Key defensive line recruit Eddie Vanderdoes has publicly announced he’s no longer committed to USC, a decision he reportedly made three weeks ago. Notre Dame, who had a limited target list at defensive tackle this recruiting cycle but has long offered the 6-foot-3, 300-pound blue-chipper, spent the better part of the last two months pushing hard to get a visit from Vanderdoes, and it looks like that hard work has paid off.
Vanderdoes made the de-commitment public in the days prior to the U.S. Army All-American game, partially to avoid the media circus that accompanies the event. And while he’s still set to give the Trojans his final official visit, he’s in the process of setting an official visit to Notre Dame as well.
Justin Hopkins of 247Sports.com tracked down Vanderdoes and got a comment:“It’s not anything USC did or necessarily that things changed,” Vanderdoes said. “I just wanted to be up front about every thing and I haven’t been committed to USC for quite some time. I actually told the staff a few weeks ago but just have kept it to myself since then. I’m still considering USC, but I just want to make this decision with a clear mind.”
Vanderdoes said the increasing pressure as he heads to a Trojan commit filled Army Bowl may have been the final straw. He will visit USC in January as planned and it will be his final visit.
“I’m still going to visit USC and it will be the last trip I take,” he said. “Right now I’m scheduled to visit on Jan. 18 but I also need to schedule my Notre Dame visit. I may have to move things around to make everything work.”
When the Notre Dame visit happens will be the interesting part. The weekend of January 25th has been a date circled in various media reports, but that would make it difficult for Vanderdoes to give USC his final visit, a commitment he still seems intent on honoring. But with Signing Day the first Wednesday in February, the calendar looks like an enemy not a friend to the Trojans.
As it’s been happening for much of the fall, it’s remarkable to look at how Notre Dame’s success on the field has helped with recruiting down the stretch. The Irish have taken dead aim at elite players like Vanderdoes and Max Redfield, two long-time Trojan locks, and inserted themselves in the thick of it for two of the nation’s top 50 players.
While it’s hard to call the race for the Irish when Vanderdoes hasn’t been to campus yet, Notre Dame finds itself in a really good spot entering All-Star week. Not only will the Irish be playing in the national championship game, featuring a star defensive tackle like Louis Nix who Vanderdoes can watch closely, the Irish will have prospects Greg Bryant, Steve Elmer, Torii Hunter Jr., John Montelus, Jaylon Smith, Doug Randolph and Corey Robinson in attendance in San Antonio, with guys like AQ Muhammad also heavy Irish leans. With the Irish looking to fill three, and potentially four more spots, recruiting could shake out perfectly for the Irish in the 40-odd days until faxes start rolling in.
All in all, just another reminder of the spoils that come with a 12-0 season.