Tag: Greg Biggins

Notre Dame lands 2024 linebacker recruit Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa

Solid get for the Irish.

Notre Dame just beat out two real blue bloods for the services of 2024 four-star linebacker recruit [autotag]Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa[/autotag]. On July 3, the Bellflower, California native announced that the Irish had made his final cut along with USC and Ohio State. After nearly three weeks of additional waiting, the recruiting efforts of [autotag]Al Washington[/autotag] and [autotag]Max Bullough[/autotag] have paid off. Viliamu-Asa made the announcement on social media:

Here’s how the actual announcement looked from his home:

Viliamu-Asa is the third linebacker commit of the Irish’s 2024 class. The others, [autotag]Teddy Rezac[/autotag] and [autotag]Bodie Kahoun[/autotag], are three-star commits, which makes Vilamu-Asa the biggest get at the position in the 2024 class so far. Greg Biggins of 247Sports had this to say about him in November:

“One of the most versatile linebackers in the country. He’s an inside ‘backer but a rare every down player who can move around and play multiple spots in a defense. He can stuff the run, blitz off the edge and is very smooth in coverage for a 6-foot-3, 230 pound athlete. He was the state’s top prospect as a freshman but tore his ACL in the final game of the season and missed his entire sophomore year. He’s a huge hitter and has a game built for pads but we saw him during 7v7 play lock up receivers and tight ends in coverage. He’s a smart kid as well, very instinctive and plays with a non-stop motor. He’s a tough kid and has a nice edge in his game.”

Here’s hoping that all is on display with the Irish.

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Sooners gaining momentum in race for California defensive lineman Ashton Sanders

Oklahoma continues to be the school with the most momentum to land three-star defensive tackle Ashton Sanders. From @thatmanbryant

Oklahoma has spent the last week and a half issuing offers for the 2023 and 2024 recruiting classes. One of the late 2023 offers went out to California defensive lineman Ashton Sanders. Sanders, a three-star defensive tackle who was once committed to California. He backed off that commitment in August and re-opened his recruitment.

He received his offer on Halloween and, in short order, received a prediction from Sooner Scoop’s Josh McCuistion.

If that wasn’t curious, more recruiting insiders have also logged predictions for Oklahoma to land the disruptive interior defender. Memphis Publisher’s Bryan Moss and Badger Blitz’s Jon McNamara have each flipped their predictions from Cal-Berkeley to Oklahoma in the last two days.

Oklahoma has seemingly positioned itself in a great spot for Ashton Sanders’ commitment. Todd Bates has locked in on another player as they continue to makeover the defensive line.

He looks more like a straightforward nose tackle in a four-man front akin to current Sooner Jeffery Johnson. In that scenario, he’d line up right over the center and try to collapse the interior from there. He’s got the size and strength to play in multiple defensive schemes.

With Early Signing Day in December, Oklahoma could have an answer soon on Sanders. Sanders told 247Sports’ Greg Biggins he plans to sign at Early Signing Day and graduate high school early.

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Recruiting updates for Notre Dame targets from ‘The QB Retreat’

Some encouraging news

For many, it has seemed like the missing piece for the Irish program has been at quarterback. It’s not just having one on your roster that can carry a team, it’s also about having depth and incoming prospects that can be passed the torch.

The current Notre Dame group is solid, but unproven, loaded with talent but still rough around the edges. That’s not a knock on [autotag]Tyler Buchner[/autotag], [autotag]Drew Pyne[/autotag] or [autotag]Steve Angeli[/autotag], it’s just a fact. [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] is trying to change the influx of quarterback talent, going after some high level prospects.

An event like ‘The QB Retreat’ hosted by well respected quarterback coach Steve Clarkson brings plenty of talented players to the event. Fortunately for us, Greg Biggins of 247Sports was on-hand and shared updates on multiple prospects that are considering Notre Dame.

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How Notre Dame QB commit Angeli fared in UA All-American practice

Could we see another freshman quarterback make an impact for the Irish next year?

It’s not just bowl season for collegiate teams, it the all-star circuit for the soon-to-be next stars of college football. Fortunately for Notre Dame, they have signed an extremely impressive 2022 recruiting class, and one of those signee’s, New Jersey quarterback Steve Angeli is participating in the Under Armor All-American game.

The first practice was held and 247Sports Greg Biggins was on hand for all the action. Biggin’s recapped how each quarterback did on day 1, and it seemed like Angeli held his own.

What stood out to me the most in Biggin’s report was that Angeli “is one of the more polished quarterbacks in the country.” It’s a great sign to see as Jack Coan will be playing his final college game and freshman Tyler Buchner showed promise, but couldn’t wrangle the job away from Coan. You’d have to expect that there will be a competition this spring and fall, especially with Marcus Freeman really taking over the program.

Whoever ends up taking the first snap of the fall next year, it’s great to know the depth is building with Buchner and Angeli.

