Notre Dame Football: What Recruits Will Be in Attendance for the USC Game?

Notre Dame will have their first night game in South Bend in over 20 years, which will be huge for the program. The Irish are trying to build a resume that will put them in a BCS bowl, and in order to do accomplish their goal, this team needs to win out, including Saturday vs. the arch-rival USC Trojans.

To make this matchup even more exciting, there are many of the top recruits in the country making visits. Recruiting experts have called this group of players making visits the largest collection of talent to ever visit South Bend. A few of the players who will be in attendance are currently committed to other programs, however that did not stop the ND coaching staff in last years cycle, and I do not anticipate it will this time around.

To add more fuel to the fire, there are many recruits who are also considering USC. If Coach Kelly and his staff truly want to bring Notre Dame back to the elite level in college football, they need to build depth on the roster.

Last season the Irish had an outstanding recruiting class, and this season the Irish are on pace for another top-ten class. The Irish may not land all of the players in attendance this weekend, however they have a great opportunity to show others what the Irish has to offer.

With a solid impression on even a few recruits this weekend, the Irish have a shot at a top-five class.

Who will be in attendance on this historical night-game in South Bend, Indiana?

Ifeadi Odenigbo, Outside Linebacker

According to Scout.com, Odenigbo is the No.3 outside linebacker in the country, and he is an ideal fit in Bob Diaco’s 3-4 scheme. He is a very intelligent student in the classroom as well, and some of his other top schools are Stanford and Northwestern.

One added bonus for this official visit is this will be Ifeadi’s first college football game he has been to. Night games in South Bend are very rare, and this has the potential to be a huge opportunity for the staff to make an impression.

My guess is the Irish are in very solid standing for this talented linebacker, and with a great visit, Notre Dame could be the leader.

Brian Poole, Defensive Back

At 5’10, 195 lbs, Poole possesses ideal size to be an outstanding corner at the next level. This talented player is a five-star recruit and is rated the No.2 CB in the nation.

He is from Bradenton, Florida, and recently he has put rumors to rest that he has interest in other programs in Florida ( Florida State, Miami).

Not only is this player not interested in any other school in Florida, he has informed the coaching staff for the Gators that he will take an official visit to Notre Dame. With the playing time available in the secondary next year, the Irish have a legit shot of making a very strong impression on this talented DB.

Also one factor to keep in mind is how the Gators have struggled thus far this season.

Jordan Payton, Wide Receiver

Jordan Payton is a great football player out of West Lake, California. This WR is one of the best at his position in the entire country and according to scout.com he is the No. 12 WR in the nation.

He is assumed to have a top three of Michigan, Notre Dame and California. In the past few days Payton has said that he will make his college decision the day after his visit to South Bend.

His high-school coach has said that his leader at the moment is Michigan, however with him taking his last official visit this weekend to ND, the Irish will have a great shot of landing him.

Donaldven Manning, Defensive Back

Yet another DB makes the list, and Manning is a bit of a surprise because he is a soft-verbal to head coach Frank Beamer and the Virginia Tech Hokies.

Manning has still been in contact with the Irish coaching staff, and has claimed that he watches the Irish on a regular basis.  Notre Dame are in very good standing with the Miami, Florida native; his top three are Virginia Tech, Notre Dame and Nebraska.

Byron Marshall, Running Back

Marshall is the No. 20 running back in the country and is a four-star recruit according to scout.com. This player has all the tools to excel in Brian Kelly’s spread offense. He is yet another product from California, that the Irish have targeted in this cycle.

He has great speed, vision and acceleration and at 5’10, 195 lbs, he has great size for a BCS-caliber program. He hasn’t officially narrowed his list down from a top-six, however based on the official visits he has planned, I would say Arizona State, Notre Dame and Oregon are his favorites.

He has a brother that plays ball for ASU, so luring him off the west coast could be difficult.

Nonetheless, this player is very excited to visit Notre Dame, and he is friends with several Irish commits such as Tee Shephard and Deontay Greenberry.

