Tag: Class of 2028

Notre Dame 2024 signee named Naismith Second Team All-American

Another top talent on the way to Notre Dame is honored.

Hannah Hidalgo has set a high bar for future Notre Dame freshmen. That doesn’t mean future first-year players won’t try to top her though. One player who could do it during the 2024-25 season is [autotag]Kate Koval[/autotag].

Koval is a five-star player at Long Island Lutheran in Brookeville, New York who signed with the Irish in December. Now, she’s been named to the Naismith Trophy Girls’ High School All America Second Team.

Hidalgo made the Second Team in 2023, and [autotag]Emma Risch[/autotag] was an honorable mention. [autotag]KK Bransford[/autotag] was a Third Team honoree in 2022 and an honorable mention in 2021. [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] made the Third Team in 2020, and [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] and [autotag]Kylee Watson[/autotag] were senior honorable mentions.

It’s evidence that even in the post-[autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag] era, Notre Dame continues to attract top talent for women’s basketball, and there’s no reason to think that will stop anytime soon. Even so, a strong postseason showing would do wonders to show just how attractive the program still is.

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Notre Dame commit named to McDonald’s All-American roster

Take a look at the Irish’s future soon.

Notre Dame really seems to have a knack for attracting recruits that ultimately are named to the McDonald’s All-American Game. In fact, six of the 13 players on the Irish’s current roster are former McDonald’s All-Americans. Now, they’ll be able to add another one next season.

[autotag]Kate Koval[/autotag], the fifth-ranked recruit on ESPN’s 2024 HoopGurlz rankings, has been named to the 2024 game, which will be played April 2 in Houston. At 6-foot-4, Koval will be the only center on the East roster. There, she’ll be joined by Long Island Lutheran teammates Kayleigh Heckel, who is heading to USC, and Syla Swords, who will go to Michigan.

Koval signed with the Irish in November as a five-star recruit one year after the program was able to secure three such recruits for 2023. She is the reigning Gatorade New York Girls Basketball Player of the Year after a season in which she averaged a double-double a game as well as 3.4 blocks a game.

Koval will provide size on a team that always could use more. It will be pretty tough to match the freshman season [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] has had so far, but she should at least give it a shot if for no reason than she could say she tried.

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Receiver commit Cam Williams enrolling early at Notre Dame

Why wait to start your Irish career when you don’t have to?

Sometimes, when you’re about to play college football and have accomplished all you can in high school, you just can’t wait anymore. 2024 Notre Dame quarterback commit [autotag]CJ Carr[/autotag] already has done that. Now, he’s being joined by one of his targets in that same recruiting class.

Hopes are high that 2024 receiver commit [autotag]Cam Williams[/autotag], who attended the Irish’s win over Wake Forest, will be one of many players to revolutionize that position for the program. Well, he’s decided to get an early start on that per Matt Freeman of Irish Sports Daily:

By graduating early, Williams’ time as a student at Glenbard South in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, will end sooner than that of most of his classmates. There might not have been a more talented player ever to don a Raider uniform, and he now gets to begin the next chapter of his football life. Here’s to what hopefully will be a nice collegiate career for him.

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Notre Dame receiver commit makes all-area team…as defensive back

Wait, what?

As Notre Dame continues to lose receivers to the transfer portal, the spotlight figures to shine brighter on incoming receiver [autotag]Cam Williams[/autotag]. The four-star 2024 Irish commit won’t play in the upcoming bowl game, but he’s enrolling early at the university. The obvious intent is to become assimilated to the receiving corps as quickly as possible.

Too bad not everyone sees Williams as a receiver, at least when it comes to selecting all-area teams. The Chicago Sun-Times came out with its annual all-area team, and Williams was an easy choice. But in a baffling decision, he made the team as a defensive back.

To the Sun-Times’ credit, Williams, like many high school football players, played both ways at Glenbard South in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, and he indeed was a defensive back when his team didn’t have the ball. But the Irish didn’t recruit Williams, the No. 2 2024 recruit in Illinois according to 247Sports, for his defense.

It would be easy to say that those who cover high school football for the Sun-Times didn’t actually watch Williams’ games, but that seems too simplistic. More likely is that they didn’t want to leave certain other receivers off the team but still wanted to find a place for Williams. Whatever the reason, it’s unfair to be misleading about Williams like this.

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Son of former Notre Dame quarterback commits to Notre Dame

Think we’ll see him in any games?

There always is something gratifying about seeing a former Notre Dame player’s kid go out for the Irish. That’s exactly what 2024 outside linebacker recruit [autotag]Tommy Powlus[/autotag], son of former Irish quarterback [autotag]Ron Powlus[/autotag], is doing. Although he will begin his career without a scholarship, he seems excited about the opportunity to suit up for the same program his father did:

Powlus won’t have to travel far to go to Notre Dame as he currently attends Penn in Mishawaka. If, for whatever reason, college football doesn’t work out for him, he also is an accomplished lacrosse player, so he at least has another sport he can fall back on. All we know for certain is athleticism definitely runs in the family.

There isn’t a lot about Powlus online other than his MaxPreps and Hudl profiles as well as Penn’s athletic site. Even in those cases, not much information is offered. It looks like we all will finding out about him at the same time assuming he even gets the opportunity.

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FIW Exclusive: Interview with Notre Dame commit Cam Williams, Part III

Hear from one of Notre Dame’s top 2024 commits.

