At 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, Colin Blake fits the profile that Notre Dame likes at corner. The San Antonio native currently has scholarship offers from Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, TCU, Baylor, Missouri, California, and Arizona, but is also receiving interest from Texas, Michigan State, Illinois, and Notre Dame.
Irish assistant Kerry Cooks was at Brandeis High School early in the May evaluation period to gauge Blake’s interest in Notre Dame and, through Blake’s coach, the answer was a positive one. The contact from the Irish has been limited, but Blake is very interested in Notre Dame.
It’s always difficult to get a prospect out of Texas when the elite Big 12 schools are interested and it could be doubly-difficult considering Blake’s teammate, offensive lineman Kyle Marrs, is currently committed to the Sooners. Still, Blake’s interest in the Irish is legit and he’s hoping to take an unofficial visit to South Bend at some point this summer. He said an offer from Notre Dame would mean a lot to him.
“Just the past, their tradition and how the football program is,” he said. “The football program has been like that for a while. Notre Dame is a place you’ve got to go check out. I just really want to see what it’s like.”
Blake has run a 4.38 40-yard dash in spikes and estimated himself at between 4.4 and 4.5 on the field. Cooks relayed the fact that the Irish do like Blake’s size.
“I’m real physical, so that adds on to being a corner,” said Blake. “I can run with the guys. I’m real good in coverage. Right now, I’m just working on my press skills. I think overall, I’m a physical corner.”
Blake will be looking for a few attributes when he’s making a decision.
“Education, first and foremost, and a good relationship with the coaching staff, a good surrounding area and somewhere I just feel like it’s a good fit for me,” he said.
The recent interest from schools like Notre Dame and Texas may change Blake’s ideas for when he plans on making a decision.
“I’ve gotten so many schools that have offered me, I really don’t know,” he said. “I was planning on making a decision over the summer, but I don’t know if that’s going to change or not. I just really want to make the right decision and not just rush it.”
Blake didn’t play football during his first two years of high school as he concentrated on basketball, but decided to come back out for football as a junior and it’s obvious by the amount of interest he’s garnered that he made the right decision.
