Notre Dame football’s recruiting class of 2019 continued to grow on Tuesday, as in-state linebacker Jack Kiser decided to verbally commit to the Fighting Irish. The 6-2/210-pounder from 1A Pioneer High School (Royal Center, IN) brings Notre Dame up to twelve total commits in this class, which is rated #8 overall in the 247Composite Team Recruiting Rankings.

After earning his offer on May 7th, it didn’t take long for things to escalate with Jack and Notre Dame. This was an offer that he desired for a long time. After seeing him work out in person, Clark Lea liked what he saw enough to offer and push for his eventual commitment. Despite Jack having family ties to Purdue, this was a battle that Lea just couldn’t lose.

Recruiting Service Rankings

Rivals — 3 star (5.5 rating)

ESPN — 3 star (76 rating), #66 OLB, #13 in IN

247Sports — 3 star (87 rating), #578 overall, #38 OLB, #10 in IN

247Sports Composite — 3 star (.863), #704 overall, #51 OLB, #11 in IN

Cohort

In addition to Notre Dame, Jack holds offers from Purdue, Duke, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, and Nebraska, among a few others.

Highlights

Jack’s highlights mostly show him patrolling the field as a rangy strong safety. It’s clear by watching the tape that he’s a natural athlete — but he also plays with control. He doesn’t appear to be the punishing type. He seems more focused on proper technique and wrapping up than cleaning the ball carrier’s clock — which is perfectly okay. I think we saw enough missed tackles during the VanGorder years to last a lifetime. When he has a safe opportunity to make a big hit, he takes it though.

Playing 1A ball in Indiana means his level of competition is… not great, to say the least. It will likely be a huge adjustment for him to go from that to the highest level of college football. The athleticism is there, though, and he seems like a smart player.

Impact

Jack is a strong candidate for a redshirt in 2019. Between having to bulk up and add strength in the weight room, and adjusting to the difference in competition, it may take a while for him to see the field much outside of special teams. This is the kind of kid we may forget about for a couple of years before coming on strong as an upperclassman. He could also just be another depth guy his entire ND career. I think a lot of that is up to him and how he adjusts.

The good news is that Jack seems to understand the position that he’s in. He’s going to be one of the lowest-ranked linebackers on the team (by the recruiting services) coming from a teeny-tiny town in Indiana. He’s going to come into it with a chip on his shoulder. And he’ll need to keep it and use it to be successful at Notre Dame. I think best-case scenario the Irish have picked up another Drue Tranquill, and I think we’d all be pretty happy with that.

 

Welcome to the Irish family, Jack!