4-star CB visits ND

Immokalee (Fla.) High head coach Jerrod Ackley has been guiding his
star cornerback MacKensie Alexander through the recruiting process
along with a handful of college prospects on his roster.

So he knows that when Alexander started going through the process,
Notre Dame wasn't even on the four-star recruit's radar.

But ever since Notre Dame coaches Tony Alford and Kerry Cooks started
developing a relationship with Alexander in January, he could see his
interest starting to increase.

Alexander took action on that interest this week and decided to take
an unofficial visit to Notre Dame. Ackley said the cornerback was
scheduled to arrive on Wednesday and stay until Monday. He would be
making the trip alone.

“MacKensie's developed a very good relationship with them,” Ackley
said of Alford and Cooks. “Notre Dame was not even on his list of
conceptualizing that he was going to go there until those two talked
with him. Those two have done a very good job.”

Getting Alexander on campus this week adds to a roster of visitors
which spans committed and uncommitted players to the arrival of
incoming freshman players.

Alexander has laid low with his recruitment after a brief commitment
to Tennessee that lasted from early January to early March this year.
That ended after Tennessee's defensive backs coach and recruiting
coordinator Terry Joseph left for a spot on Nebraska's coaching staff.

A hot commodity this spring, Alexander holds offers from Alabama,
Florida State, Ohio State and Oklahoma among many others. Ackley said
Alexander wouldn't like him to share which schools he's focusing on
currently. Alexander's been guarded about his recruitment publicly
since his decommitment.

The 5-foot-10, 175-pound prospect is rated as the No. 4 cornerback and
the 23rd player overall in the class of 2013 by 247Sports.com.
Rivals.com ranks him as the No. 5 cornerback and 65th overall.

Ackley described Alexander as a multi-tooled player.

“MacKensie has an unbelievable, complete tool set that not all guys
have. He is physical and aggressive where he can get off the block.
Sometimes cover corners aren't always real good doing that,” Ackley
said.

“He tackles well. Not all cover corners can tackle well, but MacKensie
can. He can play physical, press man coverage, he can drop back in
zone. He's got the skill set to play several defensive looks.”

With Notre Dame's depth at cornerback lacking this fall, the Irish
staff will be willing to court a number of players at the position in
addition to the commitments from Devin Butler and Rashad Kinlaw.

Ackley said Alexander could fit in at Notre Dame both athletically and
academically.

“He is very focused on becoming a great student athlete and doing the
things he needs to do to be great. That's on the field and off the
field,” Ackley said. “He's a very good worker. He shows up 30 minutes
before everyone, leaves 30 minutes after everyone.”

Spending the better part of five days on Notre Dame's campus may give
Alexander plenty of time to recognize if he could end up in South
Bend.