Notre Dame dominated the University of Miami 41-3 last Saturday in Chicago. For the Irish the victory not only pushed their record to 5-0 on the season but also showcased an offense that Notre Dame fans have been waiting to see since Brian Kelly arrived three years ago. While the Irish defense has been dominating in the early season, the offense has been inconsistent at best and disappointing at worst. However, against Miami the offense exploded with 587 total yards, 374 on the ground.
As the Irish finish out the 2013 recruiting class one of their needs lies at running back and recruits couldn’t help but notice the Notre Dame running game against Miami. Also, offensive linemen love to run block and the performance of the Irish offensive line caught the attention of a class of 2014 offensive lineman that attended the Miami game. What have you been missing by not being a member of Irish Sports Daily?
Tarean Folston, RB, 5-10, 195, Cocoa High School, Cocoa Beach, FL has been interested in Notre Dame since the beginning of the recruiting process but has yet to make a visit to South Bend. That will change on October 20th when he makes an official visit to Notre Dame for the BYU game.
“I think he just knew he had to get up there to see it,” said John Wilkinson, Folston’s head coach. “He was hoping to take visits after the season, but that would stretch into December and he’s going to be leaving in January, so he’s going to take visits during the season.”
Folston has offers from nearly every top program in the nation so the talented Floridian has no shortage of options. He is currently considering visits to South Florida, Auburn, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Tennessee, Florida State and Oregon. Still, getting to Notre Dame is high on his list for a number of reasons.
“He likes the academics, Coach (Tony) Alford and they’re a top ten team, so that always helps,” said Wilkinson.
J.C. Hassennauer, OC, 6-2, 275, East Ridge High School, Woodbury, MN made it to Soldier Field in Chicago for Notre Dame’s game there with Miami. The junior offensive lineman was tremendously impressed by the fan support for the Irish in the Windy City.
“I liked Notre Dame a lot before I went, but this makes me like them even more,” said Hassenauer after seeing the love that Notre Dame fans have for their beloved Irish. “The Notre Dame fans were just crazy and there was so many of them there. I couldn’t believe how many Notre Dame fans there were and just how much they supported the team.”
Hassenauer continued.
“I thought the game went really great and Notre Dame won as well, so it was that much better. It was really cool to see because the whole stadium was packed and I thought that was really cool.”
Hassenauer has yet to receive any offers but is hearing from major conference schools and Notre Dame. He is being recruited by Irish Offensive Coordinator Chuck Martin.
“I’ve been talking to Coach Martin and trying to build a relationship with him,” stated Hassenauer. “I’m also in communication with some of the other coaches there and our relationships are building up even more.”
Because of NCAA regulations, Hassenauer wasn’t able to speak to the coaches at an off-site game, but he did get the chance to visit with Notre Dame commitment James Onwualu.
“I got to talk to a lot of the recruits and I had a chance to talk with James Onwualu,” he related. “It was a lot of fun.”
Hassenauer spent much of the game watching the Irish offensive line and came away very impressed. He was particularly awed by the play of Notre Dame center Braxton Cave.
“It was really cool watching the offensive line work against Miami,” Hassenauer stated. “I was just watching the center and he was just blowing up the defensive line.”
After getting a taste of the Notre Dame experience the Minnesota prospect can’t wait to take in the game day atmosphere in South Bend.
“We have yet to plan our next visit to Notre Dame, but I know we are planning on going in November,” he reported. “We’re not sure on an exact date at this time, but that’s what we’re planning at this point.”
These two summaries represent just a sample of the Notre Dame football recruiting information available each week on Irish Sports Daily.
