As Notre Dame assistants flocked across the country during the Irish’s bye week, West Coast recruiter Mike Denbrock made sure to stop at Oaks Christian in Westlake Village, Calif., to check on 2014 quarterback Brandon Dawkins and 2015 offensive lineman Reno Rosene.
Both prospects have offers and are scheduled to visit South Bend for Notre Dame’s game against Stanford later this month. Dawkins had the chance to speak with Denbrock after the Irish assistant's visit.
“He just talked to me about what we’re going to do when we get up there,” said Dawkins. “We’re going to get there on Thursday. If we have time that day, we’re going to go on campus and get shown around.
“Friday, for sure we’ll be doing that. We’re going to go through the athletic building and see what the team is doing and stuff like that. Then Saturday, we’ll be at the game.”
Dawkins is excited.
“I can’t wait to get there,” he said. “I’ve heard so many great things about the school and how great the campus is. This will be my first time being at a real college game. It’s Notre Dame versus Stanford, so it’s probably going to be a packed stadium and the crowd will probably be crazy.
“I’m looking forward to getting the whole college experience while I’m there.”
Dawkins has kept in touch with Denbrock since landing the offer after the West Coast recruiter and Notre Dame offensive coordinator Chuck Martin visited Oaks Christian back in May.
“We talk all of the time,” he said. “We talk weekly. I call him. We have a really good relationship so far.”
Dawkins, who also has an offer from Utah, was honored to have Denbrock return to his school.
“It’s truly special,” he said. “It was special just getting an offer. They showed a lot of interest and they were my first offer, so that means a lot. That ups their stock in my mind and makes me want to go there a lot. That shows that they’re really interested in me to offer me so early.”
Dawkins is also receiving interest from a host of other programs.
“Vanderbilt is really interested in me,” he said. “Alabama still sends me lots of letters. They said they’re not the type of school to offer you right away. They wait until your senior year and see how you play. I have no problem waiting as long as they keep showing interest in me. I love the program. They’re number one right now and they’re really incorporating the pass.
“Since Sept. 1st, I’ve been getting Facebook messages from everywhere. Some SEC schools, LSU, USC sent a lot, Arizona State, Colorado. Every major school sends me mail, but ‘Bama is still sending me the most.”
Dawkins is also considering taking a trip to Oregon, but isn’t exactly sure when yet. He also isn’t sure when he’ll make a decision, but definitely isn’t in a rush.
“I’m only at two offers, so I’m going to see how many I can get,” he said. “When I get a lot, I’m going to start cutting down schools. I’m going to cut it down to 10 and then down to five as soon as possible.
“Once I get those top five schools, I’m going to do a lot of research and try to get out for official visits to be able to weigh my options on where I’m going to go.”
Oaks Christian sits at 5-1 on the season after bouncing back from a surprising loss to Crenshaw with a 36-6 victory over Thousand Oaks this past weekend. As disappointing as the loss to Crenshaw was, Dawkins said it was a good wakeup call for his team, especially since the Lions will be moving to the powerful Pac-5 for the postseason starting this season.
