2014 Notre Dame Football Recruiting Junior Day Visitors – March 23rd

This weekend, the staff will host their official Junior Day. There has been a lot of movement on visitors, with several additions (and a few subtractions) over the past few weeks. Notre Dame's Junior Day is much later than most programs, but the staff wanted to wait until spring practice began so that the prospects can get a feel for how the staff and team interact.

For the OFD perspective on overall numbers and distribution, take a look here.

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2014 Verbal Commitments (3):

WR Justin Brent - Speedway, IN (Speedway)

DE Jay Hayes - Brooklyn, NY (Poly Prep)

LB Greer Martini - Woodberry Forest, VA (Woodberry Forest)

Notes:

• Brent was a late addition after his basketball season finished last weekend
• Hayes makes his first trip to South Bend to see the campus and program in person
• All four current verbal commitments have a 247 Sports Composite Rating of greater than .900 (4 star)

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2014 Visitors with Offers (5):

OG Braden Smith - Olathe, KN (Olathe South) - Friday (3/22) Visitor

OT Alex Bars - Nashville, TN (Montgomery Bell Academy)

TE Jeb Blazevich - Charlotte, NC (Charlotte Christian)

ATH Curtis Samuel - Brooklyn, NY (Erasmus Hall)

DE Andrew Trumbetti - Demarest, NJ (Demarest)

Notes:

• Smith is in the middle of a Midwest swing with visits Michigan and Ohio State in addition to Notre Dame. He is the top OG in the nation and has a 247 Composite Rating of .9909(!)
• Bars is one of the top OTs in the country and has offers from most of the Big Ten and SEC. He was offered by the Irish in Feb.
• Blazevich has a top six of Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Georgia and Notre Dame. He is expected to stay in the south for college.
• Samuel is starting to gain some interest on a national level and has really just started the recruiting process. Notre Dame will be his first visit.
• Trumbetti camped in South Bend last summer and landed an offer shortly after. Notre Dame is thought to be the leader, but Florida has been making up ground recently. He is the most likely to commit of those holding offers during the weekend.

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2014 Visitors without Offers (5):

TE Mike Gesicki - Manahawkin, NJ (Southern Regional)

TE Daniel Helm - Catham, IL (Glenwood)

OL Frank Ragnow - Victoria, MN (Chanhassen)

OG Richie Wenzel - Olney, MD (Our Lady of Good Councel)

DB Darius West - Lima, OH (Lima Central Catholic)

Notes:

• Gesicki is more of a WR/TE combo player but doesn't have many big offers yet. Expect the Irish to keep an eye on him through the summer before he gets an offer.
• Helm holds about a dozen offers and could be a Michigan lean at this point in the process
• Ragnow is flying a bit under the radar now, but national interest could pick up thanks to a recent offer from Florida State
• Wenzel doesn't have many offers to date and with one OG spot left for the Irish in '14, he may not see one from ND for a while
• West holds around 15 offers, mostly from theMidwest. At 5'11", he might be a bit on the small side for Bob Diaco's scheme as a safety.

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2015 Visitors without Offers (2):

OLB/DE Jashon Cornell - St. Paul, MN (Cretin-Derham Hall)

QB Jack Beneventi - Glen Ellyn, IL (Benet Academy)

Notes:

• Cornell is yet another ND prospect from CDH and is already earning national interest
• Beneventi is listed at 6'6" and is the offers are starting to roll in for him as well
• Expect interest to continue to grow over the summer for both prospects

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2014 Later Visitors (2):

OT KC McDermott - Wellington, FL (Palm Beach Central) - March 26th

WR Drake Harris - Grand Rapids, MI (Grand Rapids Christian) - Visit Date TBD

Notes:

• McDermott is a top 5 OT nationally and appears to be down to Miami (FL) and Notre Dame. His brother Tyler was hired as a graduate assistant for the Irish after holding the same position at Colorado State.
• Harris is a recent decommitment from Michigan State and is planning on making the trip to South Bend at some point during the spring