In case you missed it, I recently reviewed my way-too-early guess at Notre Dame football’s recruiting class of 2021. As is tradition, next year’s way-too-early guess is next, and I think it’s one that most of you would be pretty pleased with.
The Fighting Irish have gotten off to their usual strong start, with a recruiting class currently sitting at #7 overall in the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings and an average commit grade of .9114. Five of the eight current commits hold a blue-chip status, with the other three being just below 4 stars within the Top 500 recruits nationally.
As far as the numbers go, you would probably assume that the Irish will be targeting a small class after signing 27 players in the Class of 2021. However, I do not expect that to be the case based on how aggressive the staff is being this early in the cycle. If I were to guess the reason, I’d say the ND staff is probably expecting a higher amount of attrition than normal in the coming years with the one-time free transfer rule expected to pass. If that’s the case, it’s possible that larger classes could become the norm. With this in mind, I’m guessing a full class size of 25 signees for 2022.
OFFENSE
Quarterback
Steve Angeli — NJ — 6’3″/215 — .8900
The newest commit for Notre Dame in the class of 2022 was also the first QB to receive an offer from Notre Dame this cycle. He’s got a great frame, a nice feel for the pocket, and is a natural thrower. Now we just need him to put his recruiting cap on so we can pull some receivers.
Other names to watch: None
Running Back
JD Price — TX — 5’11″/180 — .9201
The second most recent commit to join the class (behind Angeli) is a really good start to the Notre Dame backfield. A nice blend of both speed and power for his size. Check out Brendan’s write-up on his commitment here if you missed it.
Dallan Hayden — TN — 5’11″/195 — .9207
Probably option 1B as far as the realistic targets remaining for Notre Dame behind Nicholas Singleton. The Irish are currently battling Ohio State for both. I’m thinking the Buckeyes land Singleton and the Irish land Hayden.
Other names to watch: Nicholas Singleton (.9583), Gi’Bran Payne (.9278), Damari Alston (.9044), Zach Evans (.8688)
Wide Receiver
Kaden Saunders — OH — 5’10/175 — .9447
He’s currently committed to Penn State, but that hasn’t stopped Notre Dame from recruiting the heck out of him. This is a blazing fast kid who recently ran a 4.31 hand-timed 40-yard-dash at a Best of the Midwest event a few weeks ago. This will be tough for the Irish to pull off, but I think they can do it.
Addison Copeland — NY — 6’2″/190 — .8516
Copeland was a Rutgers commit back when Notre Dame extended a scholarship offer on February 9th. About an hour later, he wasn’t anymore. He has a really good frame, is a physical player, and he supposedly runs a sub-4.5 40. Sounds good to me.
Amorion Walker — LA — 6’3″/180 — .8466
Another kid with a really good frame and plus-athleticism. The ND staff reportedly thinks he’s wildly underrated by the recruiting services at this point. Things are trending in the right direction with him right now for Notre Dame, but he could still be a tough pull out of the South.
Other names to watch: Kaleb Brown (.9759), Tyler Morris (.9654), Tobias Merriweather (.9555), DJ Allen (.9211), Jay Fair (.8678), Xayvion Bradshaw (.8600)
Tight End
Jack Nickel — GA — 6’4″/230 — .8856
One of the first players to join this class back in July. Solid all-around player who does everything well.
Eli Raridon — IA — 6’6″/230 — .8839
This is a good athlete at the tight end position and will probably end up a riser in the rankings. Notre Dame offered him a few weeks ago and immediately jumped to the top of his list. He’s also a Notre Dame legacy — his father, Scott, played offensive line for the Irish in the early 2000s. I could also see Holden Staes, a former Penn State commit, taking this spot as well. Notre Dame holds the lead for both guys, and it might come down to who commits first.
Other names to watch: Holden Staes (.9226)
Offensive Line
Joey Tanona — IN — 6’5″/295 — .9385
This in-state lineman was the first commit to join the class. He’s probably destined to play on the interior at guard, though he might be able to play right tackle as well.
Ty Chan — MA — 6’6″/275 — .9235
Now this guy is a tackle all the way, and he should turn out a good one. He’s a really good athlete, much quicker than most offensive linemen. I really like the potential here.
