Notre Dame Recruiting: John Montelus Commitment and Other Notes

Despite a relatively thin visitor list for last weekend’s Blue-Gold Game, Notre Dame did land its 11th commitment in the 2013 class when Everett, Mass. offensive lineman John Montelus pledged to the Irish. Montelus is the fifth offensive lineman in the class, completing Notre Dame’s needs at that position.

Rivals.com ranks Montelus the No. 26 offensive tackle in the nation, and No. 214 overall. The commitment moves Notre Dame up to No. 8 in 24/7 Sports’ 2013 team rankings, just one spot behind defending national champion Alabama.

Montelus plays left tackle in a spread offense at Everett High School, so Brian Kelly’s offense won’t be completely foreign to him when he arrives in South Bend. He has also played in front of a left-handed quarterback the past two seasons. Notre Dame’s lone quarterback commitment in the 2013 class, Malik Zaire, is left-handed. A good student, Montelus will consider the possibility of enrolling at Notre Dame in January and participating in spring practice next season.

The 6’5”, 295-pound Montelus is extremely light on his feet for someone of his size. Everett’s spread offense allows Montelus to move forward most of the time. He has experience pulling as well, a must for any tackle in a spread system. Montelus also has long arms, which helps his pass blocking. His quick feet and long arms make it nearly impossible to beat him on the outside.

Despite his frame, he doesn’t simply dominate with his size, using fairly sound technique and a low pad level. Some minor technique tweaks will be necessary, but he plays with a mean streak that Irish offensive line coach Harry Hiestand will love.

Montelus’ team has gone 25-0 over the past two seasons, winning two state titles. Level of competition will be a concern early on with Montelus, as Massachusetts generally produces little Division I talent. He’s also still very raw, having grown up predominantly as a basketball player.

It may not be too much longer before Notre Dame gets commitment No. 12. Naples, Fla. tight end Mike Heuerman will announce his college choice later this week. Notre Dame and Ohio State are the two favorites, with LSU and Miami (FL) also still in the running.  After losing out on Adam Brenneman to Penn State, Heuerman is the last elite tight end target on Notre Dame’s board.

Top linebacker target Alex Anzalone of Wyomissing, Pa. gave a verbal commitment to Ohio State last week, making it even more imperative that the Irish land Jaylon Smith. A decision from the Fort Wayne, Ind. native is not expected anytime soon, however.

With eight of the 11 commitments on offense, much of the focus will be on the defensive side of the ball. St. Petersburg, Fla. running back Ryan Green is the one “must-have” offensive player left on Notre Dame’s board, while Fort Valley, Ga. WR DeMarcus Robinson also would be a huge get for the Irish.

With spring practice over and the players approaching final exams and a break before summer classes begin, the focus of the coaching staff will be on recruiting and talent evaluation over the coming month. Assistant coaches can spend four weeks on the road between now and the end of May.

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