Lawrenceburg senior Ashton Craig, an Indiana Mr. Football nominee, signed with the University of Notre Dame Dec. 15.
The 6-foot-5-inch, 275-pound two-way lineman will play offensive line for the Irish. He is ranked eighth in Indiana among all offensive linemen by 247Sports.com and 26th in the nation.
He was offered by 30 other schools, including UC, six Big Ten schools (including Ohio State and Michigan), four Atlantic Coast Conference schools, and two Big-12 Conference schools. According to 247Sports, he's projected to be an NFL draft pick in rounds 4-7 based on his current frame and skillset.
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He played left tackle for the Tigers, helping them average more than 400 yards and 43 points per game. Lawrenceburg finished 11-2, reaching a 3A regional final and losing to eventual state champion Gibson Southern on a last-second field goal.
Notre Dame offered Craig after attending a camp there June 15 and making an immediate impression on the coaches there.
“Notre Dame provides an elite education, and it can help you develop physically and spiritually,” Craig said to a Notre Dame recruiting site. “I’m very confident in my decision after spending time on campus with the staff and players. It was home for me when I got there.”
Notre Dame is telling Craig he will play one of the three interior offensive line positions and will most likely start out playing center.
More:Lawrenceburg's Ashton Craig an Indiana Mr. Football finalist, among players named all-state
“He’s got a good frame, good feet and good potential,” CBS Sports recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said. “He’s a three-star right now, but the Notre Dame coaching staff is projecting him to be very good.”
Head coach Ryan Knigga thinks he will succeed in South Bend.
“There’s a lot to be impressed with beyond Ashton’s size,” Knigga said to the ND Insider recruiting site. “He ran a 5.1 40 and broad jumped 9 feet at Michigan’s camp earlier this month. He’s very fluid, a really good basketball player, although he gets called for a lot of charges.
“He played both ways for us, and you can see his explosiveness in his defensive end film. He’s detail-oriented and a very hard worker. I think once he gets into their nutrition and strength programs, he’s going to be a creature. He's going to be really good.”
The Irish are 11-1 this season with the only loss coming from the University of Cincinnati. Notre Dame, which finished sixth in the College Football Playoff rankings, will play Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Day.
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