Under The Lights: BGI On The Road, Irish Commits' Game Schedule
Who are the Notre Dame recruits we're seeing live on the road this week? Which Fighting Irish commits have the biggest games this week? Blue & Gold Illustrated breaks it down in our "Under The Lights" preview, which will be published every Thursday.
Blue & Gold Illustrated On The Road
On Friday, I'll be out near the Georgia/South Carolina border to check out Notre Dame 2021 tight end commit Cane Berrong. I saw Berrong live this summer at a wide receiver training, and I was very impressed with him as a route runner and his overall explosiveness.
Being able to see him in a full-padded actual football game will be a completely different setting though, and I'm pumped for Berrong's game. I'm not expecting him to catch a bunch of balls as I am anticipating more of a run-first offense, but this will open up the flats and seams for Berrong, especially in the play-action game.
Berrong is a bit on the thin side right now as a tight end, which is to be expected as he's only a high school junior, but he is a really physical player. I can't wait to see his aggression as a blocker.
On Saturday, I'll be in Atlanta to see a couple of Notre Dame targets in the 2021 class. Hapeville Charter 2021 wide receiver Jaquez Smith visited Notre Dame in the spring and has the Irish very high on his list. This will be my third time seeing Smith since I started working for BGI in May, but like Berrong, this will be my first time seeing him with the pads on.
Smith is teammate's with 2021 defensive end Zavier Carter, who also holds an offer from the Fighting Irish. I'm interested to see Carter and talk to him about where he stands with his recruitment. I don't expect Notre Dame to be high on his list at the moment, but what is his interest level like in the Irish? Make sure to check back on Monday morning for all of the scoop from my road travels in "The Gold Standard."
Top 3 Games For Notre Dame Commits This Week
Tosh Baker/Pinnacle @ Perry, August 23
Last season, Pinnacle entered the third round of the 2018 AIA State Football Championships with an 11-1 record and just one game away from the state title game. However, Baker and his squad were trounced by Perry, 45-14. To open this season, Pinnacle faces the team that eliminated them from last year's playoffs, looking to get some revenge. How will Pinnacle fare this time around?
Cane Berrong/Hart County vs Eibert County, August 23
Another big game this week is one that I'll actually be attending. Berrong's squad, coached by former Georgia Southern offensive coordinator Rance Gillespie, struggled last season, finishing with a 4-7 record. They lost their opener of the season 35-17 to Eibert County, which is the same team Berrong and Co. open up against this season. Hart County should be a much improved team, but it will be a tough matchup against their rival.
Blake Fisher/Avon vs Columbus North, August 23
This should be a good one, and the venue of it doesn't get much better. Avon and Irish offensive line commit Blake Fisher face a strong Columbus North team (finished 8-2 last year) in Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts.
Commits' Weekend Schedule
WR Xavier Watts, Omaha (Neb.) Burke – Season starts 8/29 @ Lincoln Southeast
CB Caleb Offord, Southaven (Miss.) – @ Houston, 8/23
WR Jay Brunelle, Shrewsbury (Mass.) St. Johns – Season starts 8/30 @ Grafton
CB Landen Bartleson, Danville (Ky.) Boyle County – vs Iroquois, 8/24
OL Michael Carmody, Mars (Penn.) – Season starts 8/30 @ Moon Area
CB Clarence Lewis, Middletown (N.J.) Mater Dei – Season starts 9/7 vs Brick Township
RB Chris Tyree, Chester (Va.) Thomas Dale – Season starts 8/30 vs Cosby
OL Tosh Baker, Phoenix (Ariz.) Pinnacle – @ Perry, 8/23
DL Rylie Mills, Lake Forest (Ill.) – Season starts 8/30 vs Antioch
LS Alex Peitsch, Washington (DC) St. John's College – vs Southridge (FL), 8/24
DE Jordan Botelho, Honolulu (Hawaii) St. Louis (1-0) – @ Campbell, 8/23
Botelho's first game was last week. He recorded three tackles (one TFL) in a 34-6 win
WR Jordan Johnson, St. Louis (Mo.) De Smet – Season starts 8/31 @ Hazelwood Central
DL Aidan Keanaaina, Brighton (Colo.) Mullen – Season starts 8/29 @ Far Northeast
TE Michael Mayer, Alexandria (Ky.) Covington Catholic – vs Ryle, 8/23
TE Kevin Bauman, Red Bank Catholic (N.J.) – Season starts 9/6 vs Rumson-Fair Haven
QB Drew Pyne, New Canaan (Ct.) – Season starts 9/13 @ New London
2021 Commits
TE Cane Berrong, Hartwell (Ga.) Hart County – vs Eibert County, 8/23
OL Blake Fisher, Avon (Ind.) – vs Columbus North, 8/23 (Lucas Oil Stadium)
DL Gabriel Rubio, St. Peters (Mo.) Lutheran – Season starts 8/30 vs Hamilton/Warsaw
OL Greg Crippen, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy – @ Venice, 8/23
QB Tyler Buchner, La Jolla (Calif.) Bishops – @ La Jolla, 8/23
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