Unlike Notre Dame's game against USC on Oct. 15, there were not many recruits making official visits to campus to see the Irish beat Navy 42-21 Saturday. Almost 30 players made official or unofficial visits the weekend of Notre Dame's 34-31 loss to the No. 1 Trojans.
Only two players trekked to South Bend on official visits this past weekend, tight end Konrad Reuland and linebacker Morrice Richardson. But according to Mike Frank of Irisheyes.com, the two high school seniors could be substantial additions to an already strong Notre Dame recruiting class.
Reuland is one of the country's top recruits, as Scout.com has given five out of a possible five stars and lists the Mission Viejo, Calif. product as the No. 2 tight end in the nation.
"I think Notre Dame did a really good job on Reuland," Frank said. "He's going to go visit Stanford this weekend but I think Notre Dame has a great shot to land him as well."
The Irish have 19 verbal commitments so far this season, though no one can sign an official letter of intent until February. Assuming all the verbal commitments sign letters of intent, Notre Dame has between six and eight scholarships still remaining to give out.
"When you get down to this point the spots start filling up," Frank said. "I think a lot of players start feeling the pressure that if they don't do something soon they won't have a spot on the list."
Richardson, the other visitor to campus last weekend, is very close to committing to the Irish, Frank said.
"I expect him to do that here probably this week," Frank said. "He'll probably choose Notre Dame over Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Florida. He's a big-time linebacker that Notre Dame really likes."
While Richardson is expected to play linebacker in college, he has also played defensive end for Westlake High School in Atlanta. He is listed at 6-foot-3, 235 pounds and has been timed at 4.75 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
"He can run pretty well," Frank said. "He loves to hit and loves to punish people."
Reuland would be a marquee recruit for the Irish if he chooses them over other schools recruiting him such as UCLA, USC, Miami (Fla.) and Stanford. He is 6-foot-6, 240 pounds and has a 4.70 time in the 40-yard dash.
"I don't know if he's the biggest recruit [Notre Dame is after]," Frank said. "I think [Irish running back verbal commitment] James Aldridge is a pretty big name. But Reuland is probably one of the top tight ends in the country."
