Five Things We Learned On Notre Dame Recruiting In December
1. Notre Dame Wanted More Depth At Receiver
On New Year's Day, Northwestern graduate transfer wide receiver Bennett Skowronek announced his intentions to transfer to Notre Dame, and the University confirmed this publicly.
He will enroll at Notre Dame in January and plans to practice with the team in the spring coming off an ankle injury suffered in the fall.
"As soon as I decided to enter the portal, schools start hitting you up immediately, so it was overwhelming," Skowronek told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "But Notre Dame hit me up that day as well. From there we were both mutually interested in each other and it worked out once I got up there on a visit, I think two weekends later or something. It felt like home, and it felt like it was the place for me."
The addition of Skowronek brings up the question of whether or not Javon McKinley will return for a fifth year to the forefront.
Skowronek will join Kevin Austin, Lawrence Keys III and Braden Lenzy in the receiver room as well as three incoming freshmen.
RELATED -> Analysis: Adding Receiver Bennett Skowronek To Notre Dame's Offense
2. Echoes Weekend Was A Success
Skowronek officially visited the weekend of the Echoes Award Show, just a week and a half after he entered the transfer portal.
The Irish also hosted a handful of top underclassmen targets that weekend, most notably West Bloomfield (Mich.) High running back Donovan Edwards, the nation's No. 58 prospect, and Los Angeles (Calif.) Loyola defensive back Ceyair Wright, the No. 145 recruit in the land.
"It was great," Edwards said of his Notre Dame visit. "I got to spend the day with Coach [Lance] Taylor and Coach [Brian] Kelly and built more relationships with the recruits."
"The visit was great," Wright said. "I really appreciate the honesty and transparency of everyone on the campus. I had an amazing time."
A pair of 2021 Notre Dame commits were on campus that weekend as well in offensive lineman Blake Fisher and wide receiver Deion Colzie.
The notable 2022 prospects on campus were Lagrange Park (Ill.) Nazareth Academy receiver Tyler Morris and Hammond (Wis.) St. Crioix Central offensive lineman Carson Hinzman.
3. Elston's Northeast Trip Resulted In New Offers
Notre Dame defensive line coach Mike Elston was out on the road recruiting in early December and extended three new offers to class of 2021 defensive line prospects in the Northeast.
The most notable offer went to Blairstown (N.J.) Blair Academy's Aaron Armitage, a native of Canada, who ranks as the No. 6 strong side defensive end in the country. Notre Dame is one of his favorite schools.
"Coach Elston said that he'd love to have me as a part of the team and thinks I'm a dominant player who can really show that at Notre Dame," Armitage said. "His players take on the academic side very seriously; they're focused on athletics and academics, which is key to me."
Elston also extended an offer to Warwick (R.I.) Bishop Hendricken School's Jason Onye, a 6-4, 250-pound three-star defensive end. The Irish offered Onye on National Signing Day for the 2020 class.
"I've been talking to Coach Elston and Coach Kearney for a while now," Onye told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "Coach Elston came to my school to talk to my coaches and get to know more background at me. [On Dec. 18], I called Coach Elston, which is a usual thing I do, and he offered me a scholarship from Notre Dame, which was a big deal for me."
Suffield (Conn.) Academy defensive end KeChaun Bennett added Notre Dame to his offer sheet as well. The 6-4, 210-pounder holds offers from the likes of Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and others.
"I was super excited," Bennett said of the ND offer. "It's a very great school. The reputation it has and the academics are great."
4. Drew Pyne Stood Out At Under Armour All-America Week
Notre Dame quarterback signee Drew Pyne was the best passer in the Under Armour All-America game, completing 9-of-11 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown that went for 42 yards. He also stood out all week during practice.
In case you missed any content from BGI covering Pyne's week in Orlando, see the links below.
Five Takeaways On Notre Dame Recruits At Under Armour
Thoughts On Drew Pyne, Chris Tyree In The Under Armour All-America Game
Under Armour Journal: Pyne Relishes Experience; Talks Tyree & Mayer
Notes, Quotes And Observations From Final Day Of Under Armour Practice
Notes, Quotes and Observations: Drew Pyne Has Standout Performance At UA
Notes, Quotes and Observations On Notre Dame Recruits From UA (12/30)
5. Notre Dame's 2020 National Signing Day Went As Expected
In the days leading up to National Signing Day for the 2020 class, the Fighting Irish were working on flipping some big name recruits committed elsewhere and nearly pulled off a heist of four-star offensive lineman Jonah Monheim from USC.
No flips occurred period, whether it was Notre Dame grabbing a recruit from another school, or an Irish commit choosing a different program. This certainly could've happened with offensive coordinator Chip Long's departure from the Notre Dame football program, but to our knowledge, not a single Irish recruit came close to decommitting.
Notre Dame was able to land a commitment from three-star defensive back Ramon Henderson on National Signing Day, which was expected.
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