Notre Dame Football: A Look At The Final Recruiting Push Of 2017.
National Signing Day is fast approaching and Notre Dame football has some last minute players to push for.
In just over a week, it will be judgment day for the 2017 College Football recruiting class. Although Notre Dame finished with a 4-8 record, they have put together a pretty fine class. The Irish currently rank #12 in the 247 Sports ranking.
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Brian Kelly and staff will be hitting the road hard this week for one final push before Signing Day. Let’s have a look at who they have penciled in.
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah – 6’3, 200 lbs – OLB/Safety
Notre Dame recently offered this athletic hybrid and he is definitely intrigued. He is an excellent prospect for Elko’s defense. Not only does he have some elite tools, he looks like he may fit very nicely into the rover position.
Kelly and LB Coach Lea visited Owusu-Koramoah in Virginia on Monday. Whenever they send Brian Kelly himself, it’s usually an indicator that they are very serious about their interest.
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah has left his pledge to Virginia and will be in South Bend for an official visit later this week, probably Thrusday.
Jafar Armstrong – 6’1, 205 lbs – WR
The Irish desperately need a true wide receiver in this class. Jordan Pouncey de-committed from Notre Dame over a month ago leaving them with one slot receiver, Michael Young.
Jafar Armstrong has great speed, blocks well in the run game and shows some above average intangibles. He is currently committed to Missouri but has been entertaining Notre Dame and Minnesota, where he visited on the weekend.
Armstrong will take an official visit to Notre Dame this weekend. Expect the Irish to push very hard.
Myron Tagovailoa – 6’4, 270 lbs – SDE/DT
Notre Dame’s biggest needs are considered DB/WR/DE. In my opinion, it’s DE. Our defensive line tallied 3 sacks last season. That’s depressing.
Taglovailoa is a hulking, Hawaiian, 4 star defensive lineman that Mike Elko would LOVE to have. He is a brute force that will either end up a bull rushing, gap stuffing defensive end or a pocket-collapsing defensive tackle. His strength and determination is off the charts.
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Brian Polian, the Hawaii area recruiter (how can I get that job?) has stopped by the Tagovailoa household twice in the last two weeks. His family is very interested in academics which gives the Irish a shot.
Tagovailoa will be taking an official visit to Notre Dame with his family on Thursday. He is considered a USC lean, many Hawaiian recruits are, but as always, when he sets foot on campus, that could change.
Jalen Harris – 6’4, 210 lbs – DE
Notre Dame coaching staff may be working the hardest on this kid. Logistically, chances seem slim considering he’s committed to Arizona, where his parents both played sports and graduated from, and he lives in Tempe.
That being said, there is a huge need at DE which could lead to early playing time. Also, Harris has responded with a lot of interest in Notre Dame. He also enjoyed his trip to the Mid-West when he visited Lovie Smith’s Illinois recently.
Brian Polian, Brian Kelly and Mike Elko have all come together to recruit Harris. Elko and Polian flew to Arizona on Monday to visit the Harris household. He will take his final official visit on Thursday.
Mac Hippenhammer – 6’0, 200 lbs – WR
Hippenhammer has become a very heavily recruited player as of late. Had Notre Dame known this situation would arise, they could’ve had him committed ages ago.
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Notre Dame is without a receiver in this class and Hippenhammer seems to be their guy. He is currently committed to Penn State where he took his official visit on the weekend.
Brian Kelly and other staff members will make the quick drive to Fort Wayne this week and give Hippenhammer the sales pitch of all sales pitches and hope to secure an official visit later in the week.
Hippenhammer was in South Bend last week for an unofficial visit.
That concludes the list of recruiting activity for now. Many occurrences always pop up during the final descent into Signing Day so stay tuned to SlapTheSign.com