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Irish score four-star receiver

One look at Notre Dame was enough for C.J. Sanders.
The four-star wide receiver from Brentwood, Tenn., committed to the Irish on Tuesday after wrapping up a weekend visit to South Bend. Sanders, who will transfer to Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif., for his senior year, becomes Notre Dame's eighth verbal commitment and second receiver following Jalen Guyton.
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"I have officially committed to the University of Notre Dame & I thank God for this opportunity," Sanders posted on Twitter in announcing his commitment.
Notre Dame had been a contender for Sanders since offering early this spring and had carved out a niche among the programs coming after him hardest. Other offers on the table included USC, Stanford, Tennessee and Georgia.
Sanders planned to take his time with the process, but Notre Dame changed all that.
""When you go to a place, you want to feel like you're at home and get that feeling of home. I think when he stepped on campus that he felt at home," said C.J. Sanders, the receiver's father. "The tradition there stood out. The people there treated him well and everything fell into place. He said, 'Dad, this feel like home.' That's when you've gotta make your decision."
Chris Sanders, played receiver at Ohio State before moving on to the NFL. Now he's a coach at Montgomery Bell Academy, which produced Irish signee Alex Bars last cycle. That meant that Sanders (the receiver) played against Sanders (the coach) last season, a game MBA won 29-22 in overtime.
Sanders' stepfather, Corey Harris, played running back at Vanderbilt then won a Super Bowl ring with the Baltimore Ravens.
"I've got an athletic family," Sanders said. "My dad helps me a lot and my stepdad as well. Between him and my dad, they help me a lot."
Irish offensive line coach Harry Hiestand led Notre Dame's recruitment of Sanders, although tight ends coach Scott Booker also made contact. Quarterbacks coach Matt LaFleur, who recruits the West Coast, is expected to play a part with Sanders once he relocates to California next month.
"I'm excited to learn more about Notre Dame," Sanders said after picking up his Irish offer. "It's a place with great tradition and I was really excited and blessed to be in this position."
It's a position Sanders can get used to moving forward.
 

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