Notre Dame coach Mike Elston checks in on ACC commit
There is a new NCAA rule that allows for college coaches to post on social media about their recruiting road travels, but they’re not allowed to specify which prospective student-athlete they’re evaluating.
Notre Dame defensive line coach Mike Elston tweeted on Monday morning that he was looking forward to stopping in at Catholic Memorial High in West Roxbury, Mass. That school is home of class of 2023 defensive end Boubacar Traore, a Boston College commit.
Traore received an offer from Boston College in December 2019, and Michigan extended a scholarship to him the following month. In August 2020, Traore made a very early commitment to Boston College while he was just entering his sophomore year of high school.
It wouldn’t be until Oct. 2, 2021 that Traore would announce his next offer. Elston extended the good news to him.
“I had been talking to them for a while,” Traore said about Notre Dame. “It wasn’t a surprise. I thought they would be offering me soon. It was a cool conversation. It was just a regular talk like we always have. He said he was offering me to go to Notre Dame.
“It was really cool; it was good to know that I have an offer from Notre Dame. That’s a really good school.”
Traore has kept in consistent contact with Elston and communicates often with defensive director of recruiting Chad Bowden from Notre Dame.
“I’m hoping to take a visit there and get to know the program more,” he said.
The 6-4, 255-pounder, who is ranked as the nation’s No. 11 weak-side end and No. 187 overall player in the 2023 class by Rivals, remains committed to Boston College, but there is still a long ways to go in his recruitment.
“Everything is going well,” Traore said about his pledge to the Eagles. “I really like the school. My recruitment is still open. I’m still looking at other schools, but I’m still committed to Boston College.”
Traore has had a strong season for Catholic Memorial in helping lead his squad to an 11-0 record with the opportunity to win the Division 2 Massachusetts state championship later this week. With his size, Traore could play on the inside or outside of a defensive line at the next level.
“I really just like to get after the quarterback,” he added.
Boubacar’s older brother is Badara Traore, who was an offensive lineman for LSU who now plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
More visits for Mike Elston
On Sunday, Elston and defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman had an in-home visit with Notre Dame defensive end commit Tyson Ford of St. Louis John Burroughs. Rivals ranks Ford as the No. 9 strong-side end and No. 104 overall player in America for the 2022 class.
After Ford committed to Notre Dame, he was thinking about taking other visits, but that never happened, and he’s rock solid with the Irish. He picked Notre Dame over Oklahoma, Missouri and many others in January.
We also expect Elston to make a stop in Pittsburgh today to check in on Irish class of 2022 defensive tackle commit Donovan Hinish of Central Catholic. Hinish, the younger brother of Notre Dame nose tackle Kurt Hinish, has been committed to the Fighting Irish since the summer.
Elston will see Chantilly (Va.) High’s Aiden Gobaira, the No. 14 weak-side defensive end and No. 250 overall player in the country per Rivals, early next week. Gobaira committed to the Fighting Irish in February.
BlueandGold.com will have more on Elston’s road travels throughout the week.
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