Rivals250 defensive end Thomas Booker is taking a very methodical approach to his recruitment. The Baltimore (Md.) Gilman star doesn’t an official top list of schools but is focusing in on a select few.

IN HIS OWN WORDS…

“The 2018 recruiting class for Notre Dame is awesome.” Booker said. “I know Braden Lenzy and Micah Jones. I met Micah at the Rivals Camp last year and we’ve stayed in contact. He’s a great guy. I’ve started texting and DMing Justin and Jayson Ademilola to see what their take is on Notre Dame. I’ve found there are some really quality guys there. Coach Mike Elston is a great coach. He’s been to my school and I’ve had great conversations with him about what my role at Notre Dame would be and how he sees me fitting into the university as a whole. I need to get my mom and dad out there to talk to the academic people, the athletic directors, and head coach Brian Kelly. Talking to coach Kelly was a great thing for me.

“The main draws at Clemson are that the recruiting class is fantastic, the program is fantastic, and I’m starting to learn more about the school itself,” he said. “I plan on getting down there in the summer. I got to talk to coach Swinney. He’s an impressive guy. Certainly, they have Xavier Thomas committed there and a wealth of other defensive linemen there that are fantastic guys. It’s definitely a big draw but I’m looking to learn more about the school academically and see how I can fit my major in there. I’m interested in business and economics so I want to see what the strengths of the school are in those two programs.

“Northwestern, Duke, and Virginia are way up there for me,” said Booker. “The high academic and high football schools are way up there for me because I’m looking for the best blend of both. I feel like if you’re going to go to college you want to get your education first but of course you want to the football experience that you need.

“The strength of the academics at Northwestern and the potential they have as a football program is a big draw,” he said. “They have a young and energetic coach that has invigorated the program. I’m looking to get up there again because I was there for a game last year. I really want to get a detailed look at the academic programs, the football team, and spend time with players. I want to see what they’re doing for their majors too.

“Duke has been very strong with me,” Booker said. “Coach Ben Albert came to my school a week ago. My mom went to Duke so she’s piqued my interest in them. It’s certainly a fantastic school and the football program is on its way up.

“Virginia is a serious contender too,” he said. “I really liked talking to coach Bronco Mendenhall. He’s an impressive guy. One of the most impressive head coaches I’ve talked to. I think Virginia is a really high academic school and I’m going to get back out there in the summer time to take more of a deep dive into seeing the players. That interaction is something I crave because seeing the guys is very different than just seeing the program.

“Stanford has not offered yet,” said Booker. “I’m trying to figure that situation out but it seems like a bit of a numbers game for them. Notre Dame and all those other schools are high on my list because they have offered. I’m going to wait it out a bit to see how it all goes. Stanford knows that I was there last summer and enjoyed the classes. Our conversations have been more about the scenarios in which I would get an offer. We’ll figure it out as time goes along.”

RIVALS’ REACTION

Booker has been a highly sought after recruit for a while but has always made it known that a quality education is priorities one, two, and three on his check list for the perfect college. A list of schools like Notre Dame, Northwestern, Duke, Virginia, and Stanford is certainly representative of that thought process. Clemson has a great chance to impress Booker with their academic programs and they’ve really made an effort to be more relevant in his recruitment. Stanford is still the wildcard here if they do eventually offer but the longer the Cardinal wait, the more disenchanted Booker seems to become. Michigan, a school that been linked with Booker almost from day one, hasn’t been in touch with lately.