Notre Dame Football: KeiVarae Russell Commits to the Irish

While Notre Dame was completing its final preparations for the Champs Sports Bowl, the Irish received some good news on the recruiting front.

Notre Dame received its 17th verbal commitment for the Class of 2012 on Thursday, as Mariner High School (Everett, Wash.) RB KeiVarae Russell announced that he will play for the Fighting Irish next fall.

Russell is rated the No. 5 all-purpose back in the nation 24/7 Sports, and No. 7 by Rivals.com at the versatile “athlete” position. He projects as a between-the-tackles runner who can also catch passes out of the backfield.

He is Notre Dame’s second running back commitment, joining fellow four-star recruit William Mahone. Four-star athlete David Perkins decommitted from Notre Dame in October.

The 6’0” 175-pound Russell had narrowed his choices down to California, Notre Dame, USC and Washington, but the Irish ultimately won out over the three Pac-12 schools. The Irish currently do not have any players on the roster from the state of Washington.

Landing a second running back was crucial for the Irish after losing Perkins and missing out on other top recruits such as Keith Marshall (Georgia) and Dami Ayoola (Illinois).

Cierre Wood will be a fourth-year junior in 2012, and rising senior Theo Riddick is likely to work exclusively at running back. Rising sophomores Cam McDaniel and George Atkinson III will compete for backup spots, but Russell and Mahone project as the stronger candidates for the long-term starting role.

The development of McDaniel and Atkinson III during spring practice will go a long way to determining whether Russell and Mahone see the field in 2012 or save a year of eligibility and redshirt.

With Russell’s commitment, the recruiting focus now turns to wide receiver and the defensive backfield. The Irish would still like to sign a fourth wide receiver to join Chris Brown, Justin Ferguson and Deontay Greenberry.

Tampa’s Nelson Agholor and Scottsdale’s Davonte Neal remain on the radar, but Notre Dame is in the middle of intense recruiting battles for both players.

Cornerback Yuri Wright and safety Elijah Shumate, teammates at Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey, have become last-minute targets for the Irish, as they look to add depth to a secondary that loses three of its four starters.

With five weeks remaining until National Signing Day and the bowl game behind them, the Irish coaches will spend much of January addressing the status of potential fifth-year players and Tyler Eifert’s NFL Draft decision, as well as filling out the rest of the 2012 class.