ESPN College Football

A relatively quiet week on the recruiting front ...

• Elite 11 does a video profile of Notre Dame QB commit Malik Zaire (Kettering, Ohio/Archbishop Alter).
• Defensive end Ebenezer Ogundeko (Brooklyn, N.Y./Thomas Jefferson) plans to visit Notre Dame on June 29 , our Dave Hooker writes. The Irish are expected to be in his to-be-announced top 10.
• Inside linebacker Jordan Mastrogiovanni (Dallas/Dallas Jesuit), who has a Notre Dame offer, received an offer from Oklahoma this week , our Bob Przybylo writes.

Dual-threat quarterback Malik Zaire will bring his athletic ability and speed to Notre Dame next year.

Gearing up for the Knicks' trip down the Canyon of Heroes this week ...

• Malik Zaire couldn't hide his disappointment Friday, our Chantel Jennings writes.
• Our Mitch Sherman has the strange story surrounding OSU de-commit Alex Anzalone, who has been high on the Irish throughout the process.
• Michael Floyd has an early endorsement, NFC West blogger Mike Sando writes.
• The Chicago Tribune's Brian Hamilton says that the Tommy Rees situation clouds Notre Dame's quarterback competition further.
• David Ruffer is still hoping for a shot at the NFL, Wes Morgan writes on BlueandGold.com.

Notre Dame added verbal commitment No. 12 on Thursday, as Barron Collier (Naples, Fla.) four-star tight end Mike Heuerman pledged to the Irish. Heuerman is the school's 10th four-star commit, and he is ranked as the nation's No. 5 "Y" tight end for the 2013 recruiting class.

Heuerman's brother, Jeff, is a member of Ohio State's 2012 recruiting class.

"I wanted to get back there and spend more time with the players in the program," Heuerman told our Corey Long. "When I took my first visit in March I mostly hung out with Aaron Lynch, who is a close friend of mine.

"However when he said he was going to transfer I wanted to meet more players, and I developed a good bond with Tyler Eifert and Troy Niklas. They were very cool, answered all my questions but they never pressured me or pushed me to make a decision. I really appreciated that."

Notre Dame's 2013 class now consists of tight end Jacob Matuska (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley,) athlete James Onwualu (Saint Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham), quarterback Malik Zaire (Kettering, Ohio/Archbishop Alter), athlete Rashad Kinlaw (Galloway, N.J./Absegami), receiver Corey Robinson (San Antonio/San Antonio Christian) and cornerback Devin Butler (Washington D.C./Gonzaga), along with offensive line commitments John Montelus (Everett, Mass./Everett), Steve Elmer (Midland, Mich./Midland), Colin McGovern (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way West), Hunter Bivin (Owensboro, Ky./Apollo) and Mike McGlinchey (Philadelphia/William Penn)

As for the rest of the weekly Irish recruiting roundup ...

• Montelus (Everett, Mass./Everett) committed to the Irish following their spring game.
• Athlete Marcus Ball (Westerville, Ohio/Westerville South) was offered by Notre Dame on Wednesday, our Jared Shanker writes.
• Piscataway (N.J.) cornerback Nadir Barnwell has been offered by West Virginia, though he still thinks highest of Notre Dame, Rutgers and Penn State, our Dave Hooker writes.
• The Mountaineers also offered ESPN 150 running back Ryan Green (St. Petersburg, Fla./St. Pete Catholic), and he also has the Irish in his current top three, along with Florida and FSU, Long writes.
• Notre Dame is one of six schools to recently offer Washington Friendship 2014 cornerback Jalen Tabor, Hooker writes.

Notre Dame didn't resolve its quarterback situation Saturday, but the Irish likely won't need to worry anytime soon about who is protecting their signal callers.

Four-star offensive line prospect John Montelus (Everett, Mass./Everett) committed to Notre Dame following its spring game, becoming the Irish's fifth, and likely final, offensive line commitment from the 2013 recruiting class.

