Blanton picks Irish

This is a tradition that Notre Dame could get used to.

For the third time in three seasons, the Irish have added a top prospect from North Carolina to its recruiting class. Two years ago Notre Dame landed cornerback Raeshon McNeil. Last campaign began with outside linebacker Kerry Neal. Today, the Irish added Robert Blanton to the fold, beating out Virginia Tech and Michigan for the defensive back's commitment.

Blanton committed to Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis on Wednesday afternoon during a conference call with his parents. The four-star prospect from Matthews is on campus for an extended summer visit to South Bend where he's watching his future program go through conditioning drills.

Blanton's father, Robert Edwards, confirmed the commitment.

The pledge pushes the Irish to 15 commitments in its next recruiting class, although Blanton marks the first defensive back to come aboard. The Butler High School standout is also the fourth Rivals100 prospect to commit to Notre Dame.

Check back with Irish Illustrated for more on Blanton's commitment to the Irish.