Former Notre Dame target 5-star defensive end decommits from Arizona

Will the Irish try once more?

When Arizona 2024 5-star defensive end [autotag]Elijah Rushing[/autotag] was set to make his verbal commitment in July, many thought that [autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag] was in the mix.

Rushing opted to stay home and commit to the Wildcats, but has had a chance of heart and decommitted. The door now has opened for the Irish to make a move, but the question is will it be to South Bend?

He made an official visit in June, so Rushing is very familiar with that Notre Dame has to offer. Now that he is back on the market, it’s up to the Irish coaching staff to get back into his ear and continue to recruit.

The early indications are that he is now leaning towards an Oregon commitment, but since that hasn’t been made, there is still time for Notre Dame to make a push in Rushing’s re-recruitment.

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Notre Dame offers 2025 Hawaiian linebacker

As just a sophomore!?!

The [autotag]Notre Dame Football[/autotag] program has a reach that many schools don’t possess. There is solid history in almost every state and that includes Hawaii.

The list is long for the Irish recruiting in [autotag]The Aloha State[/autotag], including former star linebacker [autotag]Manti Te’o[/autotag]. Currently on the roster from the state is defensive end [autotag]Jordan Botelho[/autotag] and linebackers [autotag]Marist Liufau[/autotag] and [autotag]Kahanu Kia[/autotag].

There very well could be another Hawaiian linebacker on their way to South Bend, [autotag]Josiah “Ko’o” Kia[/autotag]. The six-foot-two-inch and 190-pounder just finished his sophomore year, but it was all that the Irish staff needed to see. Kia tagged linebackers coach [autotag]James Laurinaitis[/autotag] and special teams coordinator [autotag]Brian Mason[/autotag] when announcing the offer.

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The Peyton Bowen saga continues, has not yet signed with Oregon and considering options

This is a crazy development

The Irish lost their top rated commitment yesterday when Texas safety [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] decided to flip his commitment to [autotag]Oregon[/autotag]. What was a bit odd about this was that Bowen didn’t actually sign his letter of intent, keeping the door open for himself.

Well, today the rumors have Bowen going back on his commitment to the Ducks. According to The Athletic’s Ari Wasserman, it’s a “very steep uphill climb for Oregon to land Peyton Bowen’s signature.” This drama surrounded Bowen has gotten absolutely nuts.

All reports heading into the early signing period were that he was going to keep his commitment with the Irish, but that clearly didn’t happen.

Could [autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag] creep back into Bowen’s eye and sign with the Irish? At this point in time who really knows what he is thinking. Some people believe [autotag]Oklahoma[/autotag] might be his next commitment destination.

His mother sure seemed happy her son had chosen the Irish only to take the hat off and pick Oregon. Her demeanor changed immediately.

This is a situation worth monitoring as Bowen’s talent outweighs potential problems. We will find out soon where he ultimately ends up but at this point in time, all we know really is that it’s trending away from the Ducks.

Update: As of 2:42 p.m. CT, Bowen has committed to Oklahoma.

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Notre Dame has two commitments selected in ESPN’s fantasy ‘23 recruit draft

It’s a great pair they selected

Call me a sucker for a good fantasy draft, I just love them. Doesn’t matter the sport, it’s just fun fodder to look at and ESPN took a stab at one today that I have yet to see before. Each of their recruiting analysts, Craig Haubert and Tom Luginbill, selected a starting lineup of 2023 recruits (insider), minus specialists.

It was a very interesting exercise, as they didn’t just select the top 44 overall recruits, they each had a strategy behind their selections which saw two Notre Dame verbal commitments selected. Find out below which pair of recruits got picked along short explanation of why there were picked.

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Notre Dame Football offers 2024 New Jersey two-way star

Will the pipeline from the East Coast continue?

The Irish have a full 2023 class, really full. There are currently 26 verbal commitments and it looks like [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] and his staff are extremely content with the players they have. That means they have most likely shifted their focus to the transfer portal along with the 2024 class.

Freeman has been active on both fronts and today the Irish offered a scholarship to New Jersey athlete [autotag]Jaylen McClain[/autotag]. The six-foot-one-inch and 185-pound star plays defensive back and wide receiver for Seton Hall Prep but will mot likely play on the defensive side of the ball at the next level. The Irish now join [autotag]Tennessee[/autotag], [autotag]LSU[/autotag] and others who are looking to sign McClain.

Historically, Notre Dame has done very well recruiting on the East Coast and they are once again targeting that area for another player. The Irish currently have seven commitments in the 2024 class headlined by quarterback [autotag]CJ Carr[/autotag]. McClain would be a welcome addition to the group.

