Tyler Luatua is one of the top recruits in the class of 2014, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have had the inside track on recruiting him for some time now. Luatua made his official visit to South Bend last weekend to see the Irish play USC, and it sounds as though the player was ready to commit on the spot.
Luatua is the #2 TE in the country according to Scout.com, and the #4 TE according to Rivals - both recruiting services rate him as a four-star prospect. There were four or five schools with a legitimate shot of landing Luatua just a few months ago, but his list has narrowed to just Notre Dame and Alabama in the time since.
Luatua was snubbed by the Ohio State coaching staff, who wanted him to change his visit date so they could focus on #1 TE Mike Gesicki (who committed to Penn State instead last week). Notre Dame was there to take advantage, and Luatua has been one of their main focuses ever since.
At this point, Luatua would have already committed to ND if not for a family connection with Alabama - his older brother goes there, and Luatua's mother reportedly wants him to take his official visit to Tuscaloosa (scheduled for the weekend of November 8th, when LSU comes to town) before making a final commitment.
At this point, we're confident enough to say Luatua has a 85-90% chance of ending up with the Fighting Irish. He could commit in the week after he visits Alabama, and while we can't rule out the possibility of that visit changing his mind (nine other elite prospects are visiting that weekend, and you never know what Saban has up his sleeve), it's looking very much like the Irish are going to land one of the top tight ends in the country.
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