Returning Notre Dame back to prominence has been head coach Brian Kelly’s No. 1 priority ever since he accepted the reigns to lead the Irish back on December 10, 2009.
It appears his defensive coordinator, Bob Diaco, found a piece he thinks would help restore that puzzle when he offered four-star cornerback Armani Reeves recently.
“He came by my school last week and talked to my coach for a while and told him how he’s really excited about me and my versatility,” the Catholic Memorial High School athlete from West Roxbury, Mass., said. “He said that I’m the type of player that could get Notre Dame back to being a powerhouse again, and that I could play slot receiver, cornerback and return kicks for them.”
The 5-11, 180-pounder has always thought of the Irish program as part of the upper echelon of college football and is intrigued by the idea of helping them revert back to their winning ways.
“I’ve always liked Notre Dame and always thought of them as a top program,” Reeves said. “They’ve had some down years recently, but I think that coach Kelly is already starting to turn that around. It would be great to be a part of getting them back to dominating like they used to.”
Getting the West Roxbury standout on campus is what’s next on Diaco’s agenda, with a summer visit seeming to be a possibility.
“They want me to come sometime in June,” Reeves said. “They said that time would be perfect so I could see the campus and meet the coaches and the players. I would definitely like to do that. I still have to talk with my parents about it to make sure we can get over there this summer.”
The Irish join Boston College, Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Penn State, Rutgers, Stanford, Utah, Virginia and Wake Forest as programs in pursuit of the talented prospect and want to be one of a handful still doing so by the end of August.
“I’m trying to make a top five by the summertime and Michigan, Penn State and Stanford already have three of those spots,” Reeves said. “I’m still deciding on who will get the last two spots, but I should have that figured out by the end of the summer.”
Such a deadline makes the targeted June visit even more imperative for the Irish.
Reeves would also like to make his way to Maryland, Rutgers and Stanford this summer and knows what factors he’ll be analyzing during those stays.
“When I check out a school, the academics will be very important to me,” Reeves said. “I also want to get a good vibe from the coaching staff and see that they have a good relationship with each other and their players. Lastly, just the overall campus atmosphere and how it is on game-day.”
Reeves is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 6 cornerback in the country, the No. 1 player in Massachusetts and the nation’s No. 59 overall player.
The coveted prospect did just about everything for the 5-5 Knights during his junior campaign, accounting for 1,700 all-purpose yards with 17 touchdowns and registering 37 tackles along with four interceptions.
“I’m really fast and run a 4.35-forty,” Reeves said. “My speed, quickness and explosiveness are my biggest assets. I’m always in the hip-pocket of receivers when I’m playing cornerback, and I’m a guy that just loves to hit people.”
Reeves continued to hone his skills after his junior season by competing in numerous 7-on-7 tournaments with top prospects like Zeke Pike and Deaysean Rippy while facing elite counterparts like Terry Richardson and Deontay McManus.
“Playing with and against talent like that just automatically makes you better,” Reeves said. “It’s helped me gain a lot of experience, and it’s improved my skills on offense and defense.”
Maybe the Notre Dame coaching staff will be the ones utilizing those skills next fall.
