(Notre Dame Football Recruiting News) –
George Atkinson | WR
ESPN Grade 79 | Scout: **** | Rivals: **** Top 100
Hometown: Livermore, CA | Granada High School
Height 6’2″ | Weight 195 lbs.
George Atkinson III, the son of Oakland Raider great George Atkinson Jr., committed to the Irish with his brother Josh, but George is the highly sought after prospect. Atkinson was offered and camped at USC and Alabama. His combination of size and speed is rare, but he also possesses excellent football skills from the running back position (though he will likely be a wide receiver at Notre Dame.) Atkinson gives Notre Dame the ability (to quote Molnar) to “blow the top off the coverage” with 10.59 100M speed. Atkinson is the most important skill position recruit under Kelly to date.
Scout: As a junior, rushed for 965 yards and 10 TD’s on only 106 carries, an average of 9.10 each time he touched the ball. He had 260 receiving yards on 13 receptions, and another 295 yards on nine kickoff returns (32.8 avg). As a sophomore, he placed third and fourth in the CIF state meet in the 100-m and 200-m.
ESPN Evaluation and Video: Atkinson is a good looking running back on film with a very good blend of size and straight-line speed. Tall and lean with the frame to add a lot of bulk. Built more like an outside linebacker or strong safety and he could end up on the defensive side…