From ISD
Brian Kelly and his staff are entering their third full recruiting cycle, and the Irish staff is looking to put together another strong group of prospects. The Notre Dame coaches are looking to counter the average finish to the Class of 2012 with a dynamic haul with the Class of 2013. Kelly and his staff have done an excellent job getting an early start on the current junior class, which should help them get off to a fast start.
One benefit working in Notre Dame’s favor is a deep and talented group of Midwest football players. There are a higher number of impact players in the Midwest than we’ve seen in the past few seasons. That should give Notre Dame a foundation to build around as it looks to put together a strong Class of 2013. Even the state of Indiana has a few impact players in it, and the state of Illinois is loaded with talented offensive linemen and a few impact skill players.
Notre Dame’s first commit, Steve Elmer, is a Michigan standout and arguably the best of a deep and talented group of Midwest linemen. If Notre Dame is going to put together an elite Class of 2013 recruits it must do well in the Midwest. Over the next week we will break down the top players in the Midwest and talk about where Notre Dame stands in their recruitment.
The state of Illinois is especially loaded in the Class of 2013. The offensive line is especially dynamic, but Illinois also has two talented run-throw quarterbacks that have received interest from the Irish staff. Unlike most seasons, Illinois also has two dynamic offensive skill players in running back Ty Isaac and wide receiver Laquon Treadwell. Notre Dame has not had as much success in Illinois of late as it had in past years, but that trend must reverse a bit this season. Doing so would give Notre Dame a strong foundation in the Class of 2013, especially along the offensive line.
LAQUON TREADWELL, WR, 6-3, 190, CRETE(CRETE-MONEE)IL
EARLY OFFERS: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, USC, Vanderbilt
COACH D’S EVALUATION: Illinois wideout Laquon Treadwell reminds me quite a bit of former Notre Dame star receiver Michael Floyd. This is not to say that Treadwell will be the same kind of five-star recruit that Floyd was, but it does mean the two players play the game in similar fashion. After racking up 75 receptions for 1400 yards and hauling in 18 touchdowns as a junior, Treadwell showed he is certainly capable of dominating his competition. Treadwell has outstanding size at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds. He has a long and solid frame that should allow him to get well over 200 pounds and stay agile. He has extremely long arms and very good ball skills, which makes him an extremely difficult target for a quarterback to miss. His throwing zone is very wide and if his quarterback gets the ball anywhere close to him he is going to make the catch. Treadwell’s solid agility and body control allows him to make plays on poorly thrown footballs just as easily as he makes grabs that hit him on the money. As he learns to be more consistent catching the ball away from his body he will emerge as one of the best pass catchers in this class. His length, leaping ability, and ball skills should allow him to emerge as dangerous red zone weapon at the next level. He is a powerful runner that breaks a lot of tackles. While he is not a burner, Treadwell does possess enough speed to get deep on opponents. Like Floyd, he is not an overly elusive player but if he gets in space he can make people miss as he picks up extra yards. What most excites me about Treadwell is the fact he shows an impressive understanding of the position for such a young player. He is instinctive and smart on the football field and knows where the weak spots are in the defense. Treadwell shows a natural understanding of how to run routes and get open. Once he refines his technique and learns more of the finer points of the position he should develop into a strong route runner in college. His combination of size and skills make him a matchup nightmare for opponents.
WHERE THINGS STAND: Early on it appeared that Michigan would be the runaway winner in the Treadwell sweepstakes. Over the last couple of months the rest of his list has narrowed the gap and more suitors are going to come calling. Notre Dame has put the full court press on Treadwell, sending head coach Brian Kelly to Crete-Monee to check on the prospect. After Treadwell visited the Notre Dame campus unofficially the Irish put themselves very much in the mix for Treadwell. He plans on visiting Notre Dame for the spring game and he claims that his mother really likes the Notre Dame program. Ohio State and USC offered yesterday, and both programs will likely be serious contenders for his services. If the Irish continue to make Treadwell a priority they will have a shot at picking up his signature next February, but they will have a serious battle on their hands to make that happen. If he drags his recruitment out into the fall it will be interesting to see what impact Notre Dame’s quarterback situation has on him and other big time wide receivers.
