It's A Huge Recruiting Weekend For Notre Dame As They Take On The USC Trojans

Despite a snub from ESPN's College Gameday, Saturday night's showdown between the #13 Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the #11 USC Trojans will be the premier college football game of the weekend for recruiting.

The Irish have made a habit out of turning their biggest home games each year into their biggest recruiting weekends, and this week is no different. How big will it be?

That number of "82" is a mix of 2018, 2019, and 2020 prospects.

WHO'S IN?

For our purposes here today, we will really only be discussing those recruits in the 2018 class that are uncommitted to Notre Dame. But, to keep score as we march towards signing day(s), here are the 2018 Irish commitments that will be visiting:

• 4**** QB Phil Jurkovec
• 4**** WR Kevin Austin
• 4**** LB Matthew Bauer
• 3*** RB Jahmir Smith
• 3*** DT Ja'Mion Franklin
• 3*** LB Ovie Oghoufo
• 3*** WR Micah Jones
• 3*** OL Cole Mabry

The St. Peter's Prep trio of Jayson Ademilola, Justin Ademilola, and Shayne Simon were supposed to visit this weekend as well, but they had to change their plans when their high school moved their own game from Friday to Saturday.

OFFICIAL VISITS FROM UNCOMMITTED PROSPECTS

Now let's get into the juicy part of this weekend's recruiting hype. These are the uncommitted prospects that will be at the game:

5***** OL Nicholas Petit-Frere

The Irish check off every box that Petit-Frere has for a school. He is a high-academic kid, which makes things a little easier for Notre Dame, but the 5 star tag makes him a target for every school in the market. This is his first official visit anywhere, and with the in-state Florida Gators, and Urban Meyer's Ohio State Buckeyes in hot pursuit, the Irish will have to continue to outwork the competition for his services.

5***** WR Amon-Ra St. Brown

Notre Dame and St. Brown obviously know one another very well. Maybe the St. Browns know the Irish too well? Amon-Ra is predicted to be a USC lean at the moment, but I think he is still very much up in the air. Notre Dame will have to show an improvement in its passing game (BIG improvement) to stay a serious contender here. Amon-Ra wants to be in a dynamic offense that knows how to get the ball to its playmakers on the edge, and Notre Dame is failing in that respect at the moment.

4**** OL Chris Murray

This will be Murray's first visit to Notre Dame, but the Irish are serious players along with the usual suspect in the Stanford Cardinal. Both the Irish and Stanford have been very successful in recruiting top offensive linemen over the years, and this recruiting battle looks like another heated contest.

4**** LB Solomon Tuliaupupu

Notre Dame continues to recruit the west coast hard, and they continue to try and beef up their linebacker group. Regardless of the perceived numbers, the Irish have been right in the thick of it for blue-chip linebackers. Tuliaupupu is looking at the Trojans and the Buckeyes - and they are probably leading as the 1 and 2. Can the Irish make him weigh those options more carefully? He like the Irish, but can they get him to like them enough to really become players?

3*** CB Tariq Bracy

Notre Dame is in serious need of cornerback recruits and they like Tariq Bracy a lot. His offer list is a bit concerning as it is really light on bigger programs - but the Irish seem to like him a lot. What do they see that others don't?

3*** TE Tommy Tremble

Tremble was supposed to visit Notre Dame when they played the Georgia Bulldogs, but an injury kept Tremble at home that weekend. The Bulldogs are the biggest competition for Tremble, but Notre Dame has been recruiting him really hard and for quite a long time. Will the Irish get closer to sealing the deal this weekend? Will they be able to show Tremble how he fits into the system?

3*** S Paul Moala

At some point, this recruitment has to end. Moala is a local prospect that Notre Dame really likes, and Moala really likes Notre Dame. Despite Moala still being open to schools like Iowa, Nebraska, and Utah State, I wouldn't be surprised if he commits to the Irish this weekend. He might not - but it wouldn't surprise me.

3*** S Avonta Crim

Notre Dame has not offered Crimm, but that will most likely change this weekend. Notre Dame continues to look all over the place to provide depth in its secondary, and Crim looks like a project with a lot of upside.