The first surprise of the morning goes Notre Dame’s way, with Cincinnati native Daniel Cage sending his fax to Notre Dame instead of Michigan State. The decision wraps up a whirlwind recruitment that lands the Irish another much needed defensive tackle in the recruiting class.
DANIEL CAGE
Winton Woods (Cincinnati, OH)
Measurables: 6-2, 305
Accolades: 3-Star Rivals, 4-Star 247Sports Composite No. 300, Scout 4-Star, No. 15 DT.
Impressive Offers: Michigan State, Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee
Projected Position: Defensive Tackle
Quick Take: Cage’s offer came after Matt Dickerson de-committed from the Irish, allowing new defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder to reevaluate the depth up front for Notre Dame. Credit the work the coaching staff did in short order to turn Cage from a guy all but heading to Michigan State into one of the first faxes to arrive in South Bend this morning. Cage was originally committed to Charlie Strong at Louisville.
Stout enough to project as a two-gap nose guard, Cage will enter Notre Dame to life-after-Louis-Nix, giving him as good of a shot as any to play and play early.
What he means to Irish: Added a productive player at a position that could’ve been dangerously thin. While Jarron Jones seemed to take to the nose guard spot, adding Cage and Pete Mokwuah (and maybe Courtney Garnett) to the group are key building blocks for the future.
Obligatory YouTube highlight clip: Here’s the official highlight and video clip from UND.com.