Tag: Rocco Spindler

Rucci sets commitment date, is Notre Dame an option?

Nolan Rucci, the 5-Star Pennsylvania offensive tackle, has set his announcement date for early next week. Are the Irish a viable option?

Late last January the Irish offered Pennsylvania offensive tackle Nolan Rucci, and the through was Notre Dame would be a player in his recruitment until the end. That is the case, as Rucci, the 14th overall player and nationally the 5th ranked tackle by the 247Sports composite has announced he will commit on Tuesday, televised by CBS Sports HQ.

Rucci will go live with his announcement at 6pm EST, but don’t expect to see Irish head coach Brian Kelly on Twitter with his #WeAreND reaction. Notre Dame has been included in his final 5, but they are on the outside looking in. At 247Sports there are 5 crystal balls, none of them favoring the Irish. The same at Rivals with their FutureCasts favoring Wisconsin, the overwhelming favorite to land the offensive tackle.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise, Rucci’s older brother Hayden plays for the Badgers, while his father Todd is Penn State alumnus. Those are really the two schools that have the best chance at the younger Rucci’s commitment.

Kelly would have loved to add Rucci to the ‘21 class, as they currently have two tackles committed in Blake Fisher and Joe Alt. Fisher is a 5-Star like Rucci and Alt is considered more of a project due to his lack of experience playing tackle. When you add in the commits of guard Rocco Spindler and center Pat Coogan, it is a fantastic group even after missing out on Rucci.

Notre Dame commits move in updated Rivals Top 250

Plenty of Irish commits saw movement with Rivals updated Top 250 prospects in the 2021 recruiting class.

We knew yesterday that Notre Dame commit Blake Fisher had earned the coveted 5th star, but what we didn’t know what where the rest of the Irish class would land in Rivals updated Top 250.

We know now where they landed and here is their movement, the ranking on the left was prior to the update.

Offensive tackle Blake Fisher 22 -> 18

Wide receiver Lorenzo style Jr. 39 -> 41

Quarterback Tyler Buchner 46 -> 80

Offensive guard Rocco Spindler 56 -> 59

Defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio 99 -> 100

Cornerback Philip Riley unranked-> 240

The majority of Notre Dame commits stayed in about the same range except Buchner, who fell 34 spots. Mike Farrell, Rivals national director of recruiting, explained Buchner’s fall as he “clearly changed his throwing style and gave us pause but we didn’t want to free fall him.” It wasn’t a free fall, but dropping that far in the rankings is still concerning.

Fisher made just a three spot move up, but enough to get him the 5th star. Farrell said this about the offensive tackles upward movement on their rankings: “Fisher was my call for the most part as I love his size and aggressive nature. He’s thinned down some and if he add some flexibility he could be the next great offensive lineman at Notre Dame.” Pretty high praise for Indiana’s best prospect.

It was also nice to see cornerback Philip Riley get some love. He looks like a prospect that is still rated way too low at this moment.

Even with this update, the Irish did not move much inside the team rankings, as they checked in at 11th nationally. With 18 commits, there might be room for a few more prospects that will be added to the 2021 class. Either way, Brian Kelly should be fairly happy with the recruiting effort in ‘21.

Watch: Highlights of newest Notre Dame commit Rocco Spindler

Notre Dame just beefed up their offensive line in the years to come as Rocco Spindler, a prized guard in the ’21 class announed.

Notre Dame landed one of the biggest fish in the 2021 recruiting class on Saturday when offensive guard Rocco Spindler announced his decision to join the Fighting Irish ahead of other finalists Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State and LSU.

Spindler is regarded as one of the best offensive guards in this entire class and is in the second highest rated offensive line recruit Brian Kelly has ever brought to Notre Dame.  The surprising part of that is that no, it’s not Quenton Nelson that the honor goes to but instead still current Fighting Irish tackle, Tommy Kraemer.

We could write about the excitement the commitment from Spindler brings, especially on a day that it felt like we were headed towards a doomsday for college football in 2020.

However, instead of reading all about it, let’s watch the player Notre Dame just picked up a commitment from and who will help continue to build upon the legacy of O-Line U.

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Scout’s View: Newest Irish Commit Offensive Guard Rocco Spindler

Find out what to expect out of Notre Dame’s newest 2021 commit, Michigan offensive lineman Rocco Spindler.

It isn’t very often that Brian Kelly and his staff go out searching for offensive guards. The philosophy on recruiting linemen has been to go after a center, which the Irish have in Illinois’ Pat Coogan, then get tackles like instate Blake Fisher and Minnesota’s Joe Alt. The last time Kelly signed a guard was in 2017 with Robert Hainsey, that turned out pretty well, but that all changed today with the commit of Michigan’s Rocco Spindler.

