Notre Dame filled a hole left over from the previous recruiting cycle with consensus three-star cornerback Joe Wilkins, Jr., (North Fort Myers High School, Fla.) committing Monday and becoming the first cornerback in this class after none signed in 2017.
☘️❗️C O M M I T T E D ❗️☘️ pic.twitter.com/hmJ8VnQpxT
— Joe Wilkins Jr (@joewilkinsjrrr) November 7, 2017
The 6-foot-2, 175-pound recruit also plays receiver these days, but his eyes are on Notre Dame’s defense, he told Blue & Gold Illustrated after his visit to see the Irish beat Wake Forest this past weekend.
“They don’t have any freshman corners right now,” Wilkins said. “I’m definitely going to get a chance to play early and to compete for a spot.”
Indeed, Notre Dame has four productive cornerbacks all with two more years of eligibility after this season, but no one stands between them and Wilkins. With that in mind, projecting next season’s depth chart is a simple task and quickly includes Wilkins.
| Soph. Julian Love — 2 years eligibility remaining after 2017 | Senior Nick Watkins — 1 year eligibility remaining after 2017 |
| Junior Shaun Crawford — 2 years (nickel starter) | Soph. Donte Vaughn — 2 years |
| Wilkins — 4 years | Troy Pride — 2 years |
The 19th commitment to Notre Dame in the class of 2018, Wilkins chose the Irish over offers from Michigan State, South Carolina, North Carolina State and a litany of others. He joins two safeties in the class, consensus four-star Derrik Allen (Lassiter H.S.; Marietta, Ga.) and consensus three-star Paul Moala (Penn; Mishawaka, Ind.)
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