The recruiting train continues for Notre Dame, with Washington D.C. area defensive back Ashton White pledging his commitment to the Irish on Tuesday evening. The one-time Virginia Tech commitment chose Notre Dame after being offered at the Irish Invasion camp.
White had offers from West Virginia, Ohio State, Iowa, UConn, Maryland and Boston College (among others). He’s a 5-foot-11, 182-pounder who will finish up his prep career at Bishop McNamara.
In a matter of weeks, Notre Dame has solidified its secondary with a strong recruiting class, a year after focusing on the front seven. White joins cornerbacks Shaun Crawford and Nick Coleman as well as safeties Nicco Fertitta and Prentice McKinney.
White made it clear why he made his decision when catching up with BlueandGold.com’s Tom Loy ($):“It’s Notre Dame. It doesn’t get better than that,” White told Loy. “They will contend for a national championship just about every year and you can get the best degree in the country. It will set you up in life, with work, and just puts you in a better position than a lot of other people. It’s just an incredible opportunity for football and academics. You’re double dipping. It’s perfect. It’s the best place I could possibly be.”
With White, Notre Dame extends its recruiting class to 16. He’s the ninth commit to Brian VanGorder’s defense, a cornerback who had an offer from both Urban Meyer and Bob Diaco.
The recruiting news should kick up early tomorrow as well, with blue-chippers Jashon Cornell and Justin Hilliard in the morning and receiving target Miles Boykin in the afternoon. Quarterback Travis Waller pledged to Oregon today, taking him off the board. And most are bracing for the worst with the Cornell and Hilliard “joint” announcement (they’ll both make the decision at 9 a.m. CDT), while others are optimistic about Boykin.
Either way, for a class many were worried about entering June, it looks like Notre Dame will be close to full by the time the season opens.