Spindler is ranked even higher than Hainsey was, 48th nationally compared to 84th, but expectations will remain the same for the 6-foot-5-inch and 315-pound star. The Irish beat out Midwest powers Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan, his perceived runner-up, along with defending national champion LSU for Spindler’s commitment.

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Although Spindler also lined up at tackle for his Clarkston High School team, he will make the full-time transition over to guard when he arrives at South Bend. Spindler is a devastating run-blocker, often getting to the second level and allowing the skill position players to matriculate down the field. A matchup between Spindler and a linebacker isn’t going to end well for the defender. He shows good footwork during pass blocking, sometimes he does get a bit upright and has to use his strength to overpower rushers. That will not be as effective at the next level when he faces against players who are of similar strength, but his frame looks like it could add on good weight in the near future. Spindler’s footwork allow him to be very effective at pulling and being the lead blocker on screen plays.  What he does have is a nasty streak, something coaches just can’t teach, a trait of any elite lineman.

Anytime you beat the Wolverines, wither it’s on the field or off it, it’s an extra cherry on top. The Irish scored in a big way today with the commitment of Spindler, who should have a bright future in Blue and Gold.

Top 2021 in-state target spurns Michigan for Notre Dame

The Wolverines lost out on one of their top in-state targets in the 2021 recruiting cycle.

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The Wolverines have struck out on their attempt to get either of the Clarkston (MI) duo to Ann Arbor.

While it had seemed likely that four-star offensive tackle Garrett Dellinger wouldn’t end up at Michigan, it was the opposite for four-star offensive guard Rocco Spindler. Both made several visits to campus over the course of the past year-plus, but Spindler had appeared to be honing in on the maize and blue. However, since the beginning, Notre Dame loomed quite large.

We shared more about what we knew on the Locked On Wolverines Podcast last week, as recruiting writers speculated that Spindler was destined to be a Golden Domer, noting that we had heard approximately two years ago that Notre Dame’s message really resonated with the elite interior lineman, particularly when it came to student-athletes being more integrated into the on-campus populace compared to other institutions. While the Wolverines seemed to have made up some ground, and at times appeared to lead for the son of famed Pitt/Detroit Lions star Marc Spindler, on Saturday, the pull to South Bend ended up being too much.

Spindler announced he’s committing to the Fighting Irish’s 2021 recruiting class, he announced on CBS Sports HQ, live from Clarkston High School.

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While most in-state recruiting losses this cycle haven’t really damaged what Michigan is trying to do with its 2021 class, the loss of Spindler particularly hurts. Some of the Wolverines other targets weren’t as high up on the Wolverines’ board as the local product, nor were they as much of a focal point.

Still, leading up to Spindler’s commitment, despite expert predictions indicating he would join Notre Dame’s 2021 class, there was no such indication given to either the Fighting Irish or Wolverines programs until just beforehand, we’re told.

His other finalists were Ohio State, LSU and Penn State.

That said, the Wolverines could salvage the loss of Spindler in the already stellar position group by landing Dedham (MA) Noble & Greenough School four-star OG Drew Kendall, who is ranked No. 126 nationally. Michigan already has four solid-to-elite offensive linemen committed in 2021 in four-stars Giovanni El-Hadi, Greg Crippen, Raheem Anderson and three-star Tristan Bounds.

As far as in-state recruiting is concerned, the Wolverines are still on a handful of prospects, particularly four-star RB Donovan Edwards from West Bloomfield (MI) and DT Rayshaun Benny from Oak Park (MI). Both are currently Michigan leans according to the 247Sports Crystal Ball.

For more on Michigan’s in-state recruiting, we highly recommend this optimistic piece from Scott Bell ($) which dispels the narrative pushed by some Ohio-based reporters and their agenda that the Wolverines aren’t competitive with other elite programs.

Notre Dame lands huge commitment iwith Rocco Spindler

It was a big weekend for Notre Dame’s future as ’21 linebacker Prince Kollie was set to announce his college choice on Friday and star ’21 offensive guard Rocco Spindler was set to announce Saturday. Friday was a good start for Notre Dame as Kollie …

It was a big weekend for Notre Dame’s future as ’21 linebacker Prince Kollie was set to announce his college choice on Friday and star ’21 offensive guard Rocco Spindler was set to announce Saturday.

Friday was a good start for Notre Dame as Kollie gave his commