College coaches continue recruiting prospects until National Signing Day. The process of identifying targets tends to end sooner than that, but it isn’t over yet for Notre Dame in the Class of 2012.
Marcus Rios, a 6-foot, 170-pound cornerback from Elk Grove, Calif., (Cosumnes Oaks) is one prospect the Irish are still evaluating. Rios committed to Boise State back in March, but decided to reopen his recruitment last month.
Rios, who has been clocked at 4.43 in the 40-yard dash, 10.7 in the 100 and 22.2 in the 200, has an impressive offer sheet that includes Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Nebraska, Oregon State, UCLA, Utah and Washington among others.
Rios already took an official visit to UCLA in September. He’s taking an official to Arizona State this weekend and is scheduled to visit Nebraska the following weekend. Oregon was at his game last weekend and want him to visit after saying he is the kind of player the Ducks want.
Rios reached out to Notre Dame earlier in the process when he was still committed to the Broncos and again after he withdrew his commitment.
“They have shown interest by returning my calls and saying they are interested in my junior film and would like to get my senior year tape and talk at that point about visits,” Rios said of the Irish.
Rios’ father, Richard, spoke to Irish assistant Mike Denbrock on Wednesday.
“Coach called back and said he was interested and the DB coach liked his film and wanted to have some senior tape,” Richard Rios said.
With Rios set to graduate in December and Cosumnes Oaks still in the postseason, it could be a challenge getting his senior year film cut up in time, but they expect to get it finished and delivered to Notre Dame this weekend.
“At that point (Denbrock) said things will move pretty fast if all is good with his tape, but they seem pretty happy about it now and pretty interested,” Rios’ father said.
Things will have to move fast and Richard Rios isn’t worried about getting all of the visits squeezed in and having a decision made by next month.
“It’s going to happen,” he said. “We’re going to get it all squeezed in one way or the other because we put a lot of work into graduating in December and we plan on being on somebody’s field this January.”
Rios’ interest in Notre Dame is genuine.
“There are two things that he’s sure he wants in a college, great education and great football,” his father said. “There’s no doubt that Notre Dame presents both of those.”
“I am very interested in what a Notre Dame education and football could mean for my future,” Marcus Rios said. “Bottom line, I would love the opportunity to see if Notre Dame and I could be a fit.”
Rios also recently reached out to his friend and current Irish verbal commit Tee Shepard.
“We’re both excited about the possibilities.”
