Tag: notre dame fighting irish recruiting

Rivals: Irish in on top RB’s but not seen as leaders

Notre Dame has offered many backs in the 2021 cycle and face uphill battles to gain a commitment from one of them.

There is a lot of unknown as to who will lineup beside quarterback Ian Book for the 2020 season. What we do know is that after this year, the Irish will graduate Jafar Armstrong, Avery Davis, and Stanford transfer Trevor Speights, although each of them could petition the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility. If both opt to move on, the roster would only have 4 scholarship backs remaining.

This probably isn’t a number Brian Kelly and running back’s coach Lance Taylor want to see, so getting a quality running back in the 2021 is extremely important. Rivals took a look at the best 5 remaining uncommitted backs and the Irish have offered all but one of them.

The Irish have offered Texas’ Camar Wheaton, but at this moment he is viewed as a pipedream for Notre Dame. Mike Farrell, Rivals national director of recruiting, see Oklahoma as the leader in Wheaton’s recruitment. Michigan’s Donovan Edwards, however, is a much more realistic possibility for the Irish. Edwards had intended to visit multiple schools over the summer, but COVID-19 has stopped everyone from visiting schools. Although Farrell sees Michigan as the leader for Edwards, he also sees the back’s recruitment to drag on for a few more months prior to a commitment. If the Irish push hard for Edwards, I could see him spurning the Wolverines and heading a bit south to South Bend.

Like Wheaton, another Texas star in LJ Johnson has an Irish offer, but Notre Dame is not seen as a player in his recruitment. Prophet Brown, a California prospect, is a back that I really think could be a great fit in the Irish offense. Unfortunately, like Edwards, the Irish are trailing in Brown’s recruitment to the supposed leader in Oklahoma. Here is the kicker, the Sooners are in on Wheaton and are looking at Brown as more of a defensive back. These two factors could play a huge role in the Irish being able to get Brown’s attention and ultimately land a commitment from the back.

Getting a quality back in this class is paramount, the depth needs to be addressed. It could be another graduate transfer like Speights or the Irish could land one these talented backs. Look for Notre Dame to make a push for a 2021 back to create some solid depth for Taylor’s group.

Rivals: Michigan trying to flip Irish 2021 commit

The Wolverine’s are hard at work trying to flip one of Notre Dame’s top 2021 commits.

This is not the first time that Rivals has put Notre Dame commit Lorenzo Styles Jr. on flip watch. Back in April, the Rivals recruiting experts thought the Ohio wide receiver was seriously listening to Jim Harbaugh selling his Michigan Wolverines. Just two month’s later, the feeling that Styles Jr. might flip is still lingering.

Josh Helmholdt, a Rivals recruiting analyst, looked at the Midwest prospects who could potentially flip and once again, Styles Jr.’s name appeared on the list. Helmholdt said “Michigan that is talked about as the Fighting Irish’s biggest threat. This will continue to be a recruitment to watch, and I expect to see additional visit form Styles when the dead period ends.” Just like in April, this news turns our collective stomachs.

Styles Jr. is seen as one of the top commits in the 2021 class, the only wide receiver currently committed. Georgia’s Deion Colzie was once in the class as well and if the Irish see Styles Jr. flip, Brian Kelly and his staff will have to scramble to get a quality receiver to join star quarterback Tyler Buchner.

The Irish will have to fight off the Wolverines until Styles Jr. signs his letter of intent, the first signing period starts on December 16th. With Michigan charging hard for the talented wide receiver, Kelly should continue to recruit Styles Jr. as if he were an uncommitted prospect.

Notre Dame Lands a Commitment from Maryland Cornerback

Irish landed commitment #11 in the 2021 class today when DB Ryan Barnes made his decision.

In late March, the Irish staff offered Maryland defensive back Ryan Barnes, and today he verballed to Notre Dame over Clemson, Georgia, LSU and others. The 6’2” and 180-pound cornerback is the 11th commit in the 2021 class.

Although Barnes ranking is fairly low, he is the 585th player ranked by the 247Sports composite. I feel like this is a scenario where if summer camps had happened this year, Barnes would have blown up. College coaches rarely look at the major recruiting services rankings, so looking at a players offer list is much better indication of how they are perceived. Along with the aforementioned trio, Penn State, Oregon, USC, and Oklahoma all offered Barnes a scholarship.

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Barnes’ frame is what stands out, his length creating issues for opposing wide receivers. Lining up at safety and corner brings plenty of versatility to Barnes’ game, from either position he is always looking for the big hit.

Brian Kelly will have to decide if Barnes’ will end up with safeties coach Terry Joseph or cornerback coach Mike Mickens. This is a great problem to have, as Barnes should make an impact at one of those positions.

Recruiting: Irish Offer Two Florida Defensive Ends

Notre Dame offers two Florida edge-rushers spanning two different recruiting classes.

If you follow high school football, you know that Florida’s St. Thomas Aquinas is one of the best programs in the country and they have yet again produced another potential star. Dallas Turner, a 6’4” and 235-pound defensive end, is next in line of talented Raiders to come through the program and yesterday the Irish offered the star player.

