Irish get visit from 5-star LB Ben Davis

Linebacker Ben Davis very well might end up at Alabama. But the 5-star prospect was on campus this weekend in South Bend, as Notre Dame’s staff rolled out the red carpet for one of the nation’s top linebackers.

Many expect Davis to end up as a member of the Crimson Tide, where his father is the school’s all-time leading tackler. But the Gordo, Alabama native spent the weekend touring campus, and the early returns from the visit were promising.

Go Irish 🍀💪🏽🍀 pic.twitter.com/ayt1AW8fUy

— Ben Davis ™️ (@bendavis_1) January 16, 2016

Andrew Ivins of BlueandGold.com caught up with Davis who said the following:

“It was way better than anything I could have expected,” Davis told Ivins. “That was my first time up there and everybody was just so great, and so opening. Notre Dame is just something that you really can’t explain, you just have to see it. It was great overall trip and I had a great time. Notre Dame is in it.”

Davis is the No. 1 middle linebacker in the country per Rivals’ rankings and a Top 15 player overall, per 247’s composite rankings. Autry Denson landed the on-campus visit, a testament to the young assistant’s recruiting acumen. Davis is just one of three elite prospects the Irish are still chasing at linebacker, with Fresno’s Caleb Kelly and Houston’s Jeffrey McCulloch the others.

Davis has pushed the Irish into his top three schools (Georgia and Alabama are the others, with a visit to Auburn still upcoming). That puts the Irish in the mix to land a game-chasing talent, with Notre Dame still in the mix on a handful of key prospects, an opportunity to make some noise on Signing Day in a class that’s already a Top 10 group.

Had a Great visit to Notre Dame this Weekend. Truly is a special place to be. #GoIrish 🍀🍀 pic.twitter.com/z864Mzmety

— Ben Davis ™️ (@bendavis_1) January 17, 2016