Irish in the running for top wideouts

While Notre Dame continues to look for another difference-maker at the
wide receiver position in the 2013 class, two players fitting that
profile will make visits this week and could allow the Irish to make
big strides in starting to wrap up their recruitment on the offensive
side of the ball.

On Thursday, Torii Hunter Jr. will visit the South Bend campus a day
after visiting West Virginia.

Hunter, son of the Los Angeles Angels outfielder of the same name,
plays both football and baseball at Prosper (Texas) High and hopes to
do both in college.

Hunter (6-1, 172) tweeted in anticipation of the Notre Dame visit
Wednesday evening.

“Visit to WVU went well. Love the campus, but now I’m off to see what
Notre Dame has to offer! #Irish,” he tweeted.

On Saturday, Devon Allen (6-0, 190) is scheduled to make a visit to
Notre Dame sandwiched between trips to Ohio State the previous day and
Michigan the following day. Allen’s also looking to compete in two
sports in college: football and track.

“I think dynamic playmaker at the wide receiver position is one of the
biggest needs left for Notre Dame in this recruiting class, and
they’re bringing in two playmakers this week in Torii Hunter and Devon
Allen,” said 247Sports.com national recruiting writer Steve Wiltfong.

“Those are two guys that I think Notre Dame has a legitimate shot at getting.”

Both players rank as four-star prospects according to 247Sports. Allen
is ranked as the No. 25 wide receiver in the class and Hunter is No.
28. Rivals.com isn’t as high on Hunter, ranked as the 98th wide
receiver, but Allen is No. 15.


Wiltfong said both wide receivers rank high on Notre Dame’s board, and
the Irish would likely accept a commitment from the first one to pick
ND.

“They’d be happy with either one of them. I think both of those guys
can stretch the field,” Wiltfong said. “Torii Hunter was exceptional
at The Opening, and we all know about Devon Allen as a track star, so
those are guys that fit the bill as a dynamic playmaker to complement
a guy like Corey Robinson and James Onwualu.”

Hunter earned MVP honors for the 7-on-7 tournament at this month’s The
Opening camp in Beaverton, Ore., and Allen competed in the USA Junior
Championships in Bloomington, Ind., this summer where he finished
third in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 13.66 seconds and fourth
in the 200-meter dash at 21.04.

If the visits this week for Allen and Hunter go well, they could be
considered the most likely candidates to commit at the receiver
position.

The Irish are still in the running for other wide receivers.

Earlier in July, Alvin Bailey from Armwood High in Seffner, Fla.
visited Notre Dame. The four-star receiver (Rivals: 16, 247Sports: 26)
has since named the Irish as part of his top eight schools. The
5-foot-11, 170-pound receiver also lists Central Florida, Michigan,
Florida State, South Carolina, Georgia, Auburn and Texas A&M as
schools he’s considering.

Another Florida wide receiver eyeing the Irish is Fort Lauderdale’s
Jordan Cunningham. The 6-3, 175-pound Cunningham told the Tribune that
he’s planning to make an official visit to Notre Dame this fall.

Cunningham, who plays at University School, ranks as a four-star
prospect according to Rivals.com. The site ranks him as the No. 21
wide receiver in the 2013 class and 154th overall. 247Sports.com rates
Cunningham as a three-star prospect and the 65th best wide receiver.

Cunningham said he’s focusing on six schools: Stanford, Notre Dame,
Miami, Florida State, Alabama and Oklahoma State.

The highest-ranked wide receiver still saying he’s considering Notre
Dame is Laquon Treadwell from Crete, Ill. The 6-3, 195-pound four-star
prospect ranks as the No. 5 receiver in the country by both 247Sports
and Rivals.

Many think Treadwell will commit to Michigan, but he insists he’s
still considering 10 schools: Clemson, Michigan, Houston, Auburn,
Notre Dame, Ohio State, Illinois, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, and
Oklahoma.

14-year old commits to UW

The Seattle Times reported Wednesday that Tate Martell, a soon-to-be
eight-grader from San Diego, verbally committed to the University of
Washington.

Martell, who plays quarterback, had his verbal commitment announced
via a PR firm representing his quarterback coach Steve Clarkson.

Clarkson has helped tutor USC quarterback Matt Barkley and former
Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart.

The Seattle Times reported the email announcement claimed Martell to
be the youngest player to commit to a D-I program since another
Clarkson student, David Sills, committed to USC in 2010. Sills will be
a sophomore in high school this fall.

Martell, who is said to be 5-11, 180 pounds, wouldn’t be able to sign
a national letter-of-intent until 2017.