Fighting Irish New Additions 2012: Justin Ferguson -VIDEO-

Justin Ferguso

This is the thirdof a 17 part series on the 2012 recruit class, the second under head coach Brian Kelly. We will look at each recruit, their strengths, weaknesses, and how soon we should see an impact on the field.

This week we will focus on Wide Receiver Justin Ferguson

Height: 6-foot-2.
Weight: 205 pounds.
High School: Flangan, Pembroke Pines, Fla.
40-Yard Dash: 4.5 seconds.
Bench Press (Max): 280 pounds.
Senior Stats: 40 receptions, 950 yards, 10 touchdowns.
Other Finalists: When it was all said and done it came down to Florida and Notre Dame.
One Word To Describe Coach Kelly: That's hard.
The Moment I Knew I Wanted To Be Irish: After visiting.
The Lasting Impression Notre Dame's 2011 Season Had On Me: Successful. Even through adversity and losses, they kept on pushing and they didn't let the losses affect them. They came out and played hard every day, every down. I felt like it was a team that never gave up.

Bio
Rated as number-85 player nationally and 14th-best wide receiver in the country on 2012 ESPNU 150 list . . . listed as 19th-best player in Florida and 41st-ranked prospect in Southeast by ESPNU . . . rated number-127 player nationally and 15th-best wide receiver in his class by MaxPreps and Tom Lemming . . . listed as 41st-best player in Florida by SuperPrep . . . member of the Florida Top 100 as selected by Orlando Sentinel . . . standout wide receiver at Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines, Fla. . . . helped Flanagan to 6-4 record in 2011 while grabbing 29 passes for 527 yards and nine touchdowns . . . made four catches for 213 yards in 33-30 win over Western, including TD receptions for 58 and 99 yards . . . caught 44 passes for 953 yards and 12 TDs as junior in 2010 . . . first-team all-Broward County pick by both Miami Herald and Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel in 2010 . . . selected for USA Football U-19 team that played against World team in Austin, Texas, Feb. 1, 2012 . . . played in Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl in Phoenix . . . coached by Don Simon at Flanagan High School.

Brian Kelly on Justin Ferguson
"As we talked about addressing the wide receiver position, Justin Ferguson out of Pembroke Pines, for us, a dynamic player with the ball in his hands. He can make things happen. He's physical, strong, but more importantly what we like about it is the yards after catch."

"He has great front line speed, but the things he does with the football after the catch were probably the things that attracted us the most to him. A skilled player, but, again, yards after catch, the ability to break into the second level and separate himself. He's got the ability to be that big play wide receiver, guy that can catch it and go. Again, one of the top wide receivers in the country."