Alex Anzalone to Notre Dame: Top Recruits Who Might Join 4-Star LB in South Bend

Notre Dame missed out on a handful of recruits in 2012 but is quickly making up for it in 2013, racking up 17 early commitments. The most recent recruit that has decided to pick the Irish is 4-star linebacker Alex Anzalone.

You may remember Anzalone, who had previously committed to Ohio State, before decommitting after having his picture posted online by a registered sex offender. 

Anzalone is a big, athletic body at 6'3", 231 pounds and should provide Notre Dame with a solid defensive player. But he is not the only top recruit that is considering South Bend. Here are a few other players who could soon follow the most recent commitment.

Vernon Hargreaves

Hargreaves is considered by many to be the nation's top cornerback. He is a strong, explosive player who has great ball skills and terrific instincts on the football field. He isn't the biggest player at 5'11", 185 pounds, but is the definition of shutdown corner, who could provide an instant spark to Notre Dame's secondary.

The 5-star prospect recently told Scout.com (subscription only) that he plans on visiting a few schools this month, including Notre Dame: "I will get my list down to at least 10 schools before the season starts. I will then get down to five schools, then take my official visits."

Notre Dame may not be the favorite for his services, but with him visiting South Bend soon, you can never count this program out.

Isaac Savaiinaea

You can see in the video that 5-star linebacker Isaac Savaiinaea is a very hard hitter. He is one of the more physical players in this class and would be a great addition to this defense. He is an intimidating player who is excellent in run support and covers a lot of ground with his lateral quickness. 

He did commit to Stanford, but his decommitment (subscription only) has left the door open for teams such as UCLA, Notre Dame and Texas A&M. The Cardinal are still without question the favorites, but the Irish have a much better shot at landing him than they did a couple weeks ago.

Priest Willis

Much like Savaiinaea, Willis is a physical player at 6'2", 200 pounds. He has the size and speed to be a lockdown cornerback, or he could develop into one of the top safeties in the country. He is terrific in run support, has great ball skills and could also contribute on special teams with his playmaking ability.

He has offers from several top schools but has South Bend extremely high on his list, telling Scout.com (subscription only):

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I know Notre Dame has a lot of tradition. They graduate most of their athletes, and people in general there. They graduate almost all of their African-Americans at Notre Dame, which is a great thing to hear. 

"

The Irish have already loaded up on the defensive side of the ball in 2013. Adding a player like Willis would just put this class over the top.

Mackensie Alexander

Like every other player in this article, Mackensie Alexander is a physical defensive player. The 4-star cornerback out of Florida is extremely confident and has all of the tools to succeed at the next level. He is about as sure a tackler you are going to find at the cornerback position. He is very tough and could even help make plays on special teams.

Alexander has yet to name any front runners, but he checked out Notre Dame last month, and rumors are that he really enjoyed himself.

“From what he’s saying to his friends, he really enjoyed it,” high school coach Jerrod Ackley told Scout.com (subscription only).

We may have to wait much longer for a decision from Alexander, but it appears that the Irish are high on his early list of offers.

Alquadin Muhammad

Alquadin Muhammad is a 4-star recruit out of Ramsey, NJ. He will likely remain at defensive end, but due to his size at 6'3", 230 pounds, and great pursuit, he could possibly switch to the linebacker position when he steps on campus. He is a good tackler, has a little bit of a nasty streak to his game and does a good job of creating plays in the backfield.

Muhammad is doing a great job of keeping everything close to the vest, and the only school he has visited so far has been Rutgers. However, 247sports.com says that the Irish are in the running, along with a couple of other schools early on.