Tag: ND Football Recruiting

Irish Commit to miss Senior Season, Enroll Early

With Maryland canceling their fall and winter sports, a Notre Dame commit announced his intentions for this coming season.

With many states opting to change their high school football schedules, rising seniors have to make changes to what they might do this fall. Do they play if their state moves football to the fall, do they transfer if football is canceled all together?

Notre Dame commit Ryan Barnes has made his decision after his home state of Maryland on Tuesday canceled their fall and winter sports and will have virtual learning for the first semester. He will not transfer to another school, focus on his academics with the intention of enrolling early in South Bend as Rivals has reported.

This is not how Barnes saw his senior season playing out, but that is one of the unfortunate side effects of the nation continuing the battle with COVID-19. Maryland is not the only state to make adjustments as Virginia has canceled their fall sports, California and Washington have postponed their seasons to the spring, and Texas has made adjustments to their fall schedule. We can not stress how much this hurts not just the athletes but all senior high school students who will miss out on big milestones.

We will continue to monitor the situation as more states make their decisions and student-athletes make theirs as well. Of the states to make their fall schedules known that have Irish commits are Californian’s Tyler Buchner, quarterback, and newest Irish commit cornerback Chance Tucker and Texas’ defensive end David Abiara have yet to make their decision public. Once they do, we will fill you in on their intentions.

Scouts Eye: What to expect from Newest Irish commit Tucker

Notre Dame’s newest commit Chance Tucker brings a lot to the table, find out what we see after watching his highlight reel.

The newest Notre Dame commit from the 2021 class, California cornerback Chance Tucker, has great size at 6-foot-1-inches and weighs 170-pounds. The weight isn’t much of a concern at the moment, as once Tucker arrives to South Bend and enters a collegiate weightlifting program, that number will surely rise. What Tucker shows on film however is impressive.

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Tucker mainly plays on an island, something that gives defensive coordinators the utmost confidence that he can stick to his man. This allows other members of the defense to be more aggressive, and a safety doesn’t need to shade over to help Tucker’s side. One thing that Tucker will have to work on is getting his head turned around quicker, as this could potentially lead to pass interference penalties. Defensive backs coach Mike Mickens will surely work with Tucker on that aspect.

He plays on both sides of the ball like most high school stars do, although he will focus mainly on defense when Tucker enters the program. There is a possibility that Tucker could contribute early on special teams as well if he does not crack the lineup early in his career. Either way, Brian Kelly has gotten a commitment from a player who has a high ceiling even though his star ranking might not be exceptional.

ESPN compares Notre Dame commit Buchner to who?

The future Irish quarterback is compared to a current star in college.

The Elite 11 Camp has come and gone, with recruiting experts getting a chance to go over the film, the future for each of the participants has become clearer. A pair of Tom’s from ESPN, Luginbill and VanHaaren broke down each of the quarterbacks and 2021 Irish commit Tyler Buchner got some high praise from them.

The opportunity for early playing time for Buchner is there, as they noted, but what was more important was how the Tom’s see the future for the star QB. Their report on him is very encouraging, as Luginbill see’s “Buchner has good size and a high skill set. He can navigate the pocket, keep his eyes downfield and work through progressions. For a younger player, he is an advanced passer with a lot of poise.”

The player comparison was a surprise, as I haven’t heard much about Memphis’ Brady White, so I did some research. White was 4th nationally with 4,014 passing yards last year to go along with 33 passing touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The Tiger’s star was 10th nationally in quarterback rating, just a little behind Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence who is viewed as a Top 3 NFL Draft pick. White helped the Tigers to a 12-2 record last year, a New Year’s Six appearance in the Cotton Bowl, although they lost to Penn State, it was one hell of a year for White.

White began his career at Arizona State, but then transferred to Memphis where he has put video game numbers in his two seasons as their quarterback. The wins came last year, as the Tigers finished 8-6 in his first season, but the build up was worth it. If Buchner has a career like White’s, many Irish fans will be very happy with that result.

Irish make final 5 for Georgia Wide Receiver

Notre Dame Football is still a contender for a Georgia two-sport star

As the Irish continue to look for a second wide receiver in their 2021 recruiting class along with Lorenzo Styles Jr., they received good news to filling that spot on Friday. Georgia’s Jayden Thomas released this Top 5 school and Notre Dame made the cut.

Thomas checks in at 6’1” and 198-pounds and the Irish have a battle on their hands to grab his verbal commitment. Right now neither Rivals nor 247Sport’s experts have predicted where Thomas may end up and baseball will play a into his decision. He would like to play both sports at the next level and Thomas would be a great addition to Jarrett Link’s group.

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The two-sport athlete is an impressive player, as he plays all over the football field for his Pace Academy team. What sticks out most to me is the work he does off the ball, blocking for his teammates. That shows every that Thomas is a team player and will do what his team needs to win. Thomas would be a welcome addition to the 2021 Notre Dame class and we will have to wait a little long to find out if that is a reality.

Notre Dame Goes to a Familiar Place for Newest ’22 Offer

The Irish are back at Burke High School in Nebraska with their latest offer.

Defensive coordinator Clark Lea was busy yesterday, as Nebraska’s edge rusher Devon Jackson also added an offer. Lea offered Sebastian Cheeks on Friday also, and although they are in the same 2022 recruiting class, they do not play the same position.