The 6-foot-5, 293-pounder hails from the birthplace of Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly, and he is Notre Dame's 11th commitment for this class. Montelus is ESPN's No. 1 player from Massachusetts, No. 21 offensive tackle in the nation and the ninth four-star commitment for the Irish.

Montelus joins fellow offensive line commitments Steve Elmer (Midland, Mich./Midland), Colin McGovern (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way West), Hunter Bivin (Owensboro, Ky./Apollo) and Mike McGlinchey (Philadelphia/William Penn). McGovern and Bivin are ESPN 150 players.

The rest of Notre Dame's 2013 class consists of tight end Jacob Matuska (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley,) athlete James Onwualu (Saint Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham), quarterback Malik Zaire (Kettering, Ohio/Archbishop Alter), athlete Rashad Kinlaw (Galloway, N.J./Absegami), receiver Corey Robinson (San Antonio/San Antonio Christian) and cornerback Devin Butler (Washington D.C./Gonzaga).

Notre Dame's newest quarterback may not even throw for 1,000 yards this fall at the high school level. But Malik Zaire may be ideal for the Irish's spread offense.

The school offered Zaire (Kettering, Ohio/Archbishop Alter) in February without seeing the 6-foot, 190-pounder throw live, and the ESPNU 150 Watch List quarterback committed to Notre Dame last Sunday.

"It was never a concern," Zaire said. "I think a lot of coaches look off of potential, look for footwork and fundamentals. They don't have a lot of time to look at 12 minutes of film of different types of passes. My film was short enough that they can see all of it but long enough to make them see what they need to see."

To read more on Zaire, who is drawing comparisons to Clemson quarterback Clemson QB Tajh Boyd — who threw for less than 1,500 yards as a high school senior before leading the Tigers to the ACC title last fall — check out colleague Jared Shanker's story.

Let's just say this was a busier week than most ...

• On Saturday ... offensive tackle Colin McGovern (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way West) and Watch List tackle Hunter Bivin (Owensboro, Ky./Apollo) committed to the Irish.
• On Sunday ... Watch List quarterback Malik Zaire (Kettering, Ohio/Archbishop Alter) and Watch List offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey (Philadelphia/William Penn) committed to the Irish.
• Monday? Only Athlete Rashad Kinlaw (Galloway, N.J./Absegami) gave Notre Dame his word.
• And on Tuesday: Receiver Corey Robinson (San Antonio/San Antonio Christian), son of basketball Hall of Famer David Robinson, pledged to Notre Dame. Our Damon Sayles has more here.

As for potential future prospects ...

• Notre Dame has entered the mix for defensive end Jordan Sherit (Tampa, Fla./Hillsborough), colleague Bob Przybylo writes.
• Notre Dame is one of many schools entering the picture for Watch List cornerback Maurice Smith (Sugar Land, Texas/Dulles), Przybylo writes.
• The Irish are one of 33 to offer Watch List wide receiver Ra’Shaad Samples (Dallas/Skyline), Sayles writes.
• Offensive tackle Jake Campos (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) is visiting Notre Dame this weekend, Przybylo writes.
• Notre Dame is talking to Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) wide receiver Alvin Bailey, our Corey Long writes.
• The Irish are one of 13 to offer offensive lineman Nico Falah (Bellflower, Calif./St. John Bosco), our Erik McKinney writes.
• Also, former Irish corner Tee Shepard tells our Garry Paskwietz he is focusing on his health.

Receiver Corey Robinson (San Antonio/San Antonio Christian), son of basketball Hall of Famer David Robinson, committed to Notre Dame late Tuesday, becoming the Irish's ninth commitment for the class of 2013 and, more importantly, their sixth since Saturday.

"On the trip, I felt it myself. I felt the connection," David Robinson told our Damon Sayles. "I felt this could be a place where I could leave my son and feel good about it. The decision wasn't all mine, so I wanted him to be sure, too."

