The college football world is abuzz with newfound energy this week, as the NCAA’s COVID-related dead period finally ended when the calendar flipped to June. Some schools even hosted a basketball-style “Midnight Madness” and welcomed recruits into their facilities as the clock chimed its way into the new month. We can understand the excitement, given that it’s been nearly 16 months since prospects could meet face-to-face with coaches. Many prospects in the 2021 recruiting cycle never sat across a table from the coaches they committed to; many others never visited the campus they chose to attend. A necessary evil, to be sure, but also pure insanity. Today it’s over though and (hopefully) we won’t see anything like that again anytime soon.
We here at 18 Stripes are just as elated as the next guy (or gal) that we’ve exited limbo into some version of normal. Accordingly, we’ve kicked around a few thoughts about what we expect for this month; we’re probably wrong about everything, but hey, it’s fun to talk about visits again and everyone needs something to smile about and LEAVE US ALONE.
Phew… OK. Those of you who regularly follow our recruiting coverage are likely already familiar with the great work that Tyler Hack does here. Tyler and I have once again tag-teamed the Big Board updates; we’re relatively on top of developments in the 2022 cycle as a result, so we figured we’d toss together a few predictions for the biggest recruiting month Notre Dame has had since at least the summer of 2019, and arguably much farther back than that.
A bold statement, you say? Why, yes, yes it is! Also an eminently justifiable statement when you examine the list of who will come to town, however. Here is a partial list of uncommitted June visitors, only those inside the 247 Composite top 150, with rankings in parentheses:
- 2022:
- OT Zach Rice (#5)
- RB Gavin Sawchuk (#42)
- DE Cyrus Moss (#53)
- OT Joe Brunner (#55)
- S Xavier Nwankpa (#71) (pictured)
- WR CJ Williams (#72)
- LB Jaylen Sneed (#73)
- LB Niuafe “Junior” Tuihalamaka (#81)
- RB Nicholas Singleton (#99)
- OT Aamil Wagner (#109)
- DT Anthony Lucas (#119)
- WR Tobias Merriweather (#122)
- LB Sebastian Cheeks (#125)
- OG Carson Hinzman (#129)
- 2023:
- S Sonny Styles (#15)
- DE Brenan Vernon (#18)
- CB AJ Harris (#23)
- LB Drayk Bowen (#25)
- OG Alex Birchmeier (#31)
- LB Jaiden Ausberry (#32)
- S Caleb Downs (#37)
- WR Carnell Tate (#42)
- DE Luke Montgomery (#53)
- TE Jaxon Howard (#55)
- RB Justice Haynes (#64)
- OG Harris Sewell (#71)
- OT Cayden Green (#72)
- TE Mac Markway (#77)
- OT Monroe Freeling (#91)
- TE Mathias Barnwell (#103)
- DE Chandavian Bradley (#107)
- CB Ethan Nation (#113)
- LB Josiah Trotter (#120)
- S Peyton Bowen (#122)
- TE Walker Lyons (#123)
- CB Justyn Rhett (#137)
Two big grad transfers will also visit – OG Cain Madden, a 2nd team All American last year and PFF’s #1 returning guard, and CB Akayleb Evans, who lost most of 2019 to injury but showed lockdown ability at Tulsa in 2018 and 2020.
Two potential impact grad transfers, sixteen top 150 2022 recruits (add commits Josh Burnham and Tyson Ford to the above list), and twenty-two top 150 2023 recruits. So, yeah. It’s a big month.
Predictions
“We get it, we get it, big month, blah blah blah. Where’s the beef?” Well, here we go folks – here are Tyler’s and my thoughts on how this month will go for the Irish.
Will the Irish get a 2023 commit before they land their next 2022 commit?
Tyler: There is not a specific 2023 guy I could point to at this point in time and say “I expect this kid to commit by the end of the month,” so I’ll have to say no to this one.
Brendan: I don’t think so – I think the staff has done some phenomenal work laying an early foundation with ’23 recruits, but I get the sense that there are a batch of ’22 kids who are close to announcing. Could be a very big month indeed.
How many 2022 commits will Notre Dame land in June?
Brendan: I’m going to say six, which I think might actually be a touch conservative but more than that feels too crazy to hope for.
Tyler: I think anywhere from five to eight commits sounds like a reasonable guess. Any more or less and I would be mildly surprised. I’m going to one-up you, Brendan, and say seven. [Ed: Drat!]
How many 2023 ND commits will announce in June?
