For the second time in 3 days, Notre Dame has added a recruit from Charlotte Christian in North Carolina. Following in the footsteps of defensive lineman Bryce Young on Saturday, the Irish gained the commitment of wide receiver Micah Gilbert on Tuesday.

The 6’3″ receiver caught 40 passes for 534 yards and 3 touchdowns in 10 games as a sophomore and totaled 39 receptions for 486 yards and 6 touchdowns in 7 games as a junior. He did miss Charlotte Christian’s final 6 games with a wrist injury.

Recruiting Service Rankings

247Sports Composite — 4 star (.9116), #261 overall, #38 WR, #5 in NC

On3 Consensus — 4 star (90.98 rating), #223 overall, #38 WR, #4 in NC

The 247 Composite and On3 Consensus both combine 247, On3, Rivals, and ESPN rankings.

247Sports — 4 star (90 rating), #199 overall, #30 WR, #5 in NC

On3 — 4 star (91 rating), #223 overall, #40 WR, #7 in NC

Rivals — 4 star (5.8 rating), NR overall, #40 WR, #6 in NC

ESPN — 4 star (80 rating), NR overall, #40 WR, #6 in NC

Irish Sports Daily — 4 star (90 rating)

I’d like to point out again how wild it is that receivers are more valuable than ever and more scouted than ever with a plethora of them littered throughout the blue-chip players this cycle. The closest running back to Gilbert in the Composite is Micahi Danzy who is the #21 tailback in 2024.

Cohort

Notre Dame offered Gilbert only a couple months ago with the Irish immediately moving into the driver’s seat in his recruitment, especially after he visited for the Blue-Gold Game recently. He’s also holding offers from Michigan, Tennessee, South Carolina, Wake Forest, Maryland, Penn State, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Duke, Virginia, Pitt, Georgia Tech, Missouri, Cincinnati, and West Virginia.

Highlights

Gilbert is a really smooth athlete and looks comfortable both out wide and in the slot. Is he all of 6’3″ though? It’s hard to tell from his film but he definitely has some good size. I love his acceleration and some of his highlights where he’s able to sink his hips, hit the brakes, and come back to the ball. For a receiver with some length, that’s a really nice attribute to have already in his bag of skills.

This is a really versatile receiver, no doubt. Gilbert flashes good ball skills and a large catch radius while also being comfortable taking a screen for a big gain. I know he has a track and basketball background, as well. Those skills are translating well to the football field. He doesn’t have a ton of wiggle in the open field, although he shows good burst once the ball in his hands.

Impact

Gilbert reminds me of a little less explosive but more polished version of Braylon James from last cycle. James ended up being a top 150 prospect and it wouldn’t surprise me if Gilbert moves closer to that evaluation from the recruiting services. With a strong senior season at Charlotte Christian he could move into the top 25 receivers in this 2024 class.

Welcome to the Irish family, Micah!