Tag: recruiting class

Notre Dame’s 2021 recruiting class is over half-gone

There is good news and there is bad news…

Just over two years ago Notre Dame put together a top-10 recruiting class nationally as they landed signed a National Letter of Intent from 27  different players.  Fast forward to late-April of 2023 and over half of those 27 players are no longer part of the Notre Dame football team.

In the modern era where the transfer portal has become something even bigger than ever imagined, the rise isn’t a surprise, but the degree of the rise certainly feels a bit much.

In just over the last week alone Notre Dame has seen four players from the heralded class enter the portal.  The chance there are more certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibilities.

Below are the 27 signees from the 2021 recruiting class and where they stand today.

The good news for the Irish is that despite the losses, more than a couple very key players remain.  Numbers indicate where they ranked in Notre Dame’s class according to the 247Sports rankings.

4-star PG Labaron Philon puts Auburn in top 6

Philon is the top player from Alabama in the 2024 recruiting cycle and a major Auburn target.

[autotag]Labaron Philon[/autotag] is one of the top players in the country and on Tuesday he announced his final six schools and the Auburn Tigers made the cut.

The Tigers will be battling Arkansas, Kansas, Alabama, Ole Miss, and Tennessee for the four-star point guard. The Mobile native has already officially visited Auburn.

Philon is the No. 1 player from Alabama and No. 6 point guard in the 247Sports Composite ranking. He is the No. 39 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class.

The 6-foot-4, 177-pounder is having a monster junior season for Baker High School, averaging 36.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in 20 games this season. He has been playing on varsity since his freshman season and is averaging 24.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.4 steals per game in his career.

Auburn already has one commit in the 2024 recruiting class in four-star center Peyton Marshall.

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Coach Prime and Colorado seem to be snagging Notre Dame commit

What was your reaction to the news?

On Wednesday, Notre Dame and NFL legend Joe Montana had some pleasant words about new Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, stating that he’d love to play for a coach with as much passion for football as the legendary cornerback has.  Well, perhaps a Notre Dame commitment saw those comments and wondered the same thing.

Alright, there’s a 99.9% chance that Montana had nothing to do with it but regardless, Notre Dame is down the commitment of a stellar running back in the 2023 recruiting class after four-star running back [autotag]Dylan Edwards[/autotag] pulled his commitment Thursday afternoon.  Edwards was originally committed to Kansas State before Notre Dame pushed hard for him so its hard to be too upset for him changing his mind.

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Below is some of the leadup to Edwards’ de-commitment that has transpired in the last couple days.

Notre Dame football: 5 things to know for Dec. 8, 2022

A great goes to the draft, a new four-star commits, and a bracket for all college football fans today…

In baseball its called the hot stove while in college football, well, I don’t know what it’s called but it’s certainly a busy time.  Although it isn’t technically free agent season in college football, it pretty much is with the transfer portal being bombarded with names this week.

There is also the NFL draft that players are declaring for, the Notre Dame men’s basketball team getting back in the win column on Wednesday night, and plenty of fun continued in other parts of yesterday.  Here are the five things every Notre Dame football fan needs to know for Thursday, December 8, 2022.

Texas to host a number of top prospects against Alabama this weekend

Here is a look at some of the biggest names making the trip to Austin for the Alabama game.

Steve Sarkisian and the Texas staff are enjoying plenty of success on the recruiting trail this cycle. Continue reading “Texas to host a number of top prospects against Alabama this weekend”

Notre Dame misses on another 2023 quarterback

Not the best news but it does serve as a valuable reminder to Notre Dame fans about now…

Seemingly anytime you reload your newsfeed geared toward Notre Dame football over the last week, there has been a story about a committed player possibly flipping his commitment. In some cases, it involves the Fighting Irish potentially losing a prospect. In others, [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] and company are changing someone’s mind to instead come to South Bend.

Well, there is news on one of those recent Notre Dame targets that was committed elsewhere. For the Irish, it isn’t good. Or it’s real good, depending on how you look at things.

Quarterback [autotag]Austin Novosad[/autotag], who has been committed to Baylor’s 2023 class since December, became a recent target of Notre Dame’s and even made a trip to South Bend. Novosad seemed impressed by what he saw, but he has doubled down on attending Baylor.

Ohio State, Stanford and Texas A&M were among the stops for Novosad this summer, but he plans to remain true to his original commitment.

