Is Notre Dame primed to land another four-star recruit?
Already with a verbal commitment from four-star Florida defensive end Clay Burton late last week, is Notre Dame ready to land another big fish in Florida’s sea of defensive high school talent?
Head coach Brian Kelly hopes he hits the jackpot in his pursuit of another four-star defensive end from Florida, Aaron Lynch. The Cape Coral native just happens to be good friends with Burton, the Venice High product who is projected to play outside linebacker in coordinator Bob Diaco’s 3-4 scheme.
Lynch, however, is also being pursued by Miami, Florida State, LSU and Alabama, among others.
The 6-5, 235-pounder — and growing — is quite the athlete with a good motor and nice first step. While he relies more on his athleticism, he can be a dangerous pass rusher if he adds some moves to his repertoire. He also could play tight end in college, as he possesses very good hands.
Meanwhile, Burton — the brother of current Florida Gator Trey — plans to graduate early and enroll in school in January. He currently is the highest-rated defender among the 10 commitments the Irish have compiled.
Kelly and the Irish staff know improvement in the win-loss column will hinge not only on the effectiveness of the new spread offense but also on whether the defense improves dramatically this season and into the future.