Notre Dame has picked up a major recruiting victory today landing Carmichael (Calif.) Jesuit 2019 Rivals100 cornerback Isaiah Rutherford over the likes of Cal, Colorado, LSU, Oklahoma, Oregon and others.

It was quite the recruitment between the Irish and the four-star cornerback.

In late July, Rutherford narrowed down his recruitment to Cal, LSU, Oklahoma and Oregon leaving the Irish out.

But, cornerbacks coach Todd Lyght and special teams coordinator Brian Polian didn’t slow down their pursuit, which eventually led to Rutherford wanting to take an official visit to South Bend.

Rutherford made that trip during the weekend of Sept. 1 when Notre Dame hosted Michigan. The Irish gave Rutherford a lot to think about and was the beginning of the road to his eventual pledge.

"It's hard to fall in love with a team when you haven't been there," Rutherford started of his commitment to the Irish. "When I got on campus, I was blown back by everything. That helped my decision a lot."

Two weeks later Rutherford made it out to Colorado for an official and came away impressed with their program as well. A trip to Oregon, a program seen as a major threat to land his commitment, was planned for the next week.

However, Rutherford did not take the trip. That seemed to open the door even more when it came to the possibility Notre Dame would land the nation’s No. 83 player and No. 9 cornerback.

"The school is the best of both worlds," Rutherford said of Notre Dame. "You can't deny a Notre Dame degree. The tradition [also stands out]. Knowing how many people came out through there is amazing."

Rutherford joins Atlanta Lovett product KJ Wallace as the cornerbacks in Notre Dame’s class. If his ranking holds, Rutherford would become the first top 100 corner to sign with the Irish since Shaun Crawford in 2015.

The California product is the second Rivals100 defensive player in the class, joining Virginia safety Litchfield Ajavon. Notre Dame now has eight four-star prospects committed on defense, including five in the Rivals250.

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