Notre Dame’s visitor list is on the light side this weekend – definitely unlike the extensive visitor log for the USC weekend – but what it lacks in quantity, it more than makes up for with quality. Â Ben Davis, a 5-star linebacker out of Alabama, is the lone visitor on campus this weekend for Notre Dame as the Irish coaching staff hopes to make an impression on elite linebacker.
Davis, a 6’3″, 240 lbs prospect, comes to Notre Dame this weekend with Alabama, Auburn, LSU, and Georgia among his favorites. He’s already visited LSU and Georgia during the season and has Auburn and Alabama on his itinerary the next two weekends.
It’s hard to notice that one of those things is not like the rest with Notre Dame being the only non-SEC school on his list. Â Sometimes though, being the outlier can be positive in recruiting. Â Notre Dame would certainly qualify as that in this case and his visit to Notre Dame this weekend should be proof enough of his interest to know the Irish have a chance. Â Elite linebackers don’t visit Northwest Indiana in January for sightseeing trips.
Notre Dame will have the luxury of only hosting Davis this weekend allowing for them to roll out the red carpet in hopes of making the type of impression that can thrust the Irish into the forefront of his recruitment after being considered an afterthought to most recruiting experts. Â Having early enrollee and fellow elite linebacker Daelin Hayes on campus could help the Irish as well if the two high school All-Americans hit it off.
Still, Alabama is considered the odds on favorite to land Davis heading into the visit. Â 247 Sports’s Crystal Ball currently has Davis trending at 100%. Â Davis’s father Wayne is also the all-time leader in tackles for Alabama. Â Add it all up and the Crimson Tide look like they are indeed the odds on favorite.
Don’t expect the Notre Dame coaching staff and new ace recruiter Autry Denson, Davis’s primary recruiter, to concede anything this weekend while Davis is on campus though. Â With Notre Dame’s class close to full, the staff can focus all of their attention on the few remaining elite recruits left on the board.
Should Notre Dame pull off the shocker here and become a real player in the race for Davis, he is the kind of elite, game changing recruit that can headline a class. Â Davis would immediately compete for playing time in South Bend with the middle linebacker position up for grabs with Joe Schmidt out of eligibility.
We should know more about Notre Dame’s chances shortly after his visit as it will take an absolute home run type visit for the Irish to be in the race. Â If we hear words like “nice” or any other lukewarm comments we know the Irish don’t have a chance. Â If they can get Davis to fall in love with Notre Dame while he’s on campus though, things could get interesting.
@RB, effectively yes…to the NFL. Whatever, we get this 5 star-er, he’ll soon learn that VanNo is no evaluator or developer of LB’s. Wasn’t his #1 guy Schmidt? I don’t care who we bring in on D unless VanNo goes. BTW, i might have missed it, has he been fired/shot lately?
Jaylon Smith transferred??
Even if he does commit he’ll just transfer just like every other 5 star in the last 5 years.
Then he could also get a retractable golden dome as a replacement . . .
Bj’s head would explode.
Wouldn’t a retractable Golden Dome over the stadium be wonderful?
Can we get some Sunny, 80 degree weather pumped in?
@Poppy: There are lots of things that make Notre Dame different from most of the other schools. Yes, they graduate more players than most. But also, there’s a different sort of campus life from most places. I don’t know of any other school where all students–including all athletes–have their living quarters selected at random as incoming freshmen. Of course, this also means that they have their roommates selected at random as well, so they usually don’t live with other athletes for their first year. Also, there are no coed dorms, and women aren’t allowed in the dorm after 11 pm on weekdays and 1 am on weekends. Students are not allowed to live off campus until they are 21. There are no fraternities.
There’s more to do in South Bend than its reputation suggests, but it is a small town. A kid living in a city of any size will need a bit of time to adjust. All in all, Notre Dame’s atmosphere is a bit more rigid than in most schools, and this can be a good thing for some kids and not so good a thing for others. I think this is the main reason that we so often hear that Notre Dame is looking for a particular sort of kid when they recruit. It’s not a more special place than any other in any objective sense, but it is different from most in some significant ways.
I know Lynch and Teo and Stonebreaker but who is Newsome? He’s a punter! Lynch came to ND as a def. lineman. Yes, and lets not forget about Jaylon.
For a young man who is into education, of the 5 schools listed only one graduates close to 100%. The other four vary from 49 to 69 % Yes, I know the individual is responsible for his own achievement, but….
Plan Bs are especially handy when it comes to pulling 5 star talent out of the state of Alabama
A solid Plan B is always in order Bradley.
This would be an incredible scoop. Go get ’em guys.
And of course…
GO Irish!!!!
What am I going to do until next September?
lynch, how about Jaylon?
Tell him if he comes to nd he could be as great as lynch, newsome, stonebrealer or teo