Billy Schrauth — WI — 6’5″/285 — .9362
It’s REALLY hard to land good talent out of Wisconsin. The Badgers are known for having their state locked down, so it’s a tall order to steal a guy that they like right out from under their nose. However, that’s exactly what it looks like Jeff Quinn is going to do here with Billy Schrauth. Right now it looks like just a matter of time before he’s in the class for Notre Dame, but the Badgers are still fighting. The sooner Quinn wraps this up, the better.
Aamil Wagner — OH — 6’6″/250 — .9444
Another pure tackle prospect. Goes to Wayne High School in Dayton, which happens to be the alma mater of Marcus Freeman and Mike Mickens. That connection probably helps Notre Dame a bit, but Quinn has likewise been doing a good job here.
Other names to watch: Zach Rice (.9880), Jake Taylor (.9076), Grant Bingham (.9008), George Fitzpatrick (.9000)
DEFENSE
Defensive Tackle
Anthony Lucas — AZ — 6’4″/280 — .9507
In order for this to happen, Notre Dame probably needs to get him out for a visit. So keep your fingers crossed that the dead period finally comes to an end this summer. Elston and Freeman are coming after this elite defensive tackle extremely hard, and it’s resonating with him right now.
Other names to watch: Ernest Cooper (.9199), Kaleb Artis (.8850), Donovan Hinish (.8789)
Defensive End
Tyson Ford — MO — 6’5″/245 — .9494
Currently the top-rated commit in the class. Notre Dame almost lost him to Oklahoma, but Marcus Freeman shut that down real quick after getting hired at Notre Dame.
Aiden Gobaira — VA — 6’6″/235 — .8839
This is a really good athlete with an elite frame, and probably another riser in the rankings as we get closer to signing day. He was looking like a Penn State lean until Marcus Freeman was able to help Elston turn it into Notre Dame’s favor.
DJ Wesolak — MO — 6’6″/230 — .9094
Just got a huge bump in the 247Sports Composite, and he’s probably just getting started. He’s good friends with Tyson Ford, and they’re planning to visit Notre Dame together sometime in the near future. That could be all it takes to wrap things up for Notre Dame.
Tevarua Tafiti — HI — 6’3″/220 — .9111
Gotta keep that Hawaii pipeline going. Make sure Polian is earning his keep. He goes to Punahou, where he (along with 2021 signee Kahanu Kia) is coached by Robby Toma. He dropped his Top 8 last week, which of course included Notre Dame. If he gets to visit South Bend, Notre Dame probably locks this one up.
Other names to watch: Cyrus Moss (.9775), Isaac Hamm (.9130), Alex Bauman (.8567)
Linebacker
Nolan Zeigler — MI — 6’4″/210 — .9000
A Notre Dame legacy and lifelong Notre Dame fan. He was a lock the moment Clark Lea offered him over the summer. This rover prospect recently got bumped into 4-star status by the 247Sports Composite, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him end up somewhere in the 200-250ish range by signing day.
Niuafe “Junior” Tuihalamaka — CA — 6’2″/240 — .9712
This Mike linebacker prospect had been committed to USC for almost a full year before receiving an offer from Notre Dame on January 21st. Two days later he was back on the market as an uncommitted recruit. The Irish have been pushing all the right buttons in this recruitment, and it would be safe to say they hold the lead right now.
Joshua Burnham — MI — 6’4″/215 — .9520
Burnham was considered a long-time Michigan lean until very recently. Marcus Freeman has Notre Dame surging into the lead right now, he just needs to close the deal. This would be a big coup if he can pull it off.
Sebastian Cheeks — IL — 6’2″/210 — .9389
This is one of the guys I feel best about for Notre Dame right now. He took multiple visits to South Bend before the dead period started, and Marcus Freeman has continued to make him a priority after taking over as DC. Not sure if he has a time-frame in mind to make a commitment, but I expect the pick to be Notre Dame.
Other names to watch: Jaylen Sneed (.9652), Devon Jackson (.9398), Robby Snelling (.9000)
Cornerback
Nikai Martinez — FL — 5’11″/175 — .9153
The Irish are in good early position for Martinez right now, but this one is far from over. Clemson is probably going to be some tough competition here, and Florida is hanging around as well, but Mike Mickens is doing good work. He would be a great fit to cover the slot or nickel.
