Recruiting Primer: Let the Visits Begin - Part II
Will Notre Dame gain any commitments during the next few weeks? It’s definitely possible. Earlier we discussed March visitors that could end up in the Notre Dame 2021 class.
Getting right back into the visitors, here’s a look at each prospect that Irish Breakdown confirmed will be visiting Notre Dame during the big late March visit. (Prospects listed alphabetically)
Garrett Dellinger, OL, 6-6, 285, Clarkston (Mich.) High School
From every offensive line prospect on the list, Dellinger proved to be the most difficult to gain information. Where he’s leaning and when he wants to decide are mysteries.
Perhaps this visit will be telling. Michigan and Notre Dame have long since been considered the teams to watch, but it’s been months since anything new really surfaced about his recruitment.
Wyatt Milum, OL, 6-6, 265, Huntington (W. Va.) Spring Valley
West Virginia will be placing its best foot forward to keep this elite offensive tackle home, but programs like Penn State, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Kentucky, Notre Dame and Ohio State all want to the talented left tackle prospect as well. This appears to be anyone’s ballgame.
At the least, look for the Irish to receive an official visit from Milum. He’s definitely a priority for Notre Dame. Talking to a source in West Virginia, the Fighting Irish are in a very good position at this point.
Nolan Rucci, OL, 6-8, 285, Lititz (Pa.) Warwick
This one is simple. Penn State is the odds-on favorite. Wisconsin, where his brother Hayden plays football, would also have to be considered a top contender.
For the Irish to win out, they will need to go above and beyond for Rucci. The biggest goal should be gaining confirmation of an impending official visit from Rucci, at the least, before he leaves South Bend.
Will Shipley, RB, 5-11, 200, Matthews (N.C.) Weddington
Shipley’s recruitment is as elite as it can be. Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, North Carolina, Stanford, North Carolina State and Notre Dame are the front runners. Many feel it will be Clemson or Notre Dame when it’s all said and done.
Will Shipley make a summer decision? Will he push his final choice into the fall? These are important questions as the Irish would probably like to lock in their top running back target. For a talent like Shipley, Notre Dame might need to wait it out, but the Irish are in a good position right now.
Rocco Spindler, OL, 6-5, 285, Clarkston (Mich.) High School
Spindler’s recruitment appears to be trending towards South Bend more than ever. He even ran into former Irish head coach Lou Holtz while on vacation in Mexico.
Michigan is the leader based on fan perception, but are the Wolverines really leading, or is it Notre Dame? The talented offensive lineman will have a difficult decision to make, but Notre Dame has without question put itself in great position to ultimately land Spindler.
Landon Tengwall, OL, 6-6, 300, Olney (Md.) Good Counsel
This will be Tengwall’s unofficial visit before returning in April for an official visit. With such a quick turnaround, perhaps he really wants to learn about Notre Dame. He’s one of the best offensive linemen in the country, and that’s why Penn State, Michigan, and many other programs come after Tengwall hard.
It would not be surprising if Notre Dame pulled off the upset, but Tengwall is allegedly a Penn State lean. That’s tough competition for the talented prospect from Maryland.
MARCH 28
Kechaun Bennett, OLB/DE, 6-3, 220, Suffield (Conn.) Suffield Academy
Bennett is planning to visit Michigan and Notre Dame during the same week. The talented edge rusher could make an impact along the line of scrimmage, as well as play in space.
Michigan, Penn State, Notre Dame, Miami and Duke are just some of the offers for Bennett. It’s hard to say where he’s leaning, but it’s a good sign for the Irish that he will be taking an unofficial visit.
APRIL 1
Thomas Fidone, TE, 6-5, 220, Council Bluffs (Iowa) Lewis Central
Fine is visiting Michigan on April 2 after going to Notre Dame the day before. Fidone mentioned that he has already visited Nebraska and Iowa about five times. With that, the Irish will be climbing up a steep hill.
Fidone is one of the best flex tight ends in the country. He would make an excellent complement to Irish commit Cane Berrong.
APRIL 9
CJ Williams, WR, 6-2, 190, Mission Viejo (Calif.) Mater Dei -- Class of 2022
Williams will be taking visit throughout March and into April. He informed me he has visits set up to Stanford (March 15), Oregon (March 16), Oregon State (March 17), Texas (March 28), Texas A&M (March 29), Notre Dame (April 9), Michigan (April 10) and Ohio State (April 11).
This recruitment is very young, but Notre Dame definitely made an impression when it offered. “Yeah, Notre Dame is a big-time offer and a great program,” Williams replied about receiving a scholarship offer to Notre Dame. “I’m really happy about it.”
APRIL 3 - OFFICIAL VISIT
Deuce Harmon, CB, 5-9, 185, Denton (Texas) Guyer
This is a powerfully built cornerback that could be mistaken for a running back. Harmon could project to slot cornerback, a position of need in today’s college football, or play field cornerback.
Numerous programs continue to pursue the north Texas standout. Notre Dame figures to be one of the finalists. The Irish will be his first official visit. Oregon, Baylor, USC and Kansas State are a few of Harmon’s offers.
*** I mentioned earlier that Tengwall would also be returning for an April official visit, fresh off his unofficial visit just a couple of weeks prior. This is a big visit for the Irish offensive line recruiting hopes as Tengwall would be a huge addition to the Irish program.
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