Notre Dame Football Recruiting Offers of the Week
Once Notre Dame football’s new coaching staff became official and before the ink really dried, the Irish burst into a flurry of recruiting activity last week.
Notre Dame’s new coaching staff—which includes offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Sanford, running backs coach Autry Denson, defensive line coach Keith Gilmore and defensive backs coach Todd Lyght—got right to work, extending an offseason-high 13 offers.
Each week we’ll be keeping tabs on the new scholarship offers sent out by the Notre Dame coaches, tracking the recruiting process as the Irish focus their attention toward the classes of 2016, 2017 and maybe even 2018.
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Devin Asiasi
Class of 2016 defensive end Devin Asiasi hauled in a Notre Dame offer at the beginning of the week, as the Irish continue to target elite defensive linemen in this recruiting cycle.
The 4-star Concord, California native is slotted as the No. 6 athlete and No. 94 overall prospect in the country and boasts recent offers from Alabama, Michigan, Oregon and USC, among others.
According to Irish247’s Tom Loy, Asiasi said Notre Dame has “been on me for a while” and is “showing me a lot of love.” Asiasi also told Loy “it’s a school I’m really looking at.”
Eric Cuffee
After heavily targeting defensive backs two weeks ago, Notre Dame went back to the well last week, too, offering class of 2016 cornerback Eric Cuffee on Thursday.
"NOTRE DAME just offered!!!! #NotreDame #FightingIrish pic.twitter.com/NLjOuEcXbb
— ERIC CUFFEE (@JaeRican27) March 5, 2015"
The Waco, Texas, product and No. 36 cornerback and No. 377 player in the class, Cuffee has attended junior days at Texas A&M, Texas and Oklahoma within the past few weeks.
Cuffee told Loy he had been messaging with Sanford last week before officially landing the offer. Loy noted Cuffee is still a ways away from a decision.
Ben Davis
Standing out among Notre Dame’s busy recruiting week is the offer to 5-star class of 2016 outside linebacker Ben Davis.
The No. 4 player at his position and the No. 22 prospect overall, Davis checks in at 6’4”, 230 pounds from Gordo, Alabama. Davis reported an Irish offer Wednesday.
Davis told our own Tyler Donohue Notre Dame is “right there in the mix.”
“Notre Dame is a great school,” he told Donohue. "They have a great history and tradition. They've been to the national championship recently and I'm excited to be able to receive the offer."
As Donohue notes, Davis’ father Wayne is the all-time tackles leader at Alabama.
Kyle Davis
Although he’s been committed to South Carolina since July, Notre Dame offered class of 2016 athlete Kyle Davis on Thursday.
"blessed to have just received an offer from Norte Dame
— King (@KDSZN) March 5, 2015"
A Lawrenceville, Georgia, native and the No. 171 player in the class, Davis camped at South Carolina over the summer and pledged to Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks.
As the fall season rolled along, Davis reported offers from Georgia, Michigan State and Tennessee, among others. He has since taken two unofficial visits to Georgia, most recently last weekend.
Matt Fink
With Sanford officially a part of the Irish coaching staff, class of 2016 quarterback Matt Fink landed a Notre Dame offer Tuesday.
"Im so very blessed and appreciative to say i have received a offer from the University of Notre Dame pic.twitter.com/Bxxtk9RgHI
— Fink, Matt (@FinkMattfink) March 3, 2015"
Boise State, where Sanford spent the 2014 season as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, was the first school to offer the 4-star signal-caller in October. The No. 10 dual-threat quarterback and No. 309 prospect also holds a Washington State offer.
Fink told 247Sports’ Ryan Bartow if Cal, UCLA, USC, San Diego State or San Jose State offered, those schools would top his list due to his desire to remain in California. For the time being, Fink said Washington leads Boise State and Utah.
In Irish247 analyst Evan Sharpley’s analysis of Fink, Sharpley, a former Notre Dame quarterback, said the signal-caller is a “smooth operator” with “great potential.”
Brandon Hill
Class of 2016 linebacker Brandon Hill, a South Carolina native, checked in with a Notre Dame offer at the beginning of last week.
Hill’s other offers include Clemson, Duke, Georgia, Pittsburgh and Tennessee, among others, according to Loy. The 6’2”, 219-pounder is the No. 42 outside linebacker and No. 556 player in the class.
Per Andrew Ivins of Blue & Gold Illustrated, Hill has been invited to Notre Dame’s junior day later this month.