Jaeden Gould — NJ — 6’2″/190 — .9409
Michigan had a huge lead for this blue-chip corner for what seemed like forever, but Notre Dame has been making some moves as of late. Gould has great size and length for the corner position, and would be a great fit on the boundary.
Other names to watch: Khamauri Rodgers (.9722), Jyaire Brown (.9526), Ephesians Prysock (.9228), Cam Miller (.9108), Jaden Mickey (.9088), Jayden Bellamy (.8839), Davison Igbinosun (.8739), Avery Powell (.8697), Ryland Gandy (.8527)
Safety
Kevin Winston — MD — 6’2″/190 — .8527
Kevin Winston is wildly underrated in the Composite rankings right now. He’s one of the top targets for Notre Dame and the Irish are in good early position. Marcus Freeman and Chris O’Leary are doing really good work here.
Jaden Mangham — MI — 6’3″/185 — .9000
One of the newest offers for Notre Dame, and he’ll be a top priority moving forward. Really rangy athlete the Irish are targeting at free safety. It’s early, but Notre Dame is probably already one of his co-leaders at this point with Michigan. Hard to pick against Notre Dame considering how good Marcus Freeman has been on the trail in his short time with the Irish.
Other names to watch: Xavier Nwankpa (.9705), Sherrod Covil (.9213), Jake Pope (.8889), Emory Floyd (.8739), Jarred Kerr (.8905), Cooper Barkate (.8900), Devin Moore (.8789)
OVERVIEW/THOUGHTS
It took far longer than it normally does for Notre Dame to land their quarterback, with Angeli committing within the past few days. I’m really hoping the dead period finally ends in June so the Irish can get these 2023 kids on campus and see them in person like they normally do.
If Jeff Quinn ends up signing the offensive line class that I’ve projected, he might as well change his last name to “Win” because that’s all he seems to be doing on the trail lately.
As usual, the most difficult area to project is the defensive secondary — with receiver coming in second place. This time of year is always that stage where Notre Dame just got done sending out a bunch of offers and we’re still in the middle of figuring out who the realistic possibilities are.
If you ask me the guy I have in the “other names to watch” section that I’d most like to see end up at ND, the answer is Xavier Nwankpa without question. He has Kyle Hamilton-like potential, but unfortunately Notre Dame is running in second place right now behind Ohio State.
I was thinking about the guys I projected to sign on the defensive side of the ball, and my early guess somehow seems both too good to be true and shockingly attainable. Marcus Freeman has been an absolute beast on the trail so far, and he’s not slowing down. Of course there are some guys I don’t feel as confident about as others, but the Irish are probably co-leaders or better for just about every guy I picked on the defensive side of the ball — and they lead for a few in the “other names to watch” category as well. There’s a decent chance that the Irish end up turning away some pretty good players.
RB- Singleton’s speed is scary good. I think Price is the more polished runner right now but, Singleton’s ceiling is Billy Sims good. Hayden is really good. I wonder how long ND can wait on Singleton?
TE- Staes is the best of the bunch, Raridon is an excellent fall back option. His offer might not be committable yet.
WR- If ND grabs those two 3 stars the boards will go crazy. I haven’t seen Walker’s film but, Copeland runs like a deer and is vastly underrated, IMO.
Defense- Things are trending quite well for an excellent D class. LBs leading the way.
Agreed on Staes. He’s really good. I almost swapped him in for Raridon.
As for WR, I think recruiting for this position group might have been a bit mismanaged last summer. I got the sense that the staff was prioritizing big fish that we didn’t really have a decent shot at while Michigan and PSU made guys like Tyler Morris and Kaden Saunders their top priority.
Angeli recently joined Morris’ 7on7 team, so maybe he can help out there. Morris is really tight with JJ McCarthy though, so idk
That linebacker recruiting 😍
I’ve bemoaned how Brian kelly had never quite had all the pieces clicking at the same time, offense was great in 15 with boat defense then as the d got better the offense regressed. Now it seems the same is true in recruiting.
This defensive class, especially the front 7, if holds to form would be outstanding; arguably best of the kelly era, and those corners would be really good too. Hope they can surprise with one of those top 30 defensive guys.
