Tag: Fighting Irish Recruiting

Scout’s View: Riley rejoins Notre Dame’s ‘21 recruiting class

Notre Dame once again gets a former commit to recommit to the 2021 recruiting class, this time Florida cornerback Philip Riley.

It has certainly been an odd year, 2021 Notre Dame recruiting not being excluded. Earlier this year Georgia wide receiver Deion Colzie decommitted from the Irish, only to rejoin the class a few months later. Well, that exactly the case with Florida cornerback Philip Riley, although the journey was a bit different.

After Riley decided to reopen his recruitment, he committed to USC just a few days later. Ultimately, he rejoined the good guys tonight, and Notre Dame is ecstatic to welcome him back to the 2021 recruiting class.

Let’s take a look at what we can expect from the 6-foot and 195-pound defensive back.

Riley show’s the ability to play on the ball or off, solid in both man-to-man and zone concepts. His work on special teams stands out, he is a willing blocker and has the ability to do something with the ball if it comes his way. Riley does need to be better with his punches while playing man-press coverage, but he’s strong enough to do it, just needs to refine his technique. A willing tackler, more technique work wouldn’t hurt there either. Riley flips his hips well, has great feet which really help with his change of direction.

Overall, Riley is a defensive back that shows a ton of upside, but will need to refine some technique when he arrives in South Bend. He certainly has all the tools to be a great cornerback, but it might not be right away when he arrives on campus. He

Notre Dame Recruiting update: Kollie scores 6 TD’s and much more

The Irish see multiple commits have huge games, three new offers and plenty of eyes on South Bend during Notre Dame upset of No. 1 Clemson.

There wasn’t much going on in the world of Notre Dame recruiting, it’s been fairly quite in the recent weeks. Like always, there was some news, three new offers, the Irish in the top 12 of a Florida defensive back and plenty of recruits, committed and not, who traveled to South Bend to see the Irish upset Clemson on Saturday. Let’s not forget the spectacular playoff performances from Irish commits Prince Kollie and Lorenzo Styles Jr.

Rivals: Notre Dame Football recruiting “as expected” in 2021

The Irish’s 2021 class has been labeled “as expected” but what does that actually mean?

While it might be a one-off year that Notre Dame is associated with ACC football, they have been included when examining the recruiting classes with the conference. Rivals took a look at the ACC recruiting as a whole and gave out some superlatives to the group.

The Irish scored big when instate offensive tackle Blake Fisher decided to stay home and play for Blue and Gold. Rivals saw this as a huge win for Brian Kelly, as they named it the second biggest recruiting get in the conference. “This (Fisher’s commitment) continues the excellent recruiting tradition along the OL for the Irish,” is what recruiting director Mike Farrell said.

It’s not just instate where the Irish have had recruiting success, they went into Ohio and got a commit from Lorenzo Styles Jr. Farrell see this as the second biggest out-of-state recruiting win in the conference. “Styles doesn’t play far from Indiana as an Ohio native, but his skill set was coveted by everyone,” noted Farrell. Indeed it is, and just yesterday we looked at the potential for Styles to end up on the other side of the ball.

Kelly also found himself being highlighted “As Expected” by Farrell. We all know the lead man “wanted to bring top-five classes to South Bend, but with academic restrictions that’s not going to happen very often. Notre Dame is No. 10 and that’s around where you’d expect them to be.”

It’s safe to say this group will be making their mark for Notre Dame soon, with elite talent at numerous positions. The Irish aren’t done yet either, as they still have multiple 2021 targets who are highly considering committing to the program. The 2022 class, although just 3 members, is already a Top 5 class. Recruiting is the lifeblood of every program and the blood is flowing in South Bend.

Welcome back Deion Colzie, WR rejoins Irish 2021 class

The talented Georgia star has decided to recommit to his dream school.

The wild recruiting ride of Georgia star wide receiver Deion Colzie has finally come to an happy ending for the Irish as the star has recommitted to Brian Kelly and Notre Dame.

A quick timeline of events for Colzie, his initial commitment to the Irish happening last year on October 19 then his decommitment on March 20 of this year. This came as a shock to much of Irish Nation as Colzie has multiple times mentioned his dream school resided in South Bend.

Colzie is welcomed back with open arms as he rejoins the 2021 class, which now has 18 commits. Lorenzo Styles Jr. is the other wide receiver commit in the class, the pair give the Irish two of the best in the country.

