With the 2012 recruiting cycle in full swing, Notre Dame has been targeting a pretty impressive list of players that the Irish feel fit their system. What's even more impressive about this is that while they are trying to secure some of these 2012 kids, they have still been reaching out to some the top prospects in the 2013 class to gauge their interest.
Sophomore offensive tackle Marcell Lazard (Bloomfield, N.J./ Bloomfield) happens to be one of those prospects who’s just started to communicate with the Irish.
“Notre Dame stopped by my school few months ago,” said Lazard. “They told my coach that they really liked the film he sent them of me and said that they can see that I'm a pretty good player on film, but they want to see me up at their camp so they can evaluate me on a personal level.”
With Notre Dame's summer camp coming up this month, the sophomore from New Jersey has already made plans to attend, with the hopes of giving the Irish what they were looking for.
“I will be coming up to Notre Dame's camp on the 23rd and this will be my first time ever up there,” said the 2013 offensive tackle. “I'm really excited to see their campus for the first time because I've heard nothing but great things about it. I just want to go up and prove to those guys that I'm a big guy who can move and be very physical.”
The 6-foot-5, 285-pound lineman has already started drawing a lot of recruiting attention and has racked up a couple offers.
“I have received two offers already from Buffalo and Connecticut,” claimed the New Jersey standout. “I've also been receiving a lot of interest from a lot of other schools too.”
Colleges like Boston College, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Syracuse and Temple are just a few of those schools who like what Lazard can possibly bring to the field.
“I'm a very physical guy on the field,” he said bluntly. “I'm a total team player also. I believe in teamwork, which in my opinion wins games. I make sure I'm one of the hardest-working guys on the field because I want to be one of the best players on the field.”
With so many schools already evaluating him, the Bloomfield star has already started doing research on his own and checking out what some of these schools have to offer.
“First off, I'm looking for a school that has my major, which I believe will be sports journalism,” said the Bloomfield star. “Secondly, I'm looking for a school that has a nice campus, with nice facilities and also has a nice feel to it. Lastly, I'm looking for a good coaching staff that’s going to make me work hard and push me to my limit.”
Just exactly how much interest does Lazard have in the Irish?
“I'm definitely interested in Notre Dame,” he said. “Just the history of the whole program from the past until now is unbelievable. They have a great coaching staff, great players and from what I hear great facilities. I just can't wait to see it for myself.”