Tyler: Most of these kids have never even taken a real visit to their top schools so I wouldn’t be surprised if we still have zero 2023 commits by the end of the month. Like I said, there isn’t a single guy in 2023 that I feel confident will pop for us within the next few weeks — but at the same time, I think it’s pretty likely one makes a commitment to Notre Dame.
Brendan: Much tougher call here, but I’ll go with two. I think one of the many defensive ends the staff is in on will pop on or soon after a visit this month. I don’t have a good sense on where the second commit might come from but I’ll stick with the number.
Who’s your highest rated stone cold lead pipe lock to commit at some point (regardless of class)?
Brendan: I think #73 overall Jaylen Sneed might be in the class already, so I’ll go with him. #81 Junior Tuihalamaka is right behind him. There are also higher rated guys that I think Notre Dame might be in competitive shape with but are in no rush to announce anything.
Tyler: If you want to go by highest rated I’d go with Tuihalamaka. [Purely by strongest lock,] I would be absolutely shocked if Donovan Hinish doesn’t end up in the class. I think an asteroid would have to fall on South Bend for him to not attend Notre Dame.
Who’s your top dark horse 2022 June visitor to eventually commit?
Brendan: I want to say Gavin Sawchuk, but I can’t shake the persistent feeling that he’ll eventually stay out west. I’ll go with Cyrus Moss instead – not exactly a dark horse because Notre Dame has been very much in it throughout, but at the same time they’re also certainly seen as the underdog by the wider recruiting world.
Tyler: I am also going to pick Cyrus Moss, but I will say I’m a bit more bullish on Notre Dame’s chances with Gavin Sawchuk than you are, Brendan. Though maybe that’s just me being hopeful.
Who’s your top prospect on the board (whatever way you want to define that – personal favorite, most critical, most atypical, etc.)?
Tyler: It has to be Xavier Nwankpa. Safety is such a huge position of need right now, and Nwankpa has instant-impact potential.
Brendan: This is a tough one, because there are probably half a dozen guys on the board that I really want. I’ll go with Xavier Nwankpa though. He’s talented enough to start right away, which would be huge given Kyle Hamilton’s certain early departure.
Who’s a guy with some Notre Dame buzz that you’re fairly confident will land elsewhere?
Brendan: Despite my skepticism on Sawchuk, my pick here is Zach Rice. I think ND has been outside his top group for a while and, despite his ranking, I think there are other guys the staff has prioritized ahead of him.
Tyler: Six months ago I would have said Xavier Nwankpa, but I think Notre Dame has gained a little bit of ground on Ohio State since then. At this point I am going to go with Sebastian Cheeks, though. I just think Notre Dame will have wrapped things up at linebacker before he’s ready to make a commitment.
Where will Cain Madden and Akayleb Evans land?
Tyler: Seminole fans started shaking in their boots after learning Madden would be visiting South Bend. Madden to Notre Dame and Evans to not-Notre Dame.
Brendan: Madden to Notre Dame and Evans to Mizzou. I know I’m biased, but I just can’t imagine wanting to improve your draft stock as an offensive lineman and picking Florida State over Notre Dame. Doesn’t compute. I could see Evans going home to Texas, but I think his Tulsa position coach landing at Missouri gives them a huge leg up here.
Excellent article — appreciate the updates and predictions (and it was cool to see a lot of agreement in the answers)!
Is Sonny Styles related to Lorenzo?
Yep – he’s Lorenzo’s, uh, little brother (just to clarify, Sonny’s on the right below). That’s not everything in his recruitment but it’s definitely a big help.
Love the sibling rivalry going on here. Who can have the most fake looking mean/intimidation face?
My vote goes to Sonny, fwiw
Heh… Lorenzo is all business, man. I think I’ve seen one, maybe two pictures of him smiling ever. It’s not so much intimidation as laser focus (seriously). It’s a big part of why I was so high on him in the 2021 class grades. I wouldn’t be surprised to read that he brought a briefcase on all his recruiting visits and sent follow up emails with thoughtful questions. He’s on the job right now.
Makes sense. Like I said, my vote went to Sonny for the most fake.
That’s great to hear about Lorenzo. Hopefully that serious nature can help him gain some reps this year and be ready to break out next year. If our WR meet expectations this year we will probably be alright, but 2022 is another matter. We will be in big trouble if a couple of the underclassmen don’t take a big step forward this year to be ready to start/handle big roles in 2022.
Sonny looks like he’s 12 years into his detective career and he’s seen some things.
As good as the football talent is, there is some seriously elite name talent as well. Updated the player rankings for you.
