Irish could make run at PSU commits

The NCAA sanctions placed on Penn State on Monday had an immediate
impact on the Nittany Lions’ recruiting class.

Four-star cornerback Ross Douglas decommitted from Penn State’s 2013
class on Monday and by midday Tuesday had verbally committed to
Michigan.

Douglas had been considering making a visit to Notre Dame this week
before Michigan extended an offer again. Steve Wiltfong, a national
recruiting writer for 247Sports.com, said Notre Dame started showing
interest in Douglas a couple of weeks ago.

With the Irish looking to secure a commitment from another cornerback
in their 2013 class, Douglas, from Avon, Ohio, became a possible
solution.

“Ross Douglas is a guy that Notre Dame liked but didn't offer early,”
Wiltfong said. “He had a chance to get an offer when he visited on
Thursday, but Michigan was the school that was the runner-up for him
the first time he went through the recruiting process, and Michigan
re-offered today and he jumped on it and he's a Wolverine.”

Douglas will no longer make visits to Notre Dame or Wisconsin this
week as previously planned.

One Penn State commitment that Notre Dame may have its eyes on is wide
receiver Will Fuller. The 6-foot, 165-pound senior at Roman Catholic
in Philadelphia remains committed to Penn State and does not yet have
an offer from the Irish. But he could fill a need.

Wiltfong said Fuller is on Notre Dame’s board as a potential dynamic
wide receiver who was been clocked at 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash
at a Penn State camp. Fuller is rated as a three-star prospect by
247Sports.com and the No. 71 wide receiver in the 2013 class.

“Notre Dame is a school that I think Will Fuller had some interest in
before he committed to Penn State,” Wiltfong said. “It will be
interesting to see if Notre Dame did move in Will Fuller’s direction,
what would transpire from there.”

Two of Penn State’s top commitments — tight end Adam Breneman and
outside linebacker/defensive end Garrett Sickels — were offered by
Notre Dame before committing but have publicly reaffirmed their
commitment since Monday’s sanctions were announced.

With Mike Heuerman already committed to Notre Dame, the Irish would be
less likely to pursue Breneman despite being at the top of most
rankings of the tight end position.

The Irish are believed to be still targeting a hybrid linebacker and
defensive end combination that Sickels projects to be, but Wiltfong
said Douglas and Fuller were more obvious targets because of need.

In addition to Douglas, Penn State lost a commitment from defensive
tackle Greg Webb days before the sanctions were announced. The
four-star tackle flipped to North Carolina.

Even with the two losses, Wiltfong praised the job Penn State head
coach Bill O’Brien has done in keeping his commitments so far.

“Bill O'Brien really has been impressive in the way he's handled the
adversity thus far,” Wiltfong said. “Penn State really hit a home run
with him as the head coach. There are just some things that may be out
of his control that may make it tough to keep this class together. But
right now, the key guys are saying the right things moving forward.”

With current Penn State players allowed to transfer without sitting
out a year, high school recruits aren’t the only ones O’Brien has to
worry about keeping on board. A number of schools, including USC and
Georgia, have said they’ve contacted Penn State about possible
transfers.

Wiltfong said Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly and his staff have
likely looked over Penn State’s roster for players that could help
them.

“Any school that didn't do that — what the NCAA said was allowable —
would be almost irresponsible,” Wiltfong said. “I would think that
Notre Dame has looked at that roster. There's no way that they're in
the minority in doing so.”

Commits in Gridiron Kings

A pair of Notre Dame commits have been selected to compete in the 2012
Champion Gridiron Kings this weekend in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Linebacker Alex Anzalone and cornerback Devin Butler will compete in
the 64-player 7-on-7 tournament Friday to Sunday.

The players are divided into four regional teams — West, Southwest,
Southeast and Midwest. Both Anzalone and Butler will be playing for
the Midwest team.

A number of Notre Dame recruiting targets will also be competing in
the tournament, including wide receivers Alvin Bailey, Tyler Boyd and
Laquon Treadwell, cornerbacks Vernon Hargreaves III and Priest Willis,
and running back Taquan Mizzell.

The event will be televised Sunday, July 29 at 7 p.m. EDT on ESPNU and
broadcast live on ESPN3.com.

LB plans to see Irish twice

Linebacker Clifton Garrett, a junior at Plainfield (Ill.) South High,
tweeted on Friday his schedule of unofficial visits to college games
this fall.

Garrett said he would be visiting Notre Dame for the Michigan game on
Sept. 22 and would also be going to the Miami-Notre Dame game at
Chicago’s Soldier Field on Oct. 6.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder is ranked as the No. 2 outside linebacker in
the 2014 class and 41st overall by 247Sports.