Jackson uses his 6’2” and 200-pound frame differently than Cheeks does, lining up more on the edge of the defensive line instead of a more traditional linebacker. Jackson uses his speed to attack opposing offenses, while being a menace on special teams. Jackson looks skinny now, and once he adds on more weight, he will become a more complete player.

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The Irish join instate Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Arizona State and a few others vying for Jacksons commitment. Brian Kelly and his staff are very familiar with the Burke program, as incoming freshman WR Xavier Watts and Jackson were teammates. This could play big dividends for the Irish as they continue to look for their first 2022 commit.

Irish offer ’22 Illinois Linebacker

Notre Dame goes into the Chicago Suburbs with their latest offer in the 2022 class.

Brian Kelly has gone a bit west with his newest offer in the 2022 class, as Evanston, Illinois linebacker Sebastian Cheeks has been given the opportunity to play in South Bend.

The Irish join Midwest schools like Michigan, Northwestern, Wisconsin, and others for the commitment of the 6’2 and 200-pound ‘backer. Cheeks has very good instincts, which leads to big plays for his Wildkit team. The potential for Cheeks to be a three down linebacker is very intriguing. What’s just as intriguing is the fact that Cheeks has his offer from the Irish pinned on his twitter page

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It is clear that Kelly and defensive coordinator Clark Lea have gotten Cheeks attention as they battle for his verbal pledge. The Irish current do not have any commitments in their 2022 recruiting class.

Another Honor for Irish Commit

The hype continues for the highest rated commit in the 2021 Notre Dame Football recruiting class.

The anticipation for Notre Dame quarterback commit Tyler Bucher’s senior season continues to build. After performing well during the Elite 11 QB camp, he has now been named as a MaxPreps preseason high school 1st team All-American as an all-purpose player.

There has been some conversation as to whether high school football will actually be played this fall, as Virginia has canceled their season, Arizona has delayed their start and California, where Bucher is from, will make their decision on their season public on Monday the 20th.

Back to what MaxPrep’s had to say about the future Irish signal-caller as Buchner “put up video game numbers as a junior at Bishops’s (La Jolla, Calif.). The 2021 Notre Dame commit accounted for 6,084 yards of total offense (4,474 passing, 1,610 rushing) and 81 touchdowns (53 passing, 28, rushing).” Those numbers are truly amazing, La Jolla played 13 games last year, so Buchner accounted for almost 35 points a game.

The top-rated player in Brian Kelly’s 2021 recruiting class will have plenty on his shoulders when he arrives on campus next year. The starting spot will be vacant after Ian Book graduates, so Buchner will have a shot at starting as a true freshman. That may not happen, but he should see some time, even if it’s mop up duty. If Buchner lives up to the hype, he’s rated as the 42nd overall prospect in the ’21 class by the 247Sports composite, all of Blue and Gold Nation will be proud.

Is Notre Dame a Contender for 4-Star Offensive Tackle Rucci?

Rivals projects who is leading for Nolan Rucci, the offensive tackle from Pennsylvania in the 2021 recruiting class.

The Irish just picked up a commitment from Minnesota offensive tackle Joe Alt on Monday, and instate Blake Fisher already in the fold make a solid tandem for the 2021 recruiting class. Brian Kelly and offensive line coach Jeff Quinn are still looking for another player at the position, as his philosophy is go hard after tackles and they can move down to guard if need be later.

With that in mind, Pennsylvania 4-Star offensive tackle Nolan Rucci is still trying to make a decision on where he will attend school. Rivals took a look at where his recruitment stands and it looks like Kelly and Quinn should continue to look at other prospects. Adam Friedman, a recruiting analyst with Rivals, doesn’t see this one trending in the Irish’s way.

The Irish ranked 6th for Rucci’s services, not a particularly encouraging spot going forward. They have a lot of other schools the Irish will have to jump in order to get Rucci in the Blue and Gold. His recruitment has been trending away from the Irish so Kelly will most likely have to look in another direction. When looking at the 16 tackles offered, only five remain uncommitted and none of them are trending the Irish’s direction. They most likely will have to find another diamond in the rough like Alt to round out the position in 2021 recruiting.

Rivals: Buchner Stock Down after Elite 11 Finals

Tyler Buchner, the 2021 Notre Dame quarterback commit did not have his best showing last week during the Elite 11 Finals.

This was not what Notre Dame fans wanted to hear, that their prized quarterback recruit Tyler Buchner picked up some bad habits this offseason. This has caused Mike Farrrell, Rivals Recruiting Director, to include Buchner in among his group that saw their stock fall after the Elite 11 quarterback camp.

Farrell went on to say that “someone messed with the Notre Dame commits mechanics as a sidearm, baseball sling is occurring often now. This leads to all sorts of issues from accuracy to the ball hanging at times. This was an odd performance.” That is not a very glowing review for Buchner, so hopefully he works on those aspects of his game.

It is hard to tell what Farrell is seeing in the few clips that were posted by spectators at the event. What I saw was not quite enough lower body rotation, with Buchner relying on his arm strength too much. That is an easy fix, as with more reps he can get his footwork in order to help with his delivery.

The most concerning part of Farrell’s assessment is the accuracy of Buchner’s balls. It’s a skill that is very difficult to teach, some quarterbacks have it, some don’t. At such an early age, Buchner has plenty of time to correct these mistakes before he arrives to South Bend. We know that he is a hard worker and the hope is he takes these critiques to heart and works on them before his final high school season.