[autotag]Cam Williams[/autotag] is a four-star receiver commit in Notre Dame’s 2024 recruiting class. He is the state of Illinois’ second-best recruit in that class according to 247Sports. He also happens to attend Glenbard South in Glen Ellyn, my alma mater. To say the least, it’s been great to have him represent the same school community I once did as a student and continue to do as an alumnus.

I had the opportunity to see him play his most recent game, and he scored two touchdowns. One of them came on this 62-yard run that I captured myself from the top of the bleachers. This run is a perfect indication that he once was a running back:

I had a chance to speak with Williams after the game, making this the third time he has spoken with this site. I did it once last year, and our own Michael Chen did the other interview not long before. Here’s what what he to say:

Watch: Notre Dame commit Cam Williams stars in debut, reaffirms Irish commitment

He’s going to be something special with the Irish.

2024 Notre Dame receiver commit [autotag]Cam Williams[/autotag] has entered his senior season at Glenbard South in Glen Ellyn, Illinois with high expectations. Not the least of those is living up to his No. 2 ranking on 247Sports’ list of 2024 recruits in the Land of Lincoln. So Matt Freeman of Irish Sports Daily attended Williams’ season opener and did not come away disappointed. Take a look at how smoothly Williams cuts and how he uses that to his advantage:

These touchdowns all happened in the first half. Williams would tack on two more in the second half for a total of five scores in a 56-21 victory. As you can see from the above clip, he just makes it look too easy at times.

Last year, I noted that Williams and I share the same high school. After I shared this with him in order to interview him for the site, I checked in on him periodically to see how he was doing. When the above clip was released, this Raider alumnus asked the current Raider how he’s able to cut so smoothly after a catch. He said the following:

“To be honest, I think it’s from my running back days with vision and stuff.”

How many of you knew that he used to be a running back? It definitely explains why clips like this one of him exist. And for those of you worrying that he might change his mind about attending Notre Dame, don’t. He also said this:

“You know, I find a true peace to how I am knowing what I want. … Nothing can keep me away from South Bend.”

So opposing fan bases can try all they want to sway Williams. He’s sticking with the Irish. You have to admire a recruit who refuses to give into more financially lucrative opportunities he might find elsewhere in the NIL era. More recruits should follow his example.

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Notre Dame makes top five for Zach Randolph’s daughter Mackenly

Hope they get her.

Notre Dame is looking forward to an exciting season. Almost all of last season’s Sweet 16 team will be back, and highly touted freshman [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] has been added to the mix.

But that doesn’t mean the future can’t be just as exciting as the present. The Irish have reason to be even more hopeful after Mackenly Randolph, daughter of former NBA All-Star Zach Randolph, listed the Irish as one of her final five choices:

Randolph has a five-star rating and a 96 grade on ESPNW. She made the MaxPreps California All-State Girls Basketball Second Team, and the following was said about her:

“Named to the all-area teams by the Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles Daily News and also a CIF Southern Section All-Open Division team, Randolph averaged 16.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.”

The Irish will up against South Carolina, Duke, Louisville and Michigan State for Randolph’s services. That’s some pretty stiff competition, but it’s one the Irish can win. Best of luck to [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] and her staff.

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Four-star combo guard recruit Sir Mohammed commits to Notre Dame

Another addition to the 2024 recruiting class.

[autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag]’s team of the future is picking up steam. Two days before 2024 four-star combo guard recruit [autotag]Sir Mohammed[/autotag] was set to announce his college pick, 2024 four-star forward [autotag]Garrett Sundra[/autotag] committed to Notre Dame. Now, you can add Mohammed to the Irish’s 2024 recruiting class. Mohammed announced his commitment during the Elite 24 showcase in Atlanta:

Needless to say, Shrewsberry had to celebrate everything that had transpired of late:

Mohammed, the son of former NBA player Nazr Mohammed, ranks fourth among 2024 recruits from North Carolina on 247Sports. He visited Notre Dame on June 18 and also took official visits to Virginia Tech, Marquette and Stanford. With this announcement, three of North Carolina’s top four 2024 recruits have committed to ACC programs. Drake Powell has picked North Carolina, Isaiah Evans is headed for Duke, and Jayden Quaintance has not yet made his decision.

Mohammed, who joins Sundra and [autotag]Cole Certa[/autotag] in the Irish’s 2024 recruiting class, has put up solid numbers for Myers Park in Charlotte. In three seasons on the varsity squad, he has averaged 14.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.7 steals a game. That’s the type of production the Irish will take, and here’s hoping that translates at the college level.

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Notre Dame lands commitment from 2024 forward recruit Garrett Sundra

Nice get.

Notre Dame has been lacking impact players down low for some time now. Sure, there’s been some talent there, but none of it has been good enough to build the lineup around. Might that change with 6-foot-10 power forward [autotag]Garrett Sundra[/autotag]? We soon will get an answer to that question after Sundra committed to the Irish:

Per 247Sports, Sundra is a four-star recruit and the fourth-best player out of Virginia in the 2024 class. Sundra made his official visit to Notre Dame on Aug. 1. In fact, it was the only official visit he made to any school. That was bad news for the others interested in him, including Butler, Providence, Seton Hall, Virginia Tech, Miami, Maryland and Iowa.

[autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] still has a long way to go in building the team he wants. [autotag]Cole Certa[/autotag] is the only other 2024 commit he currently has, and that’s not counting all the inexperience on this coming season’s roster. The Irish eventually will get to where they want to be, but it’s going to require time and patience. Hopefully, everybody understands that.

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