Now that Colzie has rejoined the Irish, the overall ranking of the class has jumped from 14th in the nation to 11th according to 247Sports composite rankings.

What a great way to start the week off for Notre Dame.

Current commit joins Rees in pursuit of ‘23 star WR Tate

There is a current commit that has been in the ear of elite wide receiver Carnell Tate. His efforts seem to be working.

Once again, I had the pleasure of speaking with 2023 wide receiver Carnell Tate, this time in person at Prep RedZone’s Showcase in suburban Chicago. A quick chat with Tate brought out an interesting tidbit regarding his recruitment with Notre Dame.

When I asked about who was recruiting him the hardest right now, Tate’s answer should be getting Irish Nation pretty excited. Tate said, “I definitely say Notre Dame because Pat Coogan has been recruiting me. Talking to me a lot. Like whenever I wear another school, he’s on me about it.”

It seem’s like what Coogan is preaching to Tate is working. The six-foot-two-and-a-half-inch pass catcher arrived in a Fighting Irish long-sleeve shirt.

Although it’s kind of hard to see, you can take my word for it. Tate was wearing a Notre Dame shirt.

What’s next for Tate in his recruitment is getting back to the coaches that have offered him; which also include Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa and others. He is the only offer out to an offensive player in the class for the Irish.

Don’t be surprised when other schools step up and offer Tate, it’s just a matter of time. What we hope is that it’s just a matter of time when Tate commits to the Irish.

Midweek Recruiting Update: Johnson offer, latest on Colzie, and more

A look at the latest recruiting news for Notre Dame Football.

It’s safe to say that it’s been fairly quiet on the recruiting trail for the Irish. The coaching staff changed that last night, as they offered Northwestern commit Theran Johnson.

The instate cornerback has been committed to the ‘Cats since May 3 of this year, Johnson is a very solid prospect. He stands six-feet tall and weights 170-pounds. The offer should catch Johnsons attention as aside from Northwestern, every other one of his offers are from non-Power Five schools.

I love this offer, Johnson is a player that might take some time to develop, but getting some of the better talent in Indiana to play for the Irish is a positive development. Almost all of the top 25 players in the state are heading off to a Power Five team, the Irish only have a commit from Blake Fisher. Yes, he’s a big one, literally and figuratively, the top overall player in the state.

Looking ahead at what’s to come for the Irish, the potential for Georgia wide receiver Deion Colzie to rejoin the class is looking better and better as we inch towards his commitment date on the 28th of this month.

Tom Loy, of Irish Illustrated, changed his crystal ball pick to the Irish. That gives me a ton of confidence that as of right now, Colzie is trending to rejoining Lorenzo Styles Jr. as the wide receivers in the 2021 class.

Right now the class consists of nine players on offense: quarterback Tyler Buchner, running back Logan Diggs, Styles Jr., Fisher, offensive tackle Joe Alt, guard Rocco Spindler, center Pat Coogan and tight end’s Mitchell Evans and Cane Berrong.

The defensive commits are a group of nine as well: defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio, defensive ends David Abiara and Jason Onye, linebackers Prince Collie and Will Schweitzer, and defensive backs Philip Riley, Ryan Barnes, Chance Tucker and Justin Walters.

The group of 18 players ranks 12th at ESPN, 13th at 247Sports and 11th at Rivals. Brian Kelly has a solid group of three players committed in the 2022 class: offensive tackle Joey Tanona, tight end Jack Nickel and safety Nolan Ziegler.

It has been a bit slow, but with Colzie’s timeline to recommit set and spatula being brought out to flip Johnson, there could be some positive movement for the Irish. Stay tuned to Fighting Irish Wire for the latest in Notre Dame Football recruiting.

Former Irish commit Colzie sets commitment date, possible recommitment?

One-time Notre Dame commit Deion Colzie has set a date to make his second commitment. Could lightening strike twice for the Irish?

Last October, Brian Kelly scored a huge win when Georgia wide receiver Deion Colzie committed to the Irish. Notre Dame held on to Colzie’s commitment until March 20, when he reopened his recruitment. Colzie now has set a date to commit for the second time.

Taking a look at where some of the experts think Colzie is headed is not very encouraging. At 247Sports, there have been 6 “crystal ball” picks, each one of them favoring instate Georgia. The other pick was made for the Irish, but it was made the day Colzie previously committed to the Irish. It’s noteable that Irish Illustrated insider Tom Loy has picked Georgia.