Theo Howard
Notre Dame is well stocked at wide receiver, but that didn’t stop the Irish from dishing out a few offers last week. Class of 2016 wide receiver Theo Howard received his Irish offer Wednesday.
The Thousand Oaks, California product attends Westlake High School and is ranked as the No. 134 player in the nation.
According to Jeremy Clark of Horned Frog Blitz, TCU’s 247Sports site, Howard recently visited the Horned Frogs and Baylor. Howard was also a recent junior day attendee at Texas A&M.
Jack Jones
Notre Dame stayed in California for another offer to a class of 2016 wide receiver, targeting Long Beach product Jack Jones on Wednesday.
The 5’11”, 170-pounder is the No. 11 wideout and No. 81 prospect in the class. According to 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong, Jones was in contact with Irish associate head coach Mike Denbrock.
“I know they have the highest graduation rate and also when I watch their games I like the way they run their offense and how they work as a team,” Jones told Wiltfong.
Jones added that Denbrock praised Jones as an “electric” player, and Notre Dame hopes to welcome the 4-star prospect some time this spring.
Per Wiltfong, Jones doesn’t expect to make a decision until national signing day.
Tony Jones Jr.
With a new running backs coach in the mix in Denson, Notre Dame touched base with class of 2016 running back Tony Jones Jr. on Friday.
A 3-star back and the No. 369 overall prospect, Jones hails from Bradenton, Florida. The 6’0”, 212-pounder is set to visit Notre Dame in roughly two weeks for junior day. Other offers include Indiana, Miami, Ole Miss, South Carolina and North Carolina.
According to Loy, Jones said the offer from the Irish is “really big.”
“It’s Notre Dame,” he told Loy. “It’s a real prestigious school. If you go there you will do well in sports and in life. Everyone wants that offer, but some really good players couldn’t even get one. If you get that offer from Notre Dame, they definitely think you’re a really good player.”
Cameron Lewis
Safety was a point of emphasis for Notre Dame in the class of 2015, and the Irish targeted another in the class of 2016 in Louisiana native Cameron Lewis.
The No. 13 safety and No. 276 overall recruit, Lewis recently stayed in state with visits to Tulane and LSU. Lewis added his Irish offer Thursday after hearing from Lyght, per Loy.
“Coach Lyght told me that he liked my size and my playing style,” Lewis told Loy. “He told me a little about himself and his past as a player. He was really good. I liked that. He was cool though. I liked our talk.”
Lewis told Loy he’s trying to visit Notre Dame this summer.
Joseph Lewis
While most offers were directed toward prospects in the class of 2016, Notre Dame did extend an offer to class of 2017 wide receiver Joseph Lewis on Friday.
At 6’2”, 190 pounds, the Los Angeles product checks in as the No. 6 receiver and No. 46 overall player in the Top247. Lewis landed an offer from USC on Saturday—along with two of his Hawkins High School teammates, per Bartow—and already has a UCLA offer.
Ikenna Okeke
Class of 2016 safety Ikenna Okeke received an offer from Notre Dame on Tuesday.
"Notre Dame offered today #GoIrish #Blessed pic.twitter.com/frdr2FwX4Q
— Ikenna Okeke ™ (@KingOkeke2) March 4, 2015"
The No. 30 safety and No. 447 prospect is a Tennessee native and has already taken multiple unofficial visits to Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Kentucky.
According to Loy, Irish recruiting coordinator and linebackers coach Mike Elston has been in touch with Okeke.
“It is huge,” Okeke told Loy. “Everything I hear about Notre Dame is great. It’s just a special place. Man, it’s Notre Dame. Wow. It just seems like a great fit for me.
“I’m not worried about how far a school is away from me. Tennessee is definitely a school I’m looking at and they are high on my list, but it’s early.”
Per Loy, Okeke said he will “definitely” visit South Bend this summer.
Jordan Smith
Notre Dame again went into SEC territory to offer class of 2016 defensive end Jordan Smith on Wednesday.
Tabbed as the No. 37 weak-side defensive end and No. 614 player in the nation, Smith has attended junior days at Clemson, Georgia, Florida State and Tennessee since the start of February. According to Dawgs247’s Rusty Mansell, Smith said no schools are on top at this point, but Smith did say Georgia, Clemson and South Carolina are recruiting him the hardest right now.
Unless otherwise noted, all recruiting stats and information courtesy of 247Sports.com and all quotes obtained firsthand. Star ratings reflect 247Sports composite rankings.
Mike Monaco is a lead Notre Dame writer for Bleacher Report. Follow @MikeMonaco on Twitter.
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