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Which Notre Dame 2023 commits ESPN is impressed with

Impressive indeed

As we all know it’s a big recruiting weekend for Notre Dame, with Clemson coming into town on Saturday evening. It is the “biggest” home game on the schedule for the season and Notre Dame know it. They’re playing to it as well, having a large contingent of recruits on campus.

That doesn’t mean that they have turned their heads from what should be a banner 2023 class. With the early signing period rapidly approaching, ESPN looked at their top rated classes, the Irish coming in 3rd overall (premium), and which recruits stick out. Find out below which Notre Dame verbals impressed the recruiting staff as ESPN.

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Quick Notre Dame Football 4th of July weekend recruiting recap

Fireworks indeed

First and foremost, we at Fighting Irish Wire hope you and your families had a safe and happy 4th of July. For the Notre Dame Football team there were plenty of fireworks, which included multiple commitments. Find out what happened this weekend in Irish recruiting.

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Scouts View: Notre Dame’s newest commitment, ‘24 QB C.J. Carr

The Irish are getting an elite quarterback prospect

The Irish scored a massive recruiting win this evening as Michigan 2024 quarterback [autotag]CJ Carr[/autotag] verbally pledged to Notre Dame. [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] has made it a point to up the Irish’s level of recruiting and that’s exactly what has happened, Carr’s commitment reinforcing that.

As for Carr joining the class, he’s viewed as one of the best quarterback’s in his class. I had the pleasure of seeing him live last summer during a camp and that was a reason why there was a lot of hype surrounding him. Here is my scouts view of what I saw then and an assessment highlights of his sophomore season for Saline.

Everything I saw about a year ago has seemingly improved, from Carr’s arm strength to his mobility. He was a bit raw when seeing him live but he was great during his sophomore year, completing 64% of his passes for 2,696-yards with 28 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Carr is a bit skinny for his six-foot-thee-inch frame but as he get’s older, his body will fill out.

Carr has great touch on his deep-balls, often putting just enough touch on them that opposing defenders think they have a change to bat it away, but goes right over their fingertips. Proper loft and angles on those throws were very impressive. He most likely won’t win any longest throw competitions, but Carr’s arm strength is good enough to get the job done.

Although Carr is not the best athlete at quarterback, he still has to respected for his running abilities. What he does do at an elite level is create time for himself, in and out of the pocket. Carr has a great ability to buy himself extra time, while keeping his eyes down the field and finding open receivers. His accuracy on the move is just as impressive. Carr is also great inside ten-yards, the accuracy shines once again on those throws.

Overall, the Irish are getting one of the best players regardless of position in the 2024 recruiting cycle. This is a home run verbal that gives Freeman and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees a player who has the ability to start for multiple years and play at an extremely high level.

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Five star recruit sets visit date to Notre Dame for next month

This will be a huge visit

Although the Irish currently have one of the top rated 2023 recruiting classes in the country, that is not stopping head coach Marcus Freeman from bringing in more top talent. Notre Dame is recruiting some of the best players in the country and today, one of them announced via Twitter that he will be visiting South Bend.

Missouri native Samuel M’Pemba will travel north from IMG Academy in Florida and visit Freeman and the Irish on March 19th. This is a huge development as the six-foot-four-inch and 230-pound athlete has offers from virtually every major program in the country. M’Pemba will most likely grow into a defensive end, but has played wide receiver as well, showing the kind of athlete he is.

Hopefully the visit goes well and M’Pemba schedules an official visit in the fall where the Irish can roll out the red carpet for him.

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Instate 2023 linebacker gets Notre Dame football offer

The Notre Dame coaching staff extends an offer to the best player in the state in the 2023 class, Drayk Bowen.

Although the recruiting cycle has moved over to the 2022 class, that hasn’t stopped Notre Dame from looking a class ahead. With just 20 offers out to the 2023 class, the number just grew by one today as instate linebacker Drayk Bowen announced the good news.

Bowen becomes the first Indiana prospect in the ‘23 class to hold a Notre Dame offer. He is also the first linebacker in the class to get an offer as well. At six-foot-two-inches and 215-pounds, Bowen fits the mold of a big time prospect.

Not only is Bowen a great football player, he excels on the diamond as well. I’m a huge fan of multiple sport athletes, many of the skills used to perform on one stage translate over to the others.

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This offer has new defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman’s hands all over it. When Freeman was still with Cincinnati, they were the first school to offer Bowen in July of last year. Freeman was one of the coaches Bowen tagged in his offer tweet as well.

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Bowen has a lot of time before his class is set to sign, so this offer is obviously one that most likely won’t see a decision for a while. The offer to the best player in the state is letting Bowen know that he’s a priority recruit for Notre Dame in the 2023 class.