Busy Weekend for Notre Dame Football in the 2022 Recruiting Cycle

The Irish gain their first class of ’22 football commit along with offering two elite players in the same class.

 

The biggest news out of the 2022 Irish recruiting class was the commit of Joey Tonana yesterday, but he wasn’t the only player the Notre Dame staff was after this weekend. Two more offers in the ’22 class were given out, both of them ranking inside the Top 100 prospects for the cycle.

The first player to report an offer was Texas’ athlete Brenen Thompson, the 5-foot-10-inch and 165-pounds player is ranked as the 77th overall prospect according to the 247Sports composite. The Irish join Alabama, Michigan, Oklahoma, USC and others vying for his commitment.

[protected-iframe id=”fa829bff0ef1ad8866c3fe0d3deec63f-162776928-178902091″ info=”//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11906981/5e14e5a5478d500cf8d6179d” width=”640″ height=”360″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen=””]

Thompson plays quarterback for his Spearman High team, but due to his size he doesn’t project to play there in college. What Thompson does possess is great vision and burst. The offensive side of the ball is where Thompson projects, but it remains to be seen if it’s at wide receiver or running back.

North Carolina’s Jalon Walker was the other reported offer, the linebacker is an imposing figure at 6-foot-2-inches and 220-pounds for the rising junior. Already holding offers from LSU, Ohio State, Oregon, Clemson and others, Walker is a nationally recruited prospect. It makes sense as he is rated as the 36th overall player by the 247Sports composite.

[protected-iframe id=”06b2b3eaa559fe3a90742e2ca277e443-162776928-178902091″ info=”//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11462663/5e7e87ce066bb302d85bdb6a” width=”640″ height=”360″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen=””]

Walker plays a lot of coverage for his Salisbury High team but when he arrives for the tackle, he brings it. A ferocious hitter may need to refine his pass rushing skills but as a run stopper and in coverage, Walker is already ahead of the game. He has the size already for the collegiate game and shows enough speed to potentially move back into the secondary and be a hard-hitting safety.

It has been quite in regards to the 2022 class for Brian Kelly and his staff but this weekend was a step in the right direction. Getting their first commit in offensive tackle Joey Tanona and offering Walker and Thompson is positive movement of the Irish.