2016 Notre Dame Recruiting Big Board: Quarterback and Running Back

Welcome back to the OFD recruiting Big Board for Fighting Irish football.

Entering The Field

No new offers have gone out since the last Big Board update.

In Play

Xavier Gaines said Notre Dame is in his top three. He had to cancel a planned trip for Irish Invasion but says he still intends to visit.

Georgian Jawon Pass, who hasn't had the Irish in the picture for a very long time, plans to announce his commitment on July 16th. He'll likely choose between Auburn and Alabama, where his former teammate and fellow Irish target Mekhi Brown just enrolled.

Off the Board

Four-star Woody Barrett committed to Auburn on June 3rd, the same day he was named an Elite 11 semifinalist.

While it's still likely that Notre Dame will go after a quarterback in this class, it's pretty clear at this point that their strategy is to go all in on elite 2017 prospect Hunter Johnson, who visited for Irish Invasion and may be trending towards South Bend. Gaines seems likely to stay in the South, which means that if the Irish take a quarterback in this cycle, as they should (debate!), look for them to take a program guy who isn't on the radar yet. At least, not on our radar.

Entering the Field

No new offers to report.

In Play

Cal legacy Damian Alloway badly wanted the Notre Dame offer that he got before the last Big Board update; staying true to that sentiment, he now has the Irish in his top two with UCLA per Scout ($). He'll visit next month with his family, and visit again officially for the USC game. As of today it seems more likely than not that he'll end up Irish, perhaps before the end of the summer.

Elijah Holyfield has been very busy this summer making unofficial visits, and told Rivals that the outcome of all that is that he will be able to cut his list soon ($). He came to Notre Dame's Junior Day and enjoyed himself, but ultimately it will probably be just too difficult to pull this talented back out of the South. Auburn and Georgia are widely considered his leaders, with Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, and others in the picture to varying degrees.

Florida back Deon McIntosh told Scout that Notre Dame is in his top three, but West Virginia is his leader (free). Look for McIntosh to make an official visit to Notre Dame in the fall, unless running back recruiting is wrapped up by then.

Devwah Whaley recently tweeted a top five of Texas, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Georgia.

Off the Board

No commits elsewhere by Irish targets.