National Signing Day 2018 is approximately eleven-and-a-half months away. It’s much too far away for anyone to have a clear idea how Notre Dame’s Class of 2018 will turn out.

Which makes it the perfect time for me to throw out a prediction just for the hell of it.

Here’s a list of Irish targets and potential targets that I think I am POSITIVE will end up signing with the University of Notre Dame next February.* And I’ll even throw in a few words about each future Golden Domer.

Current commits are in italics, those with an asterisk (*) have yet to be offered by Notre Dame.

(Name, Height/Weight, State, Composite Score)

OFFENSE

Quarterback (1)

Phil Jurkovec — 6-5/190 — PA — .9833

Elite prospect just barely outside of 5-star range. Ideal measurables, nice arm, great athlete.

Running Back (1)

Markese Stepp — 6-0/205 — IN — .9222

Solid all-around athlete. Does everything well, though not quite elite in anything. Great vision, patience. Great fit for what ND wants out of its running backs.

Other names to keep an eye on: TJ Pledger, Jaelen Gill, Keaontay Ingram

Wide Receiver (3)

Amon-Ra St. Brown — 6-1/185 — CA — .9833

Youngest St. Brown sibling. Possibly the best of the bunch. Another elite athlete just outside of 5-star range. Irish currently among his leaders for sure, but plenty of work to do.

Joshua Moore — 6-1/160 — FL — .9664

IMG prospect, originally from Texas. Big-time downfield threat. Has expressed a high degree of interest in Notre Dame, but it’s still early.

Bryson Jackson — 6-0/170 — TX — NR

Bryson is a speedster. Big-time speed and explosiveness. Flying a little under the radar right now, although major programs have started to take note. The Irish got in on him early. They were his first offer. That offer put him in tears.

Other names to keep an eye on: Brian Hightower, Jahan Dotson, Kevin Austin, ???

Tight End / Wide Receiver (1)

Micah Jones — 6-5/200 — IL — .8945

Big kid. Decent athlete but maybe a bit slow to play wide receiver. Notre Dame appears to have a big lead for him right now. He’ll be in South Bend this weekend for the first Junior Day.

Other names to keep an eye on (TE): Jeremy Ruckert, Mustapha Muhammad, Will Mallory, Judge Culpepper

Offensive Line (4)

Ryan Hayes — 6-7/250 — MI — .9000

Elite frame, but needs to fill out. Recently picked up an offer. Main competition right now is Michigan State. Look for Hiestand to do his thing.

John Dirksen — 6-5/295 — OH — .8974

Another recent offer. Powerful guy, a real mauler. Needs to work on some technical things, but nice upside. Again, Michigan State looks like the main competition.

*Tommy Brown — 6-7/315 — CA — .9645

BIG kid out of Mater Dei. Honestly surprised ND hasn’t offered yet. They will have a great shot to land him when they do.

*Wyatt Blake — 6-4/310 — IL — .8726

Solid prospect. Another vicious, physical player. Would fit in nicely at guard. Decent early offer list. Has visited Notre Dame numerous times already. I would expect him to commit shortly after offered.

Other names to keep an eye on: Dawson Jaramillo, Blaine Scott, Nicholas Petit-Frere, Jamaree Salyer, ???

DEFENSE

Defensive Tackle (2)

Jayson Ademilola — 6-3/285 — NJ — .9089

Excellent early pick-up for the Irish. One of the best in New Jersey. Was nearly unstoppable last year for St. Peter’s Prep.

PJ Mustipher — 6-6/285 — MD — .9690

Brother of starting center Sam Mustipher. Elite prospect. Would be one of the biggest pick-ups in recently memory along the defensive line. The Irish will be in this one until the end.

Other names to keep an eye on: Aeneas Hawkins, Josh Walker

Defensive End (4)

Justin Ademilola — 6-3/230 — NJ — .8878

Good, but not not elite athlete. Really improved between his sophomore and junior years. Probably weighs more than his listed weight at this point in time. Twin brother of Jayson. Another really good early pick-up at a position of need.

Malik Vann — 6-2/245 — OH — .8888

Notre Dame leads for Malik right now. Will probably commit to the Irish this summer if ND continues to push for him. Would be a composite 4-star if he were a couple inches taller.

*John Waggoner — 6-5/230 — IA — .8851

Great frame. Would be a good pick-up at rush end. The Irish would jump into his top group if offered. Described ND as his dream offer.

*Madison Norris — 6-4/200 — IN — .8400

In-state kid. Long, lanky prospect. Explosive. Really high upside as a rush end. Decent early offer list. Visited Notre Dame this past fall.

Other names to keep an eye on: Elijah Wade, Tyreke Smith, Devin O’Rourke, ???

Linebacker (3)

Matt Bauer — 6-3/215 — PA — .9394

Huge early pick-up. Could really turn into a special player.

Ovie Oghoufo — 6-3/210 — MI — .8875

Long, lean prospect. Really good athlete. Another solid early pick-up for the Irish.

*Cameron McGrone — 6-1/215 — IN — .8806

Another in-state kid. If offered, I would expect him to end up in this class.

Other names to keep an eye on: Palaie Gaoteote, Dallas Gant, Dax Hollifield, ???

Cornerback (3)

Houston Griffith — 6-0/180 — FL — .9740

Another IMG kid. Originally from Illinois. Irish got in on him early, and are now in a battle with Ohio State. Would be a HUGE pickup.

Kalon Gervin — 5-11/180 — MI — .9147

Another recent offer. Cass Tech kid, but not your typical Cass Tech kid. Sounds like Notre Dame was a special offer for him, and the Irish should be in this one until the end. Of course, Michigan and Michigan State will be competition here. The Irish will have to battle this one out.

*Donald Johnson — 5-11/170 — IN — .8567

Final in-state kid on the list. Not much film on him, so he’s lightly recruited right now. Solid player, though.

Other names to keep an eye on: Brendan Radley-Hiles, Tre Douglas, Christian Tutt, Braden Lenzy, ???

Safety (2)

Derrik Allen — 6-1/205 — GA — .9849

Elite prospect, 5-star player. One of the best athletes in the country. Could play anywhere in the secondary. Notre Dame appears to have a slight lead for him right now. Lots of work to do, though.

Shayne Simon — 6-3/185 — NJ — .8689

Another St. Peter’s kid. Notre Dame has recruited this school well in recent years. Ademilola twins have got to be in his ear about ND. Has expressed high interest. Good prospect with a very good early offer list.

Other names to keep an eye on: Jeremiah Salaam, Tyreke Johnson, ???

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So there you have it. These are the 24 guys that Notre Dame will sign** in the Class of 2018, which would give the Irish a final 247 Composite Score of about 283*** and would have placed them at #8 in the final rankings for the 2017 class.

The Irish are bound to sign a Top Ten class this cycle. So it has been written, so it has been foretold. I’d bet my esteemed reputation as a Notre Dame blogger on it.****

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*I’m actually not positive. It’d be pure luck if this guess is half-right.

**Could sign.

***I actually don’t expect this to happen.

****My reputation really isn’t that esteemed.