Rivals sees it the same way, but with an asterisk. Their Notre Dame insider Mike Singer picked the Irish in their FutureCast, after another one of their insiders picked Colzie to recommit as well. So you’re saying there’s a chance?

Right now it tough to tell what Colzie’s intentions are. No doubt, Kelly and wide receivers coach Del Alexander would love for Colzie to rejoin the Irish 2021 recruiting class. Right now, Lorenzo Styles Jr. is the lone commit at the position. We will continue to monitor the situation, as the countdown to September 28 has begun.

WATCH FIW Exclusive: Interview with Carnell Tate

Notre Dame offered ‘23 star wide receiver Carnell Tate and our own Mike Chen got a chance to speak with him about the Irish offer.

[jwplayer b4DyAbZu-er0jUifI]

The Notre Dame staff seemingly was focused to get started on the 2022 recruiting class on Tuesday, the first day the NCAA allowed teams to expand contact to direct messages, text messages and mailers. That didn’t stop them from looking even farther ahead and an offer went out to Illinois wide receiver Carnell Tate.

Carnell is an exceptional young man, with a very bright future ahead of him. He is going to be one of the most sought after receivers in the 2022 class, picking up yet another offer from West Virginia yesterday. I got the chance to speak with the Tate yesterday, check out the interview above.

 

Could another Styles be headed to Notre Dame?

The Fighting Irish coaching staff are trying to have Sonny Styles, young brother to commit Lorenzo, join him in South Bend.

The Fighting Irish already have secured a commitment from one Pickerington Central star in Lorenzo Styles Jr. and there is plenty to be excited about his pledge. There could be another Styles on the way to South Bend as Lorenzo’s younger brother, Sonny was offered by Brian Kelly and his staff on the first of the month.

After watching Lorenzo’s highlights from their season opening win, I thought they could be making a move on the younger Styles soon. That’s exactly what happened as Sonny put on a show during a nationally televised game.

The Irish joined instate powerhouse Ohio State in offering the star sophomore, and once again more flip ideas went into many peoples minds. The Buckeyes have done well keeping the best talent in state, but the Irish are one of the very few schools that can pull elite talent out of Ohio. Recently, Notre Dame has pulled offensive lineman Zeke Correll, Tommy Kraemer and Liam Eichenberg away from their home state to play for the Blue and Gold.

Rivals once again revisited Lorenzo’s potential for a flip and both of their recruiting experts Mike Farrell and Adam Gorney don’t believe the Buckeyes will be able to. They actually see Michigan as Notre Dame’s biggest threat to flip Styles Jr., but I just don’t see that happening.

Back to Sonny, who seems to be on the verge of blowing up nationally, already with two Midwestern power programs after his pledge. Having a family member as a teammate is always something players will consider and when Lorenzo ultimately signs with the Irish, a build in recruiting advantage will be made.

The recruitment of Sonny is just beginning, but already having a relationship with the Styles family, father Lorenzo played for the Buckeyes, is an advantage that Kelly must take. Lorenzo Jr. is already asking Irish Nation to show his younger brother some love. The Irish coaching staff has already done that and hopefully they will once again be reunited on the field wearing the same colors.

Notre Dame offers stud 2023 receiver Tate

Fighting Irish offensive coordinator Tommy Rees goes a little west over to Illinois and offers 2023 wide receiver Carnell Tate.

It may have seemed like the onus was going to be solely on the 2022 class today, see as increased contact was allow by the NCAA starting today. (Check out some of the prospects from ‘22 that got some love from Brian Kelly and his recruiting staff).

That didn’t stop them from going to Chicago, Illinois and offering one of the most talented wide receivers in the country in Carnell Tate.

It was a conversation with new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees that spurred the offer, which for the 6-foot-2-inch and 170-pound was his fourth to date. This is a big one as Tate shows a very high ceiling for such a young player. He showed a bit of everything during his freshman campaign, which is why Tate is getting attention from Power Five school’s already. Tate runs crisp routes, has great hands, and shows big play ability after the catch. Check out his highlights here.

Tate is the first offer that the Irish have made on offense for the 2023 class, showing how they feel about his skill level and what he could turn out to be. With Brian Kelly and Rees already getting the attention of Tate at this early juncture in his recruitment will hopefully yield dividends down the road.