Offensive, yeah this class would be a step back from the last 2 for sure. Those classes had about 9 top 100 guys combined; what would this have 1? Especially with the wr talent in Nd friendly areas it would be disappointing
This is similar to my thinking, too. It always seems like both sides of the ball are never clicking on the field or in recruiting. I’m focused on:
1) Are we going to see a boost to DB recruiting? It seems likely that Freeman is going to bump things up at LB and DL, for sure. I’m hoping one of his legacies (if he’s not staying more than a couple years) is to leave a bunch of good corners and safeties behind because it’s sorely needed.
2) With the above, it seems likely that this will be a very strong defensive class. 6 out of the top 8 players in Tyler’s prediction are on defense which seems like the complete inverse of what we usually see. Will we see high level recruiting for offense? 3 out of the top 4 players on offense would be OL which is typical for ND. But, 5 guys who are 3-stars from QB, WR, and TE definitely holds things back.
3) This looks like a peak modern ND class without really turning the corner, so to speak. A blue-chip rate (using Tyler’s predictions) of 72% is great. But, no top 50 guys, 1 top 100 player, and then 14(!) players ranked from 115th through 252nd in the Composite.
4) This would be a great haul of low-to-high 4-stars and a lot of talent to mold. This prediction would equal 277.91 points in the Composite calculator which is a bump up from last year with 2 fewer players, as well. But, it would still put the Irish in 9th place using last year’s points. To me, it would feel much better than 9th but that’s kind of what happens when you don’t sign top 50 guys.
It’s amazing how much more recruiting momentum we have now as compared to prior to Freeman’s hiring. This level of (hypothetical) class would not have seemed plausible two months ago.
There would definitely be a few more 3-stars on the list if not for Marcus Freeman.
Alex Bauman, Donovan Hinish, Davison Igbinosun, and Cooper Barkate are all 3-star guys I had in earlier drafts of the best guess. But right now I’m not sure if ND will ever be in a position to accept a commitment from one of those guys.
Wow, that’s amazing.
I thought Hinish was an absolute given. The kind of guy who would just be a hard-nosed player with a high floor but low ceiling (not to mention “family”). One that we’d generally do decent with playing. But that’s a very good sign if there’s no “room” for him because we are going after and getting more talented guy.
I’m not sure how the numbers in this scenario would shake out, but if we somehow end up signing 2 DTs, I could see Hinish getting in. Even then it’s not a sure thing, though. Sounds like we lead for Ernest Cooper as well right now, and we’d probably have to miss on one of him and Lucas.
Agreed, DL numbers feel very fluid right now. I don’t think we’ll take more than five DL, and given who we’re in on at DE I lean towards saying it’ll be four DE and one DT.
At the same time, any five-player scenario seems like we’ll have to turn away at least one good prospect. If we get, say, Ford, Gobaira, Wesolak, and Lucas, I think it’ll be really hard to turn away either Tafiti or Hinish.
And we’re still operating within reasonable limits in that example – if you throw someone like Cyrus Moss into the mix (which is extremely unlikely, but hey, a guy can dream), who knows what that does.
Are there any other guys besides Moss who you would be willing to go over 5 DL for? It would be tough to give up a slot for a LB or DB to add a DL, but I would think the staff would be willing to hold onto one fewer grad student for the right game-wrecker on the DL.
Boy that would be a hell of a class on the lines if ND could pull that off. I’m still desperate for us to improve our skill position recruiting, but not a single person could complain about the trenches if this were to happen.
By the way, Aiden Gobaira’s junior season started recently and he’s uploading his film to hudl periodically.
Here are his highlights from game 2. Enjoy.
http://www.hudl.com/v/2FAeca
The last couple national champions each had several NFL receivers in their lineups. I love the high floor afforded by ND’s consistent recruiting in the trenches, but man it would be nice to see a Weis-esque class at the offensive speed positions.
The rosters are built to grind out victories, but not to ever blow the doors with quick-attack scoring. It’s made all the worse by the struggles in attracting top-end talent in the secondary. If a great team gets an edge on ND, there’s little hope of recovery. Instead, we are always rooting for the slugfest with a shot at the end.