Five Things We Learned About Notre Dame Recruiting In May

It was another busy month for Brian Kelly and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish coaching staff. BlueandGold.com gives you five things we learned from May.

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Notre Dame gave it all they had, but came up short.

In hopes to land an elite running back talent in the 2021 class, Notre Dame went hard after Matthews (N.C.) Weddington’s Will Shipley, but the nation’s No. 1 all-purpose back and No. 38 overall player opted to stay closer to home and pick the Clemson Tigers.

“Clemson is just the place for me,” Shipley told Rivals. “It was the people that make it up, the culture of the locker room, the atmosphere, the game-day experience. There are so many things that went into it for me but when looking at the big picture I just didn’t see a place that really showed my family and I better.”

Shipley’s lone visit to Notre Dame was last October when the Irish knocked off USC 30-27, and he was set to return to South Bend for the weekend of March 20-22, which was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“It was tough for schools like Stanford, Notre Dame, NC State and UNC because those visits were probably going to play a big part for them in the end of my recruitment,” Shipley said. “I wasn't able to go to the schools, hang out with the players, and get a feel for the atmosphere.

“I’ve been to Clemson five or six times now, so to have that much experience at a great place like that it’s almost impossible to say no. It hurt the other schools in my recruitment that finished second or third not being able to visit them.”

During the interview about his Clemson pledge, Shipley was very complimentary of the Fighting Irish.

“Notre Dame did an absolutely incredible job,” Shipley said. “Coach [Lance] Taylor, Coach [Brian] Kelly, and Coach [Tommy] Rees, the push that they made really over the last month made it very, very close at one point. Looking back and putting this in God’s hands, he showed me what I needed to see. Clemson, in my mind, is no question the place that I need to be at.

“It was great to be connected with so many people and have so many great relationships in and around Notre Dame. I would say that it added a little bit of pressure. When you ultimately make your decision and you’re disappointing all of those relationships that you have created, it's tough on you.

“It was definitely tough on me when I had to call the coaches and call the commits and let them know. I have created such good relationships with them and that made it tough on me. I loved all the relationships I created and I absolutely just cherish all of them.”

A couple hours after Shipley announced his pledge to Clemson, Irish fans received good news in the form of a four-star cornerback pledge.

Valrico (Fla.) Bloomingdale’s Philip Riley had never (and still hasn’t) stepped foot on Notre Dame’s campus, but the 6-0, 190-pounder loved what the Irish staff was preaching to him and didn’t need to wait any longer.

“They gave me a different perspective on everything,” Riley said of the Notre Dame coaching staff. “They really pushed hard for me. I feel like Notre Dame is a perfect fit for me socially, academically and football-wise.”

Former Notre Dame captain and linebacker Mike Goolsby was fired up about the addition for the Irish.

“He looks the part; you can see the size on tape,” Goolsby said. “In some of these plays where it’s an outside toss run, he’ll disengage from the receiver and make tackles. That really speaks to his strength and eye discipline. He’s well-coached and his footwork is exceptional.

“I think he could be a boundary [short-side of the field] cornerback. He’s big and physical — beats up receivers playing press. But also what I like is his intestinal fortitude; he’s competing all the way through the snap. He’s very well-coached, so it comes down to ability. I think he’s an exceptional player. I’m really excited that [Notre Dame] got this kid.”

Two days after Riley announced his pledge, Warwick (R.I.) Bishop Hendricken School defensive end Jason Onye took to social media to announce his long-expected commitment to Notre Dame. Onye also selected Notre Dame without having made a trip to South Bend.

“What they can offer to me besides football,” Onye said about picking Notre Dame. “I appreciated how Coach [Mike] Elston came to my school twice; most coaches won’t do that. It’s Rhode Island; who comes here? I felt really wanted, and he recruited me hard.”

In helping lead Bishop Hendricken to its second straight Rhode Island Interscholastic League championship, Onye recorded 68 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks and five forced fumbles.

"He’s got a tremendous amount of upside and athleticism," Bishop Hendricken head coach Keith Croft said. “He’s a big, tall, athletic kid, and he plays basketball. He definitely looks like a basketball player. He’s filled out a lot more now and has gotten bigger and stronger. He’s a defensive end who likes to get after the quarterback.”

Notre Dame also landed a pair of graduate transfers in the month of May.

The Irish added much-needed help in the secondary from North Carolina State cornerback transfer Nick McCloud, who will have one year of eligibility.

