After much consternation over his recruiting and whether he could capitalize on his program’s recent successes, Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey did what he normally does. He locked onto a coveted recruit early, stayed on him, and ultimately reeled him in. He did so with Demetrius Jackson, Matt Ryan, and TJ Gibbs in recent years. On Tuesday night, he got his 2017 guy in DJ Harvey.

Harvey hails from Maryland and attends DeMatha Catholic High School, where Brey himself attended (and coached). Of course, so did assistant Rod Balanis and pretty-good-basketball-player Jerian Grant. Brey has been recruiting Harvey heavily since DJ was a freshman at DeMatha and never let up, even as the big boys entered the fray. This summer, Brey was tracking Harvey’s Team Takeover AAU squad more than any other coach. And when it came time to close, Brey brought his entire staff out to Maryland to get it done.

Notre Dame beat out finalists Alabama, Texas, and UConn for Harvey’s commitment. It is also worth mentioning that the Irish outlasted one-time favorites Arizona, Duke, and Louisville, and home-state Maryland. Simply put, this was one of the most competitive recruiting battles that the Irish have ever won. Credit Harvey’s relationship with Mike Brey and the deep DeMatha connections to the Irish hoops program for this big recruiting victory.

As if his ELITE talent wasn’t enough, Harvey seems like a terrific kid and a great fit for Notre Dame, taking nothing for granted and maintaining an admirable work ethic even and especially as his recruitment was heating up. Across the board, Harvey gives Irish fans a lot to look forward to.

Recruiting Rankings:

247: 46th overall, 4 stars, 95 rating

ESPN: 47th overall, 4 stars, 86 rating

Rivals: 51st overall, 4 stars

Scout: 43rd overall, 4 stars,

247 composite: 44th overall, 4 stars, .982 rating

Highlights:

Impact:

You probably don’t need me to tell you this, but this is a different echelon of prospect for Mike Brey and Notre Dame hoops. Harvey is on par with the likes of Demetrius Jackson and Torin Francis in terms of elite high school talent. He was one of the final cuts for Team USA’s U18 team for this past summer’s FIBA Americas tournament, was a five star prospect by most services for much of this cycle until recently (even though his July on the AAU circuit was widely lauded), and is a decent bet to be a McDonald’s All-American.

Harvey, at a premium wing position and standing at 6’6″ with great athleticism, certainly has leave-early-for-the-NBA potential. I wouldn’t expect him to be one-and-done unless he has an absolute monster first season in South Bend. Regardless, he is instant impact from the moment he arrives until he decides to leave, whether that’s two years or four years.

Harvey likely steps right into the starting lineup for VJ Beachem, and the rest of the lineup will fill in around him, TJ Gibbs, and Bonzie Colson. I know that’s not really Brey’s m.o., and the likes of Matt Farrell, Rex Pflueger, Matt Ryan, and Martinas Geben have valuable experience. But Harvey brings such a unique and versatile skill-set that those other guys just do not have. The Irish are going to need Harvey’s talent in order to cut down another net in Greensboro Brooklyn.

I don’t love heaping expectations onto high school seniors, but getting Harvey simply raises expectations for Notre Dame moving forward. A backcourt pairing Harvey with TJ Gibbs is among the most purely talented that Mike Brey has ever had. And as we all know, Brey has proven that he knows what to do with great guard play. Throw in a sharp-shooter like Ryan, defensive stopper in Pflueger, scorer/junkyard dog Colson, and hopefully-stout big man Geben, and that’s a Notre Dame lineup that can make a lot of noise in time for the 2018 NCAA Tournament.

It’s been a great couple of years for this program and, with Harvey, the future looks even brighter. Welcome to Notre Dame, DJ.