Four-star running back C.J. Holmes announced his commitment to Notre Dame this morning, mere days after excluding the Irish from a “top 4” graphic he released on Twitter.
Holmes, a 5-foot-11, 200 pound dynamo out of Chesire Academy (CT), is at Nike’s The Opening camp this week in Oregon.
Holmes attended Irish Invasion and had previously admitted he considered committing at that time. He held offers from Alabama, Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee and UCLA, among others. He released a top four of Alabama, Michigan, Penn State and Syracuse on Monday, then chastised tweeters for insisting they knew where he would play.
idk why the world is trying to tell me where im going lmaooo! Watch me break twitter on July 8th. ?☕️
— ㅤ (@CjHo1mes) July 5, 2016
Credit: @CjHo1mes / Twitter
Brian Dohn, a Scout recruiting analyst, said he didn’t read much into Holmes’ tweets.
“You go back and you look, he visited Notre Dame and he comes out of the Notre Dame visit saying he almost committed and then he said he’s going to announce at The Opening,” he told Irish Illustrated. “What changed? Then you don’t put Notre Dame in it? He’s just having a little fun. Let a kid be a kid.”
Tom Loy, a recruiting analyst for 247Sports, recently praised the Connecticut product, saying, “After seeing Holmes at the Irish Invasion, he immediately jumped on my radar as one of the most talented offensive weapons nationally. There is very little he can’t do. He is shifty and quick in space, he catches the ball comfortably out of the backfield, he can split out wide and fill in as a receiver on command, and he even has the athleticism and hips to play defensive back if that was required. Holmes is the definition of an elite athlete and it’s no surprise why so many schools have him high on their board.”
Previous to Holmes’ commitment, 247Sports already considered Notre Dame to have the 8th best recruiting class in 2017 with 13 commits. Holmes is considered by that site to be the second best Connecticut prospect, 20th best “athlete,” and 292nd best player overall.
Bleacher Report, which also released the commitments of Irish players Parker Boudreaux and Daelin Hayes, handled today’s announcement.
With C.J. Holmes’ commitment, the 2017 Irish will feature WRs C.J. Sanders and Corey Holmes and RB C.J. Holmes. I suppose we can be thankful C.J. Prosise is no longer on the team.
Robert Hainsey, a four-star offensive lineman from Florida’s IMG Academy, is expected to announce his commitment on Sunday from The Opening. Notre Dame is considered by recruiting experts to be the destination for 6-foot-4, 276 pound talent.
Notre Dame graduate, class of '02 (the Davie years!). A former newspaper and TV reporter, andrewwinn is now professionally involved in something far less fun to discuss than college football. A dad, a husband and a wannabe data nerd.
Read all posts by andrewwinn
Follow @HLS_NDtex
- In Kelly-Harbaugh Recruit Fight, It’s Tied - January 19, 2017
- Catching Up With Matt Fortuna (Part 2) - January 6, 2017
- Catching Up With Matt Fortuna - January 5, 2017
