Banquet visitors take center stage
Since the regular season ended in Los Angeles the Notre Dame coaching staff has been making its recruiting push in earnest.
Most of that work will come to a head this weekend as several prospects descend on South Bend for official visits during the postseason awards banquets. Notre Dame has put most of its focus on defensive backs and running backs, plus a long list of commitments.
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Running back duo on tap
Two running backs are locked in to make the trip: four-star Jordan Cronkrite and Rivals100 Oklahoma State commitment Ronald Jones II.
Jones will arrive on campus with perhaps the most behind-the-scenes buzz. He's been committed to Oklahoma State since the spring but has made no bones about wanting to take other visits with the Cowboy stumbling to a 6-6 season.
Notre Dame had been on the short list before Jones pulled the trigger on a commitment.
"I've always liked Notre Dame," Jones told Irish Illustrated in April. "They've always been successful no matter what they do. Academics too. You're not gonna get education like that from most of these DI colleges."
Rivals.com rates Jones the No. 9 running back in the nation and No. 79 prospect overall.
Cronkrite will be making his second official visit of the cycle, his first being to West Virginia in late October.
Notre Dame has been hanging around the edges of this recruitment for months. It will be Cronkrite's first look at campus. Other players include Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Texas, among others.
Rivals.com lists Cronkrite as the No. 197 prospect overall in the latest Rivals250.
Biggie headlines defensive backs
Five-star cornerback Iman "Biggie" Marshall is expected to make trip to Notre Dame this weekend. Marshall is the top-ranked cornerback in the Rivals100 and No. 4 prospect overall, making him the second highest rated player to visit Notre Dame this cycle behind defensive end Byron Cowart, ranked No. 3 overall, who made an unofficial visit during the summer.
Marshall continues to consider a long list of programs that includes local options like UCLA and USC along with Stanford, Oregon and others.
Notre Dame will get the first official visit, something Marshall has been targeting since the summer time.
"Most importantly is just the networking that you can build out of Notre Dame," Marshall told Irish Illustrated in June. "Notre Dame is a strong tradition for a lot of years. They were the first college televised. That's a big network and it's international. You can't really beat that when you're talking about Notre Dame. Nobody can beat that. You've got international network connections so you can go anywhere across the nation that you can get a job.
"I'm not gonna have the opportunity to play football forever, so I wanna have a strong connection and understand what I need to do for my future. My future is bigger than football."
Four-star Michigan safety commitment Tyree Kinnel remains on the visit list as the Notre Dame staff pushes to make it happen. Kinnel is close with Irish commitment Shaun Crawford, who will be on hand as well.
Virginia athlete Gary Jennings is also expected to make his second official visit of the cycle, the first going to Wisconsin in October. Nebraska, Vanderbilt, Virginia and West Virginia are other player for the potential safety.
Alize returns
Rivals100 tight end and UCLA commitment Alize Jones will be making his second trip to Notre Dame this season and third overall dating back to the summer before his junior year.
Jones teams with Irish commitment Nicco Fertitta at Bishop Gorman and has been described as “50-50” between Notre Dame and the Bruins, to which he’s been committed for over a year at this point. Notre Dame sees a matchup problem as a big receiver more than a true tight end, but an elite talent nevertheless.
Four-star wide receiver Lawrence Cager had been scheduled to visit but was a last minute scratch.
Double digit commitments expected
Notre Dame will host double digit commitments for the postseason awards banquet, as is often the case. Many will be making their first trips back since attending a game during the fall.
Four-star linebacker Josh Barajas, four-star wide receiver Miles Boykin, cornerback Nick Coleman, four-star linebacker Asmar Bilal and four-star offensive lineman Tristen Hoge will all be on hand, among others.
Hoge and defensive tackle Micah Dew-Treadway are both planning to enroll next month.