This offer might be one where it is too little, too late. Turner’s recruitment will be an uphill battle for the Irish, he’s seen as lean towards two SEC schools in Alabama and Georgia. Michigan has made him a priority recruit as well, so the battle for a commitment from Turner will be difficult.

It’s three years away from when the 2023 class can start signing their letter of intent, but that hasn’t stopped schools from offering star Florida defensive end Derrick LeBlanc. Notre Dame joined Alabama, Auburn, Florida State and others in offering the 6’5” and 247-pound edge-rusher.

Just a rising sophomore with the offer list LeBlanc has shows that he is a national level prospect. At this stage of his recruiting, to hold over 20 offers is extremely impressive. His frame at this time is just as impressive as his offer list, as LeBlanc will have three more years to add to it before enrolling on a college campus.

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LeBlanc is just the fifth player from the 2023 class to report an Irish offer at this moment, two other offers also reside in Florida. His pinned tweet is his offer from Alabama, so one would have to guess they are near the top of this list. By Brian Kelly and his staff offering early, the Irish have made it well known to LeBlanc he is a priority for them.

Football Recruiting: Irish Active with Offers in last 24 Hours

The Notre Dame staff has been active in the last day, offering three different prospects across two recruiting classes.

The Notre Dame staff stayed active last night as they offered two new prospects. First it was 2021 Californian athlete Chance Tucker to report his offer.

The two-sport star, who also runs track, could play either corner back or wide receiver at the next level. His frame suits either position, 6’1” and 170-pounds, although Tucker will have to add some weight when he arrives on a college campus. Tucker holds offers from Washington, Colorado and Oregon State among others.

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The second offer out last night was to class of ’21 Erik Olsen from Colorado. The tight end stands 6’5” and weighs 230-pounds has released his Top 10 schools, but obviously that was prior to the Irish joining the fray.

Olsen’s top schools are mainly in the west coast, but the Irish have a good relationship with prospects on that side of the country. At the moment, Notre Dame has accepted a commitment from Georgia’s Cane Berrong, so it remains to be seen how strong the Irish staff chases Olsen.

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The third and final offer out in the last 24 hours went out this morning to class of 2022 linebacker Langston Patterson. The Tennessee star has seen his recruitment heat up recently, adding offers from Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech and others since last month.

At the moment Patterson projects to play inside linebacker, the same position his brother Kane plays for Clemson right now. It’s very early in Patterson’s recruitment so it’s hard to have a pulse as to where he is leaning, but if Clemson offers, they could be tough to beat for his commitment.

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The Notre Dame staff has been active with offers out to the 2021 and 2022 class. At the current moment the class of 2021 has ten members and is ranked 14th nationally by the 247Sports composite. The 2022 class does not have a commitment to date, but with many offers out to prospects that should change in the coming months.

Recruiting: Irish in Georgia Star’s Top 10

Notre Dame recently offered a scholarship to a Georgian safety and have made it into his Top 10 schools going forward.

Although Georgia’s Kaleb Edwards was offered by Brian Kelly and Clark Lea just over two weeks ago, the safety likes what he sees from the Irish and included them in his newly released Top 10 schools.

Edwards is still keeping his options open, as he noted in his tweet, but making his top school list shortly after getting an Irish offer is a good sign going forward. The 6’0” and 195-pound defender does a bit of everything for his Dacula High School team, showing a variety of skills that have plenty of coaches excited for his future on the field.

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The Irish have done a good job recruiting Edwards and are in the mix for a commitment from the safety. The 2021 recruiting class has Illinois’ Justin Walters as the other safety commit, and if Kelly is able to convince Edwards to join, they would make a great pair of prospects to arrive in South Bend next year.

Rivals Reacts to Current Notre Dame ’21 Recruiting Class

The experts at Rivals looked that the Irish 2021 recruiting class, with a local and national perspective.

The Irish have seen their ups and downs in the 2021 recruiting cycle, but at the current moment Brian Kelly’s class of ten players ranks among the best in the nation. Rivals this morning took a look at their 11th ranked class in the country, with a local and national view of Notre Dame’s class.

Mike Singer, who covers the Irish for Rivals, sees the class from a quality not quantity perspective noting the “Irish are likely not even going to sniff 25 total signess, so it will be hard to have a highly ranked class. However, it should be very good when it comes to sorting by average star ranking.” Defensive end Jason Onye, the lowest committed player in the class according to Rivals, is seen as the 44th best prospect at his position. Not bad when looking at the class as a whole.

Singer mentions two prospect’s the Irish would love to see commit, Dont’e Thornton Jr. and Rocco Spindler. Both of them have recently released their top school lists and Notre Dame is in a great position to land both of them. He does say if the staff missed out on Spindler that “many would consider the offensive line class a failure” but it can’t be looked at by just star ranking. The base of Blake Fisher and Pat Coogan gives the offensive line class a great start, and missing out on Spindler would hurt, but it shouldn’t be seen as a failure if the Irish are unable to land a commitment from the talented guard.

