Tag: ND Football Recruiting

Notre Dame Football: Early signing day prospect decisions to watch

There’s always plenty of drama on signing day, here are a few notable Notre Dame storylines to follow for tomorrow.

It has become increasingly common for the majority of prospects to verbally commit and then sign with their school of choice during the early signing period, which begins tomorrow. There is always drama on signing day, wether it is in mid-December or the traditional first Wednesday of February. Right now the Irish have 24 committed players, but that number could move. Here are a few things to watch for with Notre Dame players who have committed, aren’t committed, or could be on flip watch tomorrow.

 

Scouts view: New Notre Dame commit, edge rusher Devin Aupiu

A scouts take on the newest Notre Dame commitment, 2021 California defender Devin Aupiu.

The Irish once again flipped a prospect, this time in California with 2021 Devin Aupiu, as Notre Dame’s gain was UCLA’s loss.

Let’s take a look a what we can expect from the six-foot-six-inch and 225-pound edge defender when he arrives in South Bend.

Unfortunately for Aupiu, California postponed their season to the spring, so he was not able to put together any current film but his junior highlight tape is more than impressive. Although most of Aupiu’s work comes from the defensive end position, his athleticism will allow him to move back into an outside linebacker role in the future.

He shows some great pass-rushing instincts, so there’s not much work to be done in that area. Not much coverage is shown in his highlight package, so it’s hard to know how Aupiu will fare dropping back and defending passes.

If Aupiu sees the field early, it will be in pass-rush situations, but he may need a few years to bulk-up and be an every down linebacker. He’s a tweener right now, so he might not end up as an linebacker, if he adds on more weight while keeping his speed, Aupiu could very well end up as a defensive end. Either way, Brian Kelly and Clark Lea are happy to land the versatile defender.

Notre Dame Recruiting update: Fisher keeps 5-Star status, focus on ‘22 and more

A look a the latest Notre Dame Football recruiting news with more offers, Blake Fisher staying a 5-Star and much more.

The first signing period for 2021 recruits is fast approaching and Notre Dame  is fighting for a top recruiting class once again. At the current moment, the Irish have 23 commits, with room for a few more. The class ranks among the best in the nation.

It was another week of making some moves with high level prospects, Blake Fisher keeps all the stars next to his name, recruits finish their high school careers and more.

Notre Dame Recruiting update: More commits, lots of new offers and more

The Irish gained multiple commits, lost one and a lot of new offers out to players in the 2022 class in this Notre Dame recruiting update.

Since out last update the Irish have added linebacker Kahanu Kia, offensive tackle Caleb Johnson, and defensive back JoJo Johnson. Just today Notre Dame lost a commit from defensive end David Abiara so there was some bad news with plenty of good news. There were a lot of new offers out as well on the recruiting trail for the Irish, so continue reading to get the latest update on Notre Dame Football recruiting.

Scouts view: Notre Dame’s newest commit OT Caleb Johnson

What to expect from Notre Dame’s newest commit, offensive lineman Caleb Johnson from Florida.

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Brian Kelly and his staff have been hard at work on the recruiting trail and that work has paid off handily this past week. First it was Philip Riley coming back to the 2021 class, then kicker Josh Bryan, yesterday it was a two-fer with linebacker Kahanu Kia  and now Caleb Johnson.

The flip of Johnson from Auburn is solidifying the offensive line class, which now has tackles Blake Fisher and Joe Alt, guards Rocco Spindler and Pat Coogan.

Let’s take a look at what to expect from the latest Irish commit Johnson.

A massive tackle who moves his feet extremely well, constantly finishing his block. When he’s not taking down the opposing lineman, Johnson is able to get to the second level allowing his backs to get more yardage. Surprisingly nimble, Johnson is able to pull on some running plays and also lead block on screen plays. Shows great versatility as he has played guard and tackle. His size screams tackle, but if that doesn’t work out, Johnson could be a road grader at guard.

Another player with massive upside, as evident by his Alabama and LSU offers, don’t be confused by the 3-star ranking. There is potential that he could see the field early, but I bet he get’s some freshman playing time, but saves a year by playing under the 4 games to keep his redshirt.

Johnson is another big time addition to the 2021 Notre Dame recruiting class, another piece to an already impressive offensive line haul.

Don’t forget to check out our latest recruiting update, the current commitment list and our FIW exclusive interview with 2021 offensive line commit Pat Coogan.

