Checking in with Winfree

Juwann Winfree of Englewood (N.J.) is hearing from a lot of schools lately, and Notre Dame is on that list. What are Winfree's early list of favorites, and how much is location going to be a factor?

Juwann Winfree of Englewood (N.J.) says he mostly plays wide receiver in high school, but a few teams are coming after him for a different reason. “Notre Dame is recruiting me on the defensive side of the ball, actually,” Winfree said. “Michigan and Maryland are other schools recruiting me on the defensive side. I think they want me to play corner. It doesn’t matter to me to what I play.” The 6-foot-2, 180-pound athlete likes the Irish so far, but until there’s an offer extended, Notre Dame won’t be among his top schools. “I have a few favorites – Rutgers, Maryland, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State and Florida,” he said. “If Notre Dame offered me, that might put them up there. Notre Dame is a huge school and they can offer a lot.” Earlier this month, coaches from Notre Dame stopped by Winfree’s high school to express interest, but Winfree doesn’t know if an offer would be on the table unless he visits campus. “It’s pretty far, so I have to talk to my parents first [about attending junior day]. The coaches really want me to come.” Winfree has few deciding factors that will play into his final decision. “I’ll be looking at the education because I want to major in engineering. I’ll also look at location, playing time, and team history.” A decision date is far off for Winfree, and he’ll make plenty of stops before generating a short list. “I’m probably going to take all five official visits and decide next year on signing day.”