Decision Day: Four-Star WR Braden Lenzy
After missing on top defensive back target Kyler Gordon Thursday night, Notre Dame could be about to receive some good news Friday.
At 6:00 p.m. eastern, one-time Irish receiver commit Braden Lenzy will announce his decision between Notre Dame, Oregon and UCLA.
Lenzy, a Portland (Ore.) Tigard product, has been committed to both Notre Dame and Oregon at one point. The four-star flipped from the Irish to to the Ducks on June 14 after committing to Notre Dame in February.
According to his father, Lenzy flipped to the Ducks over concerns about his future in track at Notre Dame. Lenzy takes track just as seriously as football, and began to get the feeling that Notre Dame wouldn't allow him to pursue both eqaully.
So the flip to Oregon occurred, but then Ducks head coach Willie Taggart bolted for Florida State, and Lenzy opened things up.
That same week, Irish offensive coordinator Chip Long conducted an in-home visit with Lenzy, and convinced the Oregon talent to take an official visit to South Bend for the Echoes weekend.
The following Thursday, Lenzy announced his plan to make a decision between the Irish, Ducks and Bruins.
Oregon has pushed hard to get him back in the class, and UClA has entered the mix, but based on intel we've received in the weeks following the visit, Notre Dame appears to have a strong chance of bringing Lenzy back on board.
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Notre Dame wide receiver signee Kevin Austin ranks as the nation's No. 81 player nationally.
Notre Dame’s 2018 defensive class has received a lot of praise, and rightfully so, throughout the recruitment process.
But, the Irish will also be adding a talented group on the offensive end to complement the defense.
Of course, Gibsonia (Pa.) Pine-Richland Rivals100 quarterback
Phil Jurkovecis the headliner for the group, but the nation’s No. 55 player will have plenty of weapons to throw to and hand the ball off to in the coming years.
Notre Dame did have two running backs committed for several months before Indianapolis Cathedral product and Rivals250 talent
Markese Steppand the Irish moved on from each other. The Irish though signed a highly productive running back yesterday in Sanford (N.C.) Lee County productJahmir Smith.
The 5-foot-10, 198-pounder rushed for over 2,000 yards and 40 touchdowns as a junior before racking up 1,728 yards and 27 touchdowns during his junior campaign.
Recruiting coordinator and special teams coach Brian Polian expressed high praise for Smith during Wednesday’s press conference introducing the group.
“I am a big Jahmir Smith fan,” Polian explained. “I'm not sure that he got the type of recognition that he deserved. He's a big, physical back, 5-10, 5-11, nearly 200 pounds as a high school senior, north and south runner, exceptional student, terrific kid.”
-NATIONAL16STATE 20POSITIONJAHMIRSMITHRANK5.76'0"|199 LBS|RBLEE COUNTYSANFORD, NCCLASS OF 2018SIGNED LOI7/23/2017NOTRE DAME
Notre Dame could very well add to its receiving corps tonight with speedy Portland (Ore.) Tigard wide receiver and former Irish and Oregon commit
Braden Lenzyannouncing his decision, which would be a complementary addition to the current group.
The duo already inked features a versatile wide receiver in Coconut Creek (Fla.) North Broward Prep product
Kevin Austinand a big target in Gurnee (Ill.) Warren Township wideoutMicah Jones.
Austin, ranked as the No. 81 player nationally, fit the profile Notre Dame was looking for in one of its incoming wide receivers. The Irish signee registered 35 receptions for 761 yards and 11 touchdowns while rushing for 390 yards and two more touchdowns on 38 carries this past season.
“Kevin Austin can play all three positions for us,” Brian Kelly stated. “We wanted somebody that has versatility at that position. He can play X, Z, and W. Smooth player, catches the ball extremely well and has great speed. We wanted someone that wasn’t going to be penciled into a position.
Jones exploded as a senior catching 53 passes for 824 yards and 824 yards easily eclipsing his career numbers before the season.
“Micah is more of a boundary player, big, physical, can win one-on-one matchups,” Kelly explained. “We love that about him and his size, but the combination of those two, obviously we need to continue to recruit at that position. We’re hoping to add to that position in this cycle to balance off the receiving crew.”
Notre Dame also added a versatile tight end group with Naples (Fla.) Gulf Coast four-star product
George TakacsandTommy Trembleof Norcross (Ga.) Wesleyan.
-NATIONAL49STATE 15POSITIONGEORGETAKACSRANK5.86'6"|235 LBS|TEGULF COASTNAPLES, FLCLASS OF 2018SIGNED LOI6/14/2017NOTRE DAME
The 6-foot-6, 248-pound Takacs is more of a traditional tight end while the 6-foot-4, 224-pound Tremble, who has recorded a 4.63 40-yard dash, is a very good athlete for the position and can be more of a matchup problem for linebackers and safeties stretching the field.
Takacs and Tremble fit the bill for Kelly and his staff in terms of what they like from their tight ends.
“The tight end position, we’re losing Durham [Smythe] for sure, so we needed to replace that and then add into this cycle,” Kelly said. “George and Tommy are terrific athletes that can be in line or they can spread out. They keep fitting the exact profile that we’ve been recruiting over the last few years at that position.”
True freshmen can certainly make an impact at Notre Dame if the work is put it and the players proves they can handle the load. Kelly pinpointed a couple of offensive positons as potential early playmakers.
“Running backs, Jahmir Smith is going to come in and if he’s got it, you play freshmen running backs,” Kelly stated. “I would never tell a guy, hey, you’re going to redshirt. You let those guys go! And the receivers, to be frank with you, they all get to come in and compete for starting positions, and that’s how I’ve articulated it to them."
Notre Dame has four four-star signees on the offensive end with a chance to add to the already talented group.
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