Notre Dame Recruing Update: New offer, commit dominates, ‘23 momentum and more!

Find out the latest on Notre Dame commits Lorenzo Styles Jr., Blake Fisher, Logan Diggs and others in our weekly recruiting roundup.

It has been a little over a month since the Irish received their last commitment, Georgia’s Jayden Thomas, but that doesn’t mean it’s been quiet on the recruiting trail. Just this past week there was a new offer, an instate star saying goodbye, some interesting twitter chatter between two 2023 prospects with Notre Dame offers, a huge game from a current commit and much more. Check out below the latest news on Notre Dame Football recruiting.

Notre Dame Recruing Update: New offer, commit dominates, ‘23 momentum and more!

Find out the latest on Notre Dame commits Lorenzo Styles Jr., Blake Fisher, Logan Diggs and others in our weekly recruiting roundup.

It has been a little over a month since the Irish received their last commitment, Georgia’s Jayden Thomas, but that doesn’t mean it’s been quiet on the recruiting trail. Just this past week there was a new offer, an instate star saying goodbye, some interesting twitter chatter between two 2023 prospects with Notre Dame offers, a huge game from a current commit and much more. Check out below the latest news on Notre Dame Football recruiting.

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.

Notre Dame talking with ‘21 WR Thornton everyday, what does it mean?

The Irish have three WR commits already in the fold for ‘21, but are still recruiting another one hard. What does that mean?

When Jayden Thomas committed last week, it gave Brian Kelly three spectacular prospects at the position for the 2021 recruiting class. According to a report today, one-time Penn State commit Dont’e Thornton is talking with the Irish staff every day.

With Thomas, Lorenzo Styles Jr. and Deion Colzie already committed, it makes you wonder what the staff is thinking going after another receiver. There are only three outgoing seniors at the position, and in last year’s class there were three players that signed. Fifteen total players will be on the roster next year, not including the three commits.

The group has yet to break out this year, but Kelly is confident they will. Kevin Austin and Bennett Skoronek return this week, while Braden Lenzy gets healthier and healthier each week. Skoronek is one of the three with their eligibility running out, Avery Davis and Javon McKinley the others. None have really made an impact.

Keeping all this in mind, could there be a player on the roster or a committed player be in line for a position change? After seeing highlights from this past weekend, immediately Lorenzo Styles Jr.’s name came to mind.

This is the reason why he came to mind. Styles Jr. has the skill set to play defense and after losing cornerback commit Philip Riley, there is a need at the position. The current two commits, Ryan Barnes and Chance Tucker are great players, but neither have the ceiling Styles Jr. does.

The frame Styles Jr. would bring to the position would be elite, 6-foot-1-inch and 185–pounds is an imposing figure at corner. Size would never be an issue with any receiver he would go up against.

Yes, the Irish would gladly take a commitment from Thornton, but his continued recruitment does open up possibilities for Styles Jr. to end up on the other side of the ball. Although Richard Sherman’s change was while he was at Stanford, it sure worked out well for him. Here’s hoping that if Styles Jr. does move to the defensive side of the ball, it ends up similar to one of the best corners in the game.

UGA football target 4-star WR Jayden Thomas sets commitment date

The Georgia Bulldogs made the top five schools for Pace Academy WR Jayden Thomas

The Georgia Bulldogs made the top five schools for Jayden Thomas. Thomas is a four-star receiver who plays high school football at Pace Academy. He’s from Atlanta, Georgia, and is a member of the class of 2021. Now, Thomas is ready to make his commitment.

Pace Academy is a bit of a University of Georgia pipeline high school. Georgia has recruited talented players Andrew Thomas and Jamaree Salyer from Pace Academy.

Jayden Thomas announced his commitment date via Twitter:

In case you can’t see the tweet, Thomas will be committing Oct. 2. That is a special day for him because it is his grandma’s birthday.

At 6 feet, 1 inch, 200 pounds, Thomas has solid size. He will decide between UGA, Notre Dame, Penn State, Michigan and Arkansas.

Kirby Smart and Georgia have 15 commitments in the class of 2021. Thomas would be a great addition to the class. Can UGA persuade the four-star to stay in the Peach State?

Kirby Smart and the Dawgs have secured three straight elite recruiting classes. Look for the class of 2021 to be no different. Georgia has two wide receiver commitments: Adonai Mitchell, who flipped from Ole Miss, and Jackson Meeks.

Thomas frequently works out with Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver legend Terrence Edwards.

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