Although this isn’t the news Notre Dame was hoping for, it serves as a reminder. Just because a committed player takes a trip or two to a program that has accomplished more in recent years, it doesn’t mean he is automatically flipping.

Keep that in mind the next time you start to think [autotag]Keon Keeley[/autotag] or [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] are on the fast train out of Notre Dame’s 2023 recruiting class.

In all honesty, it seemed Novosad’s chances of ending up at Notre Dame were done when Tommy Rees and the Irish offered Pittsburgh commit Kenny Minchey. Minchey remains committed to the Panthers and is the ninth quarterback Notre Dame has offered in this cycle.

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Former Hog Jaxson Robinson finds landing spot via transfer portal

Former Arkansas guard Jaxson Robinson will play for this third team in three years.

Jaxson Robinson will play for his third team in three seasons next year.

The former Arkansas guard entered the transfer portal in mid-May. On Thursday, he announced he will play the 2022-23 season at Brigham Young.

It’s unclear whether Robinson will be allowed to play in the Cougars’ games, however. The deadline for transfer portal entries was May 1. After that date, any player in the portal could still transfer, but they would be ineligible for the following season without being granted it waiver.

The Ada, Oklahoma, native played just one season with the Razorbacks after transferring from Texas A&M. A 3-point specialist, Robinson played in just 16 games for Arkansas last year.

Robinson’s best stretch came during three games in late December and early January. He played 83 minutes in a win over Elon and losses to Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. The rest of the season, Robinson logged just 80 minutes.

His exit leaves Arkansas with just two players back from last year’s Elite Eight team: guard Devo Davis and forward Kamani Johnson.

The Razorbacks do have the No. 2-ranked recruiting class in the country, though, and added six players via the transfer portal. They’re expected to be a ranked in the Top 25 when the season begins.

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Notre Dame a finalist for top 2023 offensive lineman

What is your biggest current concern about the 2023 Notre Dame recruiting class?

Notre Dame has gotten off to a stellar start on the defensive side of the football in their 2023 recruiting class but have just two players, a running back and tight end, committed offensively.  Although that’s not guaranteed to change immediately the Fighting Irish did get good news about a highly touted offensive line prospect in the class on Friday.

Sullivan Absher, a 6-7, 285-pound mountain of a young man is rated as a top-100 player in the 247Sports rankings for the 2023 class as well as a top-20 offensive lineman.  Absher narrowed his list of potential schools down to three Friday evening with Notre Dame earning a spot as well as Clemson and North Carolina State.

Absher visited Notre Dame in late January and could be a big a key part to what ends up being the Fighting Irish offensive line class of 2023.

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Notre Dame lands big-time Wisconsin commitment

Notre Dame lands a massive offensive lineman recruit!

The first Notre Dame commitment during the Marcus Freeman head coaching era is in and it’s a big one.  Interior offensive lineman Billy Schrauth of St. Mary’s Springs (Fon Du Lac, Wisconsin) announced his commitment to Notre Dame on Friday morning making him the 23rd commitment in the class.

Schrauth chose Notre Dame over a couple of midwest powers as Ohio State and Wisconsin were viewed as the other top contenders.  Schrauth is rated as a four-star prospect according to 247Sports and as the nation’s ninth best interior offensive lineman this cycle.

Schrauth is listed at 6-5, 300-pounds and was named to the All-American Bowl roster earlier this year.

Related: Notre Dame’s 2022 recruiting class commitments

Marcus Freeman: ‘I better be the lead recruiter’

This should be music to Notre Dame fan’s ears…

Marcus Freeman met the media as he was officially introduced as Notre Dame’s head football coach on Monday.  One of Freeman’s greatest strengths is in his ability to communicate and connect with players and the recruiting benefits that come along with having those skills.

So not that he is the head coach and he’ll have to be dragged in countless directions and tend to things he never had to tend to as an assistant, will his emphasis on being such an important recruiter remain as high?

Try higher.

That’s music to the ears of Notre Dame fans as the Irish continue to try and close the talent gap between themselves and the truly elites of college football.

We’ll have a ton of content in regards to what Freeman had to say at his introductory press conference Monday so keep it right here at Fighting Irish Wire as he breakdown everything that was discussed by Freeman and certainly plenty that wasn’t brought up.

Related:

Marcus Freeman discusses wild week that was with Dan Patrick

Notre Dame OC Tommy Rees talks all things Fiesta Bowl

Watch Marcus Freeman’s entire introductory press conference 

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