Ishmael Adams, Defensive Back

Adams is a teammate of Jordan Payton, and the two will take their official visits together. Adams is not quite as sure about the recruiting process as Payton. Ishmael is said to be wide-open, and California, Oregon, Arizona State, Colorado, Notre Dame and UCLA are still in the running for this talented DB.

He is a four-star recruit and is one of the best corner backs in the nation. He has great size and speed, and would be a great pickup for the Irish coaching staff.

This player likely will not decide his college decision until after the season, however this will be a great opportunity for Notre Dame to show what South Bend has to offer.

Zach Banner, Offensive Lineman

Banner is one of the best overall players in the country and is an elite offensive lineman. At 6'9" and 295 lbs, he is a massive athlete with unlimited potential. I have him listed as an offensive lineman, because he is capabable of playing both tackle and guard at the college level.

He is a five-star recruit and is also looking to play basketball in college.

He has already visited the Michigan Wolverines and Oklahoma Sooners, and Notre Dame is his third official visit. He has no other visits planed yet, however I would bet the in-state Washington Huskies will have a shot at a visit as well.

The Irish are in very good standing with this player, and this visit will be huge in the coaching staff's attempt of landing this massive lineman.

Keivarae Russell, Running Back

Keivarae Russell is a very skilled running back from the state of Washington. Russell is a very speedy running back, and would be a very solid compliment to ND commit Will Mahone. Russell is another four-star target of the coaching staff, and he has had interest in Notre Dame throughout the process.

Russell has a top-five of California, USC, Notre Dame, Washington and Boise State. I look for this race to come down to ND, USC and the in-state Washington Huskies. One thing that I think may help ND this weekend is the presence of the other RBs also taking visits.

How many backs will the coaching staff take in this cycle? Notre Dame is in very solid standing with this recruit, and a great visit can go a long way.

Shaquille Thompson, Safety

This would be an amazing recruiting effort by the Notre Dame coaching staff, as Thompson was an early commit to California, the school where his brother played.

However, after thinking it through Shaq has decided to open his recruitment back up and that is great news for Irish fans. Thompson is an elite athlete and five-star recruit who could play either safety, corner, running back or wide receiver in college...he is that good.

As it stands the race is between California, Washington, Oregon and Notre Dame. The official visit will be very important in terms of landing him, but do not expect a commit any time soon. He will likely announce his decision closer towards the all-star games.

Bryce Treggs, Wide Receiver

If you haven't noticed a theme in the recruits who will be on hand, many of them are from the west coast. Treggs is another sick athlete who has seen his stock rise higher and higher, and now he is a five-star receiver.

He has relationships with many ND commits, and prior to committing to California, he had Notre Dame second on his list. Although he is committed, his willingness to take the visit is a very good sign.

Can the Irish sway this 5-star?

Keith Marshall, Running Back

Keith Marshall would implant the Notre Dame class into elite status with his signature alone. This RB out of North Carolina is the best back in the country and he possesses 4.4 speed.

He has already taken visits to both Georgia and Florida, and the visit to South Bend will be his third official visit. Currently he does not have any other officials set.

I think this recruiting battle will be down to Georgia and Notre Dame, however with the Bulldogs already having Crowell, will this RB want to be the man in South Bend? Only time will tell...

Arik Armstead, Defensive Lineman

Last but certainly not least, is Arik Armstead.

This massive OL/DL prospect out of California has been a long-time USC commit, however to make things even more interesting for the USC-Notre Dame rivalry, he decommitted the week prior to visiting South Bend.

Armstead, like Banner also wishes to play basketball in college, and ND has told him he can play both sports. He also wants to play defense in college, despite being the best offensive tackle in the nation.

Although he claims USC is still in the picture, Notre Dame is clearly in very good footing with this prospect. From what I have heard, his brother plays for the Trojans, however his family is not happy with the way he has been treated. When formally asked, he said his brother's injury was not treated the right way and he refused to comment further.

Armstead also will visit Alabama when they host the LSU Tigers. This will be one of the most heated recruiting battles in recent memory, and it will be interesting to see where this big fella' lands. My guess is Notre Dame or Alabama.