Notre Dame Football Had A Huge Day Yesterday – Primed For An Elite Class

The Irish had a huge day in recruiting with two elite defensive back commitments.

Notre Dame received a verbal pledge from Georgia defensive back Derrick Allen yesterday evening after having gotten 4 star cornerback Kalon Gervin’s commitment earlier in the day.

I caught up with Gervin this morning and he stated “Notre Dame is the place to be! I’m 100%.”

Allen is a truly elite player who shows incredible polish, athleticism and technique. There is so much to be excited about with him starting with his size at 6’2 and around 210 pounds.

I had heard rumblings that the #52 overall player* in the nation was seriously considering Notre Dame, but I had a hard time believing he would commit to the Irish in the end, much less in early February.

*Ranking per 247 Sports. Click here for 247 Sports profile on Derrick Allen.

I felt this way not because I think the Irish can’t bring in elite talent but more on the basis that he’s a fringe 5 star defensive back from SEC country.

Of course, Notre Dame was able to bring in Isaac Rochell and Stephon Tuitt from the peach state, but they simply don’t land these types from Georgia often.

The new coaching staff seems to have brought some serious moxie to Notre Dame’s recruiting team. They have helped continue to bring in strong players in the class of ’18 and also played a big factor in closing out the ’17 class with solid players at positions of need.

It seems that as a result of Clark Lea and Mike Elko having a strong history together as well as DelVaughn Alexander and Chip Long having worked together at ASU and Brian Polian being a former notable recruiter for the Irish, great cohesion within the staff is all ready in place.

The Irish have a very strong and exciting ’18 recruiting class so far. Offensively, it includes one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Phil Jurkovec, as well as a 4 star running back with an impressive combination of size, speed and intangibles, Markese Stepp.

The defense is what’s truly eye-popping with the Ademilola twins providing two fantastic defensive line prospects, two intriguing linebackers and now two of the best defensive backs in the country.

It’s evident that landing elite talent gets the attention of other top recruits. It’s my belief that elite players want to play with elite players.

Time and time again, we hear about Markese Stepp regarding his own recruiting efforts as a part of this class. He plays a huge role for Notre Dame in terms of getting their top targets excited about playing football in South Bend.

I expect the Irish coaching staff to continue their tireless effort on the recruiting trail. Watch for recruits Micah Jones and Malik Vann over the next while.

Jones has been in contact with the coaching staff, visited campus multiple times and recently narrowed down his list which included Notre Dame, not a surprise.

Malik Vann has been a major target for the Irish and has visited campus multiple times. The 4 star defensive end visited his home state Buckeyes on the weekend but walked away without an offer. He too, is hearing from Stepp regularly.

There is plenty to be excited about, Irish fans. Stay tuned and keep a close eye on SlapTheSign.com (@SlapTheSign) for Notre Dame football recruiting news.

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