As for the national outlook, Josh Helmholdt was quick to point out that the Irish haven’t had many recruiting wins since the mandated dead period. “Notre Dame is maybe the best national recruiting team in the country, but in order to maintain that distinction it needs to get kids on campus, so the visit shutdown disproportionately affects the Irish,” is how Helmholdt sees it. It’s hard to disagree with his assessment, as many other schools have jumped the Irish in the team ratings during the dead period. The feeling a prospect gets when in South Bend just can’t be replicated with Zoom visits.

If Helmholdt is right, and we surely hope he is, the return of on-campus visits should see a boom in the Irish’s class. Unfortunately for Kelly, the NCAA has yet to make an announcement as to when they will stop the dead period, so the addition of more prospects might just have to wait a little longer. We’d like to believe that Singer is correct as well, when all said as done the Irish might not have a highly ranked class, but the quality will be among the best in the nation.

California Dreaming, Notre Dame Recruits well in Sunshine State

The Irish have traditionally recruited California well and expect that to continue.

Yesterday, it was the minimal presence that the Irish in their neighboring state Ohio, but today Rivals took a look at who recruits California the best. It should not come as a surprise that Notre Dame made the list, the Irish have traditionally recruited the state well.

The Irish have secured a commitment from Tyler Buchner in the 2021 recruiting cycle, he is the top rated quarterback and second overall prospect in California. Last year it was CB Ramon Henderson and in the 2019 class it was CB Isaiah Rutherford and DE Isaiah Foskey. It was CB TaRiq Bracy, OT Jarrett Patterson and LB Jack Lamb who signed with the Irish in 2018.

It is safe to say the state of California has been kind to the Irish, and Brian Kelly keeps dipping into the Sunshine State for talent every year. There is potential for more Californian’s to sign with the Irish this year as RB Prophet Brown and DB Dyson McCutcheon both have Notre Dame in their top few schools.

Of the offers out to the 2022 class, only Texas with 10 has more than California’s 5 right now, so expect Kelly to continue to look for talent out west. Making the state a priority is a good thing, as it’s a hotbed for Division I talent. The California to South Bend pipeline should continue to be strong in the future.

Irish make recent offers Top 10

The Notre Dame offer clearly held some weight as the class of 2021 Tennessee star included the Irish in his Top 10 going forward.

It didn’t take long for recent Irish offer Prince Kollie to released his Top 10 school after getting an offer from Notre Dame on Sunday. The class of 2021 Tennessee athlete could end up on either side of the ball.

Kollie sports an impressive offer list and extremely tough competition for the Irish as his recruitment continues. Battling schools SEC and Big XII powers will not be an easy task for Brian Kelly but there is a silver lining here. The offer was made less than a week ago to Collie and already had made an impression on the young man.

The Irish offer wasn’t the only good thing to happen to the talented athlete this week, he was named a 4-Star prospect after the 247Sports update on Wednesday. A huge jump for Collie as he rose from 448th overall to 230th player in the nation. A perfect example of a prospect who would have blown up this summer during the camp circuit but due to the current circumstances hasn’t had the exposure. That clearly has changed, and the Irish are squarely in the stars recruitment.

247Sports Updates 2021 Recruiting Rankings, Irish Commits on the Move

Notre Dame is recruiting at a high level, with more than half of their commits inside 247Sports Top 247.

Without the plethora of camps this spring and summer, it will be increasingly difficult for recruiting evaluators to place proper rankings for many of the best prospects in the country. Although there are issues, today 247Sports made an update to their Top 247 with many Irish commits on the move.

Of the ten current commits, the highest rated is quarterback Tyler Buchner who made a modest move up one spot in their rankings to 49th overall.  Instate offensive tackle Blake Fisher moved down two spaces to 84th nationally, another move that isn’t of big significance.

Lorenzo Styles Jr. had a nice leap up from 136th to 128th, inching closer towards being a Top 100 prospect in 247Sports rankings. Initially the talented wide receiver was 109th but has seen his stock yo-yo since then almost getting back to his original ranking. Defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio also has seen his rankings move in and out of the Top 100, this update saw him move back towards that range going from 119th to 112th.

The biggest mover was recent Irish commit Philip Riley. The Florida corner was once outside the Top 400 prospects in the nation, jumped almost 100 spots from the last update to 247Sports rankings. Riley went from the 310th overall player to 216th. A huge boost as Notre Dame seems to have scouted correctly with their assessment of Riley.

Tight end Cane Berrong took a bit of a tumble in this update, although not a huge drop for the Georgian, who went from 209th to 218th overall. He was the last of the Irish commits to be ranked inside the Top 247. Having six of the ten is a great start, the 247Sports composite team rankings have the Irish at 12th overall. There are plenty of talent prospects the Notre Dame staff is still after including OT Nolan Rucci (14th), TE Thomas Fidone (39th), and G Rocco Spindler (66th). Look for the 2021 class to finish strong on the recruiting trail.