’23 commit DeAndre Moore talks about his commitment to the Oklahoma Sooners

2023 commit DeAndre Moore Jr. talks about his steadfast commitment to the Oklahoma Sooners despite the lack of a head coach.

The Sooners have lost numerous commitments since Sunday afternoon, when Lincoln Riley flipped Oklahoma’s world upside down by bolting for USC. But there’s been good news, too. Many commits have made it known they are still locked in with the Sooners.

Deandre Moore is one of those players. In a post on social media, he made it known he was still committed to the Oklahoma Sooners and DeMarco Murray. Over the last couple of days, what’s come to light is how deep that commitment is for Moore.

There are a variety of reasons a player commits to a university. Some do so for the coach, as we’ve seen with Malachi Nelson and Raleek Brown. Others do it for position coaches. Some are committed to the University of Oklahoma. Moore is the latter two.

When DeAndre Moore reaffirmed his commitment, he included running backs coach DeMarco Murray as a big reason. However, a recent interview with Greg Biggins offered even more insight that will make him a fan favorite with Sooners Nation for years to come.

I’ve been wanting to go to Oklahoma since the 7th grade. I don’t know how many people know that but it has always been my dream school and it was never about the coaching staff for me. I liked coach Riley, don’t get me wrong. I was looking forward to playing for him but that was more the cherry on top for me. I was going to Oklahoma because I love the school, and that’s still the case for me. – Moore via 247Sports

Moore followed that by reiterating how his strong relationship with DeMarco Murray further confirms Norman is where he’s supposed to be.

“I’ve known him since my freshman year, he’s a great person and a great coach, and I hope the next head coach decides to keep him,” Moore said.  “I talked to him the day Riley left for USC, just to let him know I was still a Sooner and wasn’t going anywhere. There’s nothing like having a coach that comes from where you come from and has experienced everything you want to achieve in life, and that’s what I have with DeMarco.”

Murray’s Nevada stardom has paid massive dividends for him on the West Coast as a recruiter. His rise from Nevada high school star to NFL running back to coach has resonated with many of the region’s recruits hoping to achieve similar goals.

The Los Alamitos high school junior is locked in. He’s no longer worrying about recruiting but is instead choosing to focus on nursing some injuries he played his junior season with and making sure he’s ready for basketball season. “I’m only focusing on school, and my health and I’m not going to be visiting anywhere else right now,” Moore told Wiltfong.

Moore is a pure athlete who can play offense or defense for multiple Power Five teams. He had numerous P5 offers to play defense. When Riley was around, the plan was for Moore to play wide receiver. Given the de-commitments of wide receiver Brandon Inniss and Makai Lemon, opportunities abound for Moore with the Oklahoma Sooners.

While they still have no head coach, the Sooners have very talented individuals who didn’t back out despite the uncertainty around the program. Moore represents a major piece of their 2023 class, which is in rebuild mode.

Holding onto DeAndre Moore is a significant win for whoever steps in to lead the Sooners into the future. It’s also a very poignant reminder that Oklahoma is just too hard to pass up regardless of the coach. The Sooners will recover from the lost commitments, because as Bob Stoops put it, “This is still Oklahoma.”

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247Sports compares Notre Dame QB signee Buchner to former USC star

The experts at 247Sports give Notre Dame signee Tyler Buchner a very interesting comparison to a former USC quarterback.

Today, one of the major recruiting services, 247Sports made their final rankings of the 2021 cycle. Unfortunately no Notre Dame signee or commit was named a 5-Star, although that doesn’t mean there aren’t talented players that will matriculate to South Bend.

With their penultimate rankings out, Andrew Ivins went over each of the quarterbacks ranked inside their top 247 players and Irish signee Tyler Buchner was included in that group as the 90th overall player in the class. His player comparison was to former USC star Sam Darnold, who if you don’t remember went third overall in the 2018 NFL Draft.

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Their evaluation went to Greg Biggins, who gave a glowing scouting report of what to expect out of the Californian. Buchner “has always been a dynamic athlete and was a nationally known lacrosse player in middle school. Physically, has an athletic frame and looks like a running back when he gets out in the open field. Has tremendous escape-ability and a unique sense for making a defender miss and extending plays.”

Sounds like someone we know who just finished his career as the all-time winningest quarterback in Notre Dame history? Ian Book ring a bell?

Biggins went on to then explain what we expect out of Buchner throwing the ball as he “has a live arm and can throw outside the pocket rolling to his right or his left equally well. Has tightened his release over the last year and improved mechanically. Shows accuracy on the deep ball and will continue to improve as a pure pocket passer with more game experience.”

This is where the difference between the two quarterbacks is made. Buchner’s ceiling as a passer is much higher than Book’s, although the outgoing senior was no slouch at slinging the ball around.

Like Darnold, Biggins sees Buchner to “project as a impact upper tier Power 5 starter and future high round NFL draft pick.” If he lives up to this scouting report, Notre Dame fans will surely be happy with Buchner’s career when it’s all said and done.