Bitchin' Kamara | by Pat

Via a live announcement today on ESPN News, prep wide receiver Duval Kamara became the 5th recruit to commit to ND this year, and the second straight from New Jersey *.

Along with Mike Ragone and Jimmy Clausen, Kamara is also the third straight offensive skill position recruit; in addition, all three of them hung out together on the Notre Dame Stadium sidelines during the Blue & Gold game. And according to Kamara, that time at ND with his future teammates helped to seal the deal.

"I didn't plan on making an early decision," said the 6-foot-5, 209-pounder who is one of the nation's top players. "But I knew going into the process that Notre Dame was one of my favorites and after the spring game weekend, I knew it was the place for me."

Kamara is listed on the Rivals Junior Top 100 list (along with Clausen and Ragone), but even more impressive is his list of suitors. USC, Florida, Miami, Tennessee, Penn State, and a whole host of others offered Kamara a scholarship before the May evaluation period.

For those keeping track of such things, Kamara is the third straight Irish recruit that also had an offer from Southern Cal. The Trojans, of course, are still the benchmark for recruiting dominance, and usually they can pick and choose whom they want from the ranks of prep talent. That Notre Dame was able to gain a commitment from these three players -- each of whom was highly sought after by Southern Cal -- speaks to the burgeoning Irish mojo in recruiting. (Of course, it really shouldn't be that much of a shock that offensive skill players, especially those from New Jersey, want to come play under Charlie Weis. When we start beating out USC for the country's defensive players, we'll know we're fully back.)

The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Kamara was 2nd Team All-State last year and totaled 983 yards and 12 touchdowns on 46 receptions as his team, Hoboken High, went undefeated and won the state title. To make a premature comparison, Kamara seems to be in the Maurice Stovall-mold of receiver: a big, strong, redzone threat who's also just a bit faster than you might think. ESPN's Tom Luginbill's take on Kamara mirrors my own:

"This is a very, very talented, yet raw, athlete. His best days are ahead of him. He has a wonderful blend of size, strength and deceptive speed. He is a serious red-zone threat, which is something all coaches are looking for these day."

I think just about any ND fan would take a Stovall clone. The best part is that Kamara -- unlike Stovall -- won't have to wait until his last year of eligibility to get quality coaching.

* In accordance with BGS bylaws, all posts dealing with the Garden State will refrain from lazy and cliched references to The Sopranos, ironic T-shirts, turnpikes, Bon Jovi, industrial waste, Kevin Smith movies, or mullets. We do reserve the right to make fun of those on njguido.com.