2022
Sebastian Cheeks (.99)
Tobias Merriweather (.98)
Niuafe “Junior” Tuihalamaka (.98)
Cyrus Moss (.97)
Xavier Nwankpa (.96)
Gavin Sawchuk (.96)
Joe Brunner (.95)
Jaylen Sneed (.95)
Carson Hinzman (.94)
2023
Sonny Styles (1.00)
Mathias Barnwell (.98)
Mac Markway (.98)
Ethan Nation (.97)
Caleb Downs (.97)
Justice Haynes (.96)
Chandavian Bradley (.96)
Josiah Trotter (.96)
Monroe Freeling (.96)
Brenan Vernon (.95)
Jaiden Ausberry (.95)
Carnell Tate (.95)
Walker Lyons (.95)
Mathias Barnwell also goes by the nickname “Mega”
Just FYI
Bumped to a 1.00. SONNY STYLES and MEGA BARNWELL are must gets.
Great preview. June looks like it’s going to be very exciting.
I’m captivated by the grad transfers. Could be off, but it seemed like Kelly/media were talking up Cam Hart in the spring to the point where it almost looked like they were hoping being effusive in praise would help elevate his game, as if they would speak it into existence. If Hart was that good or improved, why are they shopping for a 6’2 boundary corner? And how are they going to out-sell Evans’ connection at Mizzou to get him? Seems like an uphill battle, but I guess through Mickens and Freeman it could be possible..
The Cain Madden stuff is great too. All American RG? Sounds good, though some are saying he might not be great in pass pro. Still, that’s a guy you take every time, if you can. But there’s no way he’s coming to not start, and can/will ND guarantee that? Will the “hey you’ll get first crack at it and we assume you won’t be coming out from there if it works out” be enough? I assume he chooses FSU or Virginia Tech because he’s a guaranteed starter, can ND come close enough to make it worth the leap?
I had similar thoughts about the grad transfers. I’m guessing that ND would not guarantee a starting spot on the o-line — the best they could offer is a shot to be a starter.
As for Evans, I don’t understand why he would want to go to an old coach — go to a new one and pick up some new techniques before moving on to the league.
That old coach got him from being a 2-star prospect to getting SEC, Texas and ND offers, they’re doing something right. It’s human nature to stick with a known positive relationship, and it’s not like he can’t make the league if he does well against an SEC schedule. Not exactly sure Notre Dame has a great sales pitch for the league for cornerbacks, either…
I think that Evans is a possibility as boundary, field (where he mainly played at Tulsa, which is crazy since he’s 6’2″) or even as the slot CB. So that flexibility gives them 4 corners to be pretty confident in (Lewis, Hart, Bracy, and then Evans.
Fair enough, good points. I guess it will be different this year with Freeman and no JOK, can’t just run 2 corners most the time and use Wu to cover the slot.
Why are we trying to compete with Missouri for a player? Is that a serious question?
He and Madden are both multi-year starters. In units where ND is woefully short in that department, I think adding them makes a ton of sense even if they’re ultimately eclipsed by younger, more talented players.
The lack of Arch Manning content here is concerning. But seriously, would have been nice to see a bit more QB/WR/RB action on the 2023 list. Hopefully it’s less to do with a lack of interest in ND and more to do with a lack of ability for anybody to really rate 2023 QBs at this point due to covid/lack of live game action.
Hard pass on arch manning. Not that I know if he’s good or not but the hype machine would be brutal. Worse than powlus or clausen and then the eventual backlash for national media and other fans
There was a long-form article about Arch Manning on The Athletic, and kind of reading between the lines it sounds like he’s not particularly interested in ND.
Lots of recruiting is good right now, but QB recruiting appears pretty meh (at best) at the moment. Doesn’t matter if Buchner is a hit and starts for 3 years, but it will if he isn’t.
Yep..To be expected really. Highly doubt he’s leaving SEC country (unless for Clemson, which….great). Nice ND is kinda on his radar at least.
I would love to have that circus and hype machine though. Getting a #1 overall type QB recruit who is going to commit his jr season to give lots of time for skill players to jump on is pretty much exactly what anyone would draw up as the best case scenario to elevate this program.
I would not be surprised to see him end up at Clemson. As for ND’s chances, they don’t seem to be good…but imagine the uproar if they had not at least tried.
Meh based on what exactly? Because we’re not currently in the lead for a top-10 2023 recruit?
Based on rankings and given where we are as a program right now, the recent run of Clark, Pyne, Buchner, Angeli, and hopefully a 4-star but likely not a 5- or high 4-star is “meh” if you’re being generous. Again, doesn’t matter if Buchner is a hit, but as a general matter if the program is serious about wanting to be in competition for national titles the QB recruiting has to be notably better than what’s going on at the moment.