Less than 24 hours after its Sept. 22 win over Michigan, Notre Dame added yet another famous name to its list of 2013 commitments. ESPN 150 wide receiver Torii Hunter Jr., son of current Los Angeles Angels outfielder and former MLB All-Star Torii Hunter, became the fourth wide receiver to commit to the 2013 Irish recruiting class.
Hunter, the No. 8-ranked wide receiver in the country according to ESPN, chose Notre Dame after receiving offers from marquee programs Alabama, Oklahoma and West Virginia, among others. Irish recruiting analyst Mike Frank said Hunter Jr. is a player who surprises many despite his small 6-foot, 172-pound frame.
"I love Torii Hunter as a prospect," said Frank, who runs the ESPN-affiliated Irish Sports Daily. "He's one of those guys where you look at his size and he's not [6-foot-3], and you look at his frame and see he's not 210 pounds, and you look at his speed and he's not running a 4.3 40-yard time, but this kid just makes a ton of plays. Absolutely a ton of plays.
"He's just got the ability to get behind defenders and make plays, and he's got enough speed to stretch the field and get deep at this next level. I'm excited about his potential. He's a big, big plus to the already impressive wide receiver class."
Hunter Jr., whose father is a four-time MLB All-Star and a nine-time Gold Glove winner spanning a career with the Minnesota Twins and the Angels, has also expressed intent to play baseball at the collegiate level. Frank said the desire to be a dual-sport athlete played a big part in the recruitment of Hunter Jr.
"He's quite the baseball player as well," Frank said. "But I think he really likes football a lot, and I think football is probably his best sport right now. Football is where he's getting looks from pretty big programs right now. But he's pretty good in baseball too, and that's a big part of it."
For more on Notre Dame recruiting, check out Mike Frank's irishsportsdaily.com
Email Mike at mikefrank18@sbcglobal.net and tell him The Observer sent you.