How quickly things have changed. Notre Dame entered the spring on the heels of Tee Shepard's de-commitment, the school's fifth from the 2012 class. Momentum was gone and then, with a strong Junior Day showing this past weekend, it suddenly shifted back in Notre Dame's favor.

To recap the past four days ...

• Saturday: Offensive tackles Colin McGovern (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way West) and Hunter Bivin (Owensboro, Ky./Apollo), the latter a Watch List member, commit to the Irish following Junior Day.
• Sunday: ESPNU 150 Watch List quarterback Malik Zaire (Kettering, Ohio/Archbishop Alter) and Watch List offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey (Philadelphia/William Penn) commit to Notre Dame, giving the Irish four commits in a two-day span after entering the weekend with a three-man class.
• Monday: Athlete Rashad Kinlaw (Galloway, N.J./Absegami) commits, giving the Irish their first cornerback in the last two classes.
• Tuesday: Robinson commits following a trip to Wake Forest.

Watch List tight end Jacob Matuska (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley,) athlete James Onwualu (Saint Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham) and Watch List offensive tackle Steve Elmer (Midland, Mich./Midland) are the Irish's other commitments.

Athlete Rashad Kinlaw (Galloway, N.J./Absegami) committed to Notre Dame on Monday, giving the Irish their eighth verbal commitment from the Class of 2013 and their fifth since since Saturday.

Kinlaw, who was recruited as a cornerback, joins ESPNU 150 Watch List quarterback Malik Zaire (Kettering, Ohio/Archbishop Alter) and Watch List offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey (Philadelphia/William Penn) -- who committed Sunday -- and offensive tackles Colin McGovern (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way West) and Hunter Bivin (Owensboro, Ky./Apollo), the latter a Watch List member as well.

Watch List tight end Jacob Matuska (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley,) athlete James Onwualu (Saint Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham) and Watch List offensive tackle Steve Elmer (Midland, Mich./Midland) are the Irish's other commitments

To read more on Kinlaw, click here .

Busy weekend, no?

Notre Dame more than doubled the size of its 2013 recruiting class, picking up commitments Sunday from ESPNU 150 Watch List quarterback Malik Zaire (Kettering, Ohio/Archbishop Alter) and Watch List offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey (Philadelphia/William Penn). On Saturday, offensive tackles Colin McGovern (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way West) and Watch List member Hunter Bivin (Owensboro, Ky./Apollo) pledged their allegiance to Brian Kelly and the Irish.

Notre Dame also invited us in for the last half-hour or so of its first padded spring practice Saturday, with Kelly holding court for a few minutes afterward before we interviewed all four quarterbacks for the first time this spring.

You can read about Gunner Kiel's first session with reports here. I have to say, the kid was very impressive and candid given the circumstances.

You will also be seeing four different stories today on the quarterbacks, including another one on Kiel, this one focusing on him being, as Chuck Martin called it, "overexuberant" since arriving in January.

As for practice, former NBA star David Robinson was the first person to stand out upon entrance, as the 7-foot-1 Hall of Famer was chatting it up with Irish athletic director Jack Swarbrick. Robinson's son, Corey, was visiting for Junior Day.

DaVaris Daniels (leg) did not participate in the mini-scrimmage when we were viewing, but Kelly said he was expected back at practice Wednesday. Cierre Wood (quad) was held out at the end as well, but Kelly said he went live in the rodeo drill.

On Monday, Notre Dame offered junior quarterback Malik Zaire (Kettering, Ohio/Archbishop Alter), who may now be just a little more than a month away from making his college decision.

“I don’t have any order, but my top five would probably be Ohio State, Nebraska, Pitt, Notre Dame and Wisconsin,” Zaire said. “… I’ll probably make my decision by the end of March, beginning of April, hopefully, depending on how the visits go.”

An ESPNU Watch List member, Zaire will visit Nebraska in March, with likely trips to Notre Dame and Wisconsin afterward.

To read more on Zaire, check out colleague Jared Shanker's story.