Last year, Notre Dame assembled a recruiting class that did most of its own work. Spearheaded by early commitments like James Onwualu, Malik Zaire and Jaylon Smith, the “Irish Mob” built on the camaraderie and closed strong, adding five-star recruits Greg Bryant, Max Redfield and Eddie Vanderdoes.
It looks like the current recruiting class is taking note. And nobody more so than blue-chip running back Elijah Hood. In the days since he joined the fold for the Irish, Hood has put an enormous amount of time into social media, targeting many of the top uncommitted prospects across the country.
A commitment with pompoms is never a bad thing. But when it’s coming from a running back like Hood, that’s another. After running for over 3,300 yards last season, and lighting up the scoreboards with 48 touchdowns, Hood would give any recruiting class a jump by simply pledging his allegiance. But Hood has shown himself to be just as prolific on the internet as he is on the gridiron.
The South Bend Tribune’s Tyler James took stock of Hood’s prolific tweeting, copy and pasting the work Hood has already done on over a dozen top prospects across the country. It has never being easier for athletes to connect, both with the ever-growing camp circuit and the ease of social media.
“It’s all I think about as soon as I’m done with my workouts,” Hood told the South Bend Tribune. “All right, what am I going to do to help my university get better? It’s just my love for ND showing.”
“I think it helps,” Hood continued. “I’ve gotten a couple numbers from some of the recruits and am starting to get personal information on them and just started talking to them and getting their interest built up.”
In an era where the NCAA still isn’t exactly sure what to do with websites like Twitter -- or recruiting in general -- the leadership of prospective players takes the onus off a coaching staff that always needs to be cognizant about the rules. And while there’s a potential mine field out there with fan interaction always toeing the line between being interested and being a booster, there’s no question that the work players do early paves the way for the class.
“Even though we’re all over the place, we’re coming together and we’re still showing that we can be a strong unit even if we’re from different areas, from different regions, from different backgrounds,” Hood told the Tribune.
“Notre Dame takes everybody. It’s a special place, and I’m just trying to get that across to these guys. I think they’re feeling the message.”