Notre Dame’s 2015 recruiting class took a hit when defensive end Bo Wallace didn’t arrive in South Bend. And it looks like Brian Kelly and company could be evaluating a late addition to make up for it—and one with a hometown (and home team) connection.
Irish Illustrated reports that South Bend native Mirko Jurkovic Jr. could join Notre Dame’s freshman class after not enrolling at Ohio State this summer. Jurkovic was a four-star prospect who played the majority of his high school football at St. Joseph’s in South Bend before finishing his career at the IMG Academy in Florida.
This from Pete Sampson’s report:
How this all works out remains to be seen. As Sampson points out, admissions—which looked to be the issue in Columbus—doesn’t seem to be figured out yet in South Bend.
Likewise, scholarship numbers, with the Irish still needing to compress to get to 85, might make Jurkovic a candidate for something other than a traditional 2016 scholarship counter if he’s allowed in this fall.
While Notre Dame didn’t offer Jurkovic during the recruiting period, they were in communication with him, especially late in the cycle after Jerry Tillery became a defensive line target. But it never seemed like a great fit, even as an Irish legacy. But if the Irish roster is able to add the 6-foot-5, 285-pounder, who had offers from Florida, Tennessee, and had once been a Nebraska commit, then it might be a great way to fill out the position group.
Jurkovic’s father was the late Mirko Jurkovic Sr., the former All-American offensive lineman who passed away two years ago after a battle with cancer. He was a member of Notre Dame’s 1988 national championship team.