In four years at North Carolina State, McCloud had 105 tackles, 20 passes broken up and three interceptions. He was a six-game starter in 2017 and made 11 starts in 2018. In both seasons, the Wolfpack went 9-4 and appeared in the top 25. They finished No. 23 in the final Associated Press poll of 2017.

On May 28, Notre Dame added Stanford running back Trevor Speights, giving the Irish its fourth graduate transfer for the 2020 season. Speights has one year of eligibility remaining, but a medical waiver could give him an additional season.

Notre Dame’s connection to the 5-11, 203-pound Speights, a former three-star recruit from McAllen, Texas, is second-year Notre Dame running backs coach and first-year run game coordinator Lance Taylor, who recruited him while working at Stanford from 2014-16. For more on Speights, click here.

A pair of priority offensive targets for the Fighting Irish cut their list in half near the end of the month.

Clarkston (Mich.) High’s Rocco Spindler, Rivals’ No. 3 offensive guard and No. 56 overall player nationally, went from a top 10 to a top five schools list. LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Penn State are the top schools for the 6-5, 290-pounder.

There are currently six FutureCast picks in for Spindler — four of them for Notre Dame and two for Michigan.

Baltimore Mount St. Joseph class of 2021 playmaker Dont'e Thornton Jr. had a top 12 schools list that he announced April 4, but his new list is much more manageable. His updated top group consists of Arizona State, Florida State, Notre Dame, Oregon, USC and Virginia.

“One of the best things about Notre Dame is they have a great education there,” said Thornton about why the Irish made his favorites list. “That’s at a very high level. The quarterback that is coming in with this class I think will be good based on the offense that they have.

“That’s a great feeling for me, too. I’ve talked to some of the players on the team and they explained how they really like it there and how it is being around all the coaches. I was on campus like two years ago for a camp.”

There has been rumors and speculation that Mansfield (Texas) Legacy defensive end David Abiara would back off of his Notre Dame commitment.

However, Abiara has not announced anything and still lists himself as a Notre Dame commitment on his social media channels.

Notre Dame did extend a new 2021 defensive offer, which many have thought to be a reaction from the Irish staff about Abiara's potential decommitment. However, these situations may not be linked, and the Notre Dame coaches may be pivoting to take a third defensive end in the class.

Click here for an update from Thursday.

Tiffin (Iowa.) Clear Creek Amana’s T.J. Bollers, the country’s No. 6 strong-side defensive end and No. 98 overall player per Rivals, added the Irish to his offer sheet last Tuesday. And on Friday, he had a “virtual visit” with the coaching staff.

“Notre Dame has always been a solid program — year in and year out,” Bollers said. “They’re always playing really great teams and show out against those guys. I really like their defense and how Coach Elston prepares the D-line.”

During the offer conversation, Elston acknowledged that Bollers had a group of finalists and asked if he’d still consider Notre Dame.

“I said, ‘Coach, I don’t know what I don’t know about you guys. I was there when I was a sophomore and that was about it. The stuff that you can show me will all be new to me. Who knows? I want to make an educated decision and not cut out a place without me knowing,’” Bollers recalled.

Wisconsin is considered the team to beat for Bollers.

In the day following Shipley picking Clemson, Notre Dame dished out three new running back offers — and a fourth went out this past week.

Cypress (Texas) Fairbanks’ LJ Johnson — No. 4 running back and No. 69 overall player in the country

BlueandGold.com has not been able to reach Johnson for an interview yet ... Most experts believe he is headed to Texas A&M.

Metairie (La.) Rummel’s Logan Diggs — No. 13 player in Louisiana and No. 29 running back nationally

Notre Dame should have a shot to pull Diggs out of the South ... “I’d say they’re rising close at the top with everyone else,” Diggs told BlueandGold.com. “I’m really looking to go to a school that’s great both academically and athletically. They really fit that."

Conroe (Texas) Oak Ridge's Alton McCaskill — No. 97 player in Texas

McCaskill is a fast-rising player in the Lone Star State and his recruitment is really just starting ... “I didn’t know too much about it until I did more research about it," McCaskill said. "I know it’s a rich school in their tradition. Notre Dame holds a lot of weight. I didn’t even know it was a Catholic school until I did more research on it.”

Del Valle (Texas) High's Tavierre Dunlap — No. 47 player in Texas and No. 24 running back in the nation

BlueandGold.com has not been able to reach Dunlap for an interview yet ... He added an offer from Notre Dame May 28.

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