dame took until last week to offer the in-state talent a scholarship. His film is littered with big plays all over the field. He rushed for over 1500 yards and lead the defense at Center Grove High School.

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That being said, Yeast is a tremendous receiver. In a big game this year, the opposing defense shut down Central Grove’s run game. They moved Yeast to receiver and he finished the game with 202 receiving yards on their way to a big victory.

Notre Dame hosted Yeast this weekend which should be his final official visit. Considering they have needs at WR and CB, he is a hot commodity.

Watch Russ Yeast’s highlight film here.

Evan Fields – Safety – Oklahoma City, Ohlahoma

Evan Fields is another talented safety that Notre Dame is after. Defensive Backs Coach Todd Lyght has been in close contact with the 3 star athlete.

Fields has been heavily recruited. He visited Notre Dame this weekend which was his fifth and final visit. He also landed a Stanford offer this weekend which doesn’t bode well for the Irish.

Going into his visit at Notre Dame, most recruiting analysts considered him an Arizona State lean. We will see how things progress as we climb closer to Signing Day.

Watch Evan Fields’ highlight film here.

Next: Notre Dame Offers Two In-State Recruits

This concludes the review of visitors from the past weekend. Stay tuned because I will be doing a preview of next weekends official visits later this week.