The Irish coaching staff certainly isn’t resting on its laurels in the recruiting war. Even with a recruiting class edging closer to capacity, Notre Dame is in the hunt for one of the country’s elite safeties, Southern California’s Max Redfield.
At 6-foot-3, 200-pounds, Redfield has the elite size coveted by the Irish at safety. While the position has had a large influx of talent over the past two recruiting classes, Redfield is the type of plug and play prospect that you find room for in any recruiting class.
Over the past few weeks, it appeared the stars had been aligning for Notre Dame, with Redfield de-committing from USC and then having Oregon pull a visit after it was convinced the Mission Viejo safety was a sure lock for Notre Dame.
But with Lane Kiffin convincing Redfield to take an official visit to Southern Cal last weekend, the Trojans have pushed their way back into the conversation.
With Redfield set to announce his intentions at the Under Armor All-American game on January 5th, Rivals.com reports that Redfield is 50/50 between the Irish and Trojans.
“Pretty much it is between Notre Dame and USC right now,” Redfield told Rivals’ USCFootball.com. “I am planning on making a decision on Jan. 5 at the Under Armour Game. I am torn 50/50 right now. I honestly don’t know where I am going to go to college.”
That USC was able to work their way back into the conversation is enough to have recruitniks a little bit spooked. But considering a recruiting visit and a full court press only got the Trojans back to even also lets Irish fans feel a little bit more optimistic as well.
One thing that could be leaning in Notre Dame’s favor is Redfield’s straightforward way of making this decision. While rumors have spread that Redfield’s parents may favor their son staying closer to home to play football, the safety and two-way football star, looks like he’s taking an objective approach to the decision.
“I might be getting to an emotional decision, which I need to get away [from] and pretty much just narrow it down to a business decision,” Redfield told Rivals. “Take away pretty much just the factors that are extremely important and will help me with the rest of my life.”
That quote sounds like it comes straight from the Notre Dame playbook.
With Brian Kelly already using his in-home visit to spend time with Redfield’s parents, expect the Irish assistants to continue to put time in with Redfield, as co-defensive coordinator Kerry Cooks did this week with another visit to Orange County.
It’s a battle that could go down to the wire and another potential Irish victory, another perk of a 12-0 regular season.