The Irish reeled in recruit number 18 during the US Army All-American Bowl, when New Jersey’s Elijah Shumate pledged his commitment to Notre Dame. Shumate adds to the Irish’s collection of defensive backs, giving Notre Dame one of the nation’s most physical safeties and another elite player at a position the coaching staff targeted early.
Shumate was always on the Irish’s radar, but wasn’t heavily talked about by recruiting services until a late visit to South Bend after the season. From there, it was clear Shumate, and teammate Yuri Wright, one of the top cornerback recruits in the country, fell in love with Notre Dame, and the result was another late season commitment to defensive coordinator Bob Diaco out of his home state.
Last year, Brian Kelly announced that he was going to target the defensive line and improve his team during recruiting. It didn’t take long to notice guys like Aaron Lynch and Stephon Tuitt, two of the nation’s most impressive recruits and two players that immediately made a difference for Notre Dame.
This year, the Irish needed to replenish the secondary, and guys like Ronald Darby, Tee Shepard, and now Shumate are among the nation’s best players at positions the Notre Dame coaching staff have targeted from day one.
Shumate comes from Don Bosco prep, New Jersey’s best feeder program into college football. Reeling in Shumate not only gives the Irish a safety that can immediately make an impact at the line of scrimmage, but also puts the Irish in the driver’s seat for Wright, who some recruiting services call the nation’s best cornerback, and in-roads at Don Bosco, a place the Irish coaching staff would love to build relationships.
Shumate picked the Irish over 20 other schools that offered him scholarships, with the finalists for his services South Carolina and Rutgers. The Irish targeted Shumate as a safety, but also said they’d be interested in giving him a look at tailback as well. By any measure, he’s considered one of the top safeties in the country.
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News broke earlier in the week that walk-on special teams ace Chris Salvi was being rewarded with a scholarship. Now Eric Hansen of the South Bend Tribune has the list of fifth-year candidates that will go before the Faculty Board on Athletics for approval to return for next season. Hansen reports that six seniors are…
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It’ll be interesting to follow Darius Fleming‘s career after leaving South Bend. The graduating Irish linebacker, who came to Notre Dame with sky-high expectations, heads to Indianapolis with far less fanfare. After being one of the top recruits in the country, Fleming will need a solid evaluation season to even end up drafted. Many assumed…
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There was one major question NFL teams had about Notre Dame star receiver Michael Floyd: Just how fast was he? After four seasons of dominating play at Notre Dame using his raw physical abilities, the NFL Scouting Combine offered the Irish’s all-time leading receiver the opportunity to show off his speed, the one remaining on-the-field…
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News has broken from the Twitter accounts of several Notre Dame players that walk-on safety Chris Salvi has earned a scholarship for next season. The move will bring the senior back for a fifth-year, one that will give Salvi a shot at earning a graduate degree for free, and solidifies some depth on the back…
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(Note: This is the second in a series of fictional memos from Notre Dame’s No. 1 fan to key players for the 2012 Fighting Irish. The first featured senior wide receiver John Goodman.) MEMO To: Daniel Smith From: Goldy Domer, #1 Irish Fan Subject: Your upcoming breakout season Hi Daniel, See what I did there?…
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With the soap opera behind us, we can finally turn the focus from Davonte Neal choosing Notre Dame, to projecting what he’ll end up doing for the Fighting Irish. Put simply, Neal can be considered the salvation of a recruiting class that filled a lot of holes but was considered by some a disappointment after…
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With 600 grade schoolers assembled at Kyrene de la Esperanza elementary school, the finish line to Davonte Neal‘s recruitment was in sight. But with Fox Sports’ Arizona affiliate broadcasting the proceedings on the internet, a funny thing happened: Neal didn’t show up. And so continued a recruitment that’s been both the very best and very…
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(Note: This is the first in a series of fictional memos from Notre Dame’s No. 1 fan to key players for the 2012 Fighting Irish.) MEMO To: John Goodman From: Goldy Domer, #1 Irish Fan Subject: Your final year of eligibility John: Four years goes by quickly, doesn’t it? It seems like only yesterday we…
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Losing a recruit like Taylor Decker would usually be cause for alarm. Over the last decade, the Irish have struggled to keep proper inventory along the offensive line, and the loss of a six-foot-eight, 300-pound left tackle prospect, three-star recruit or not, would’ve set off more than a few Irish fans. After all, it was…
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Just about every Irish fan wondered what the quarterbacks not on the field could do for the Irish last season. With the depth chart thrown into disarray after two quarters of football, a chorus of support erupted from all corners of ND nation, with calls for Rees, Crist, Hendrix and Golson heard amongst the shouting.…
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It looks like the Irish football program still isn’t done adding players to the class of 2012. Notre Dame has made an offer to two-way player Eamon McOsker of Loyola High in Los Angeles, and McOsker will join the Irish roster next season as a preferred walk-on. The Los Angeles Times reports that McOsker was…
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Three weeks after coming up on the short end of the stick on Signing Day, the Irish might be getting the impact receiver they’ve been in search of this recruiting class. Multiple reports have Davonte Neal ready to select a school, with the talented two-way player making his announcement on February 21st. The blue-chip athlete…
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Chuck Martin faced his first proverbial third-and-long early in his press session. Brian Kelly’s new offensive coordinator, along with all the Irish assistant coaches, each wearing a different title in 2012 than they did in 2011, met with an eager press corp, ready to hear how this year will be better than the last. Martin…
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The days of calling Notre Dame a 3-4 defense are over. In fact, you’d have been wrong if you called the Irish a predominantly 3-4 defense last year. While opposing coaches looked to use the Irish’s odd-man front as recruiting ammunition to keep edge rushers from joining Bob Diaco‘s defense in South Bend, the reality…
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Brian Kelly spent the morning addressing the staff changes that await the next edition of the Fighting Irish football team. But it appears there’s one more move on the horizon, though it hasn’t been made official by Notre Dame. As reported by the Buffalo News’ Rodney McKissic, associate head coach and recruiting coordinator Ernest Jones…
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After spending the days following Notre Dame’s bowl loss in a sprint to the recruiting finish line, Brian Kelly spent Friday morning announcing the staff changes that have taken shape since wrapping up the 2011 season. With offensive coordinator Charley Molnar taking over the football program at UMass, and Ed Warinner and Tim Hinton joining…
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It took a while for the light bulb to go on, but when it did, Jonas Gray finally showed the talent many had expected from the blue-chip prospect from Detroit. One of the top prep running backs in the country, it took until Gray’s senior season to make an impact on the field, but from…
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Notre Dame hasn’t stopped chasing 2012 prospects. But that doesn’t stop the recruiting carousel for spinning, as the lifeblood of college football — not to mention a multi-million dollar internet industry — continues to churn as college programs turn the page to a new year’s worth of recruits. Nothing signals that more than the new…
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If Signing Day ended on a dour note, that lull between Signing Day and spring football might be filled with one final pleasant surprise. The Irish haven’t given up on chasing the final recruit on their board, Arizona’s Davonte Neal. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Neal, who led Chaparral High to back-to-back state championships is still considering…
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It’s easy to look at the sixteen recruits that signed with Notre Dame last week and place an evaluation on the job Brian Kelly and his coaching staff did. With the last minute defection of wide receiver Deontay Greenberry, the runner-up finish for blue-chippers Nelson Agholor and Brian Poole, and the loss of one-time commits…
