Whitfield continues to add offers

It was raining and cold at Notre Dame last weekend but that didn't dampen Kodi Whitfield's interest in the Irish as the Los Angeles Loyola wide receiver said he enjoyed pretty much every minute of his trip to South Bend.

"I really liked the program in general," Whitfield said. "We took a tour of the campus and got to see a couple things other than the athletic facilities. I saw a lot of things with the school and the tutoring they provide and I really like the place. When it's not raining, it's great."

But will Notre Dame offer? Whitfield, a 6-foot-1, 178-pound recruit who performed well at the Los Angeles NIKE Camp, said assistant coach Mike Denbrock said the Irish are definitely interested but might want to see a little more of him this spring and summer.

Whitfield finished with 31 catches for 440 yards and five touchdowns last season but would have had much better statistics if Loyola quarterback Jerry Neuheisel didn't get injured early in the season.

"I spoke with coach Denbrock who's in charge of the West Coast recruiting and he said they're close to offering but with how last season went for me they don't have enough film to evaluate me," Whitfield said. "Coach Denbrock said he'd like to catch a spring practice or a 7-on-7 and that would help make his decision."

Even though Notre Dame didn't offer, Northwestern and Duke did last weekend. Whitfield visited with the Wildcats while in the Midwest and he was impressed with coach Pat Fitzgerald's energy. The academics at Northwestern are also something for Whitfield to consider.

"I sat down with coach Fitzgerald at the beginning and he's a great coach," Whitfield said. "He's very intense and always has a lot of energy. He was excited to have me up there and I was equally excited as well. Northwestern is a great program and with their offense being spread they have a lot to offer."

During that trip, a coach from Duke called and offered a scholarship as well. That gives Whitfield offers from the Blue Devils, Northwestern, Arizona State, UCLA, Washington and Cal Poly. Although Whitfield doesn't know much about Duke's program yet he said he's willing to learn.

"I spoke with one of the recruiters from Duke on the phone and he asked me what I knew about Duke and he told me a couple things and that's when he offered," Whitfield said. "He said he'd love to continue to talk to me so I can know more about the program."

Spring practice starts at Loyola soon so Whitfield doesn't have many visits left. He could go to UCLA this weekend and possibly Washington at the end of the month but that will probably be all until the summer.