BREAKING: 2019 Rivals250 DE Howard Cross III Commits To Notre Dame
Notre Dame continues its recent run on the recruiting trail landing a commitment today from Montvale (N.J.) St. Joseph’s 2019 defensive end Howard Cross III.
The 6-foot-2, 240-pounder picked the Irish over offers from Boston College, Duke, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, NC State, Northwestern, Tennessee and Virginia Tech, among others.
Cross is the third Rivals250 player to commit to Notre Dame in the past week following Rivals100 offensive lineman John Olmstead and Rivals100 safety Litchfield Ajavon.
In the span of less than a month, Cross went from not having an offer to an Irish commit. Notre Dame first entered the mix for Cross on April 3 and impressed him enough during his unofficial for the spring game to get him to pull the trigger.
“It was a very big offer,” Cross told Blue & Gold Illustrated after the offer. “I was actually surprised. I didn’t really expect to get it. They talked to me for a while, but it kind of fell of the grid. So, I was focusing on my other offers.
“The thing that stands out about Notre Dame is the school. Obviously, it’s one of the best in the nation. Their football is also one of the best in the nation. I also like how it physically and spiritually helps their students get through college.”
Defensive line coach Mike Elston made a quick strong impression on Cross after the offer.
“His message was that they really, really want me,” Cross said of Elston. “That they took their time looking at me and wanted to see every aspect. They thought I was perfect for their defense and perfect addition to Notre Dame.
“I really like him a lot. He’s a very honest coach and that’s the best kind of coach I like. He’ll be nice and will get on you if you need to pick it up … He said I’m fast, I go 100 percent every single day and I never let up.”
Cross is now commitment No. 6 for the Irish and the third highest-ranked prospect among that group. He is also the fourth four-star commitment on the defensive side of the ball joining Ajavon and defensive tackles Jacob Lacey and Hunter Spears.
Defensive end is a priority for Notre Dame this class and that group received a huge boost landing the Rivals250 prospect. Cross would be the first top 250 defensive end to sign with the Irish since Daelin Hayes (No. 31) and Khalid Kareem (No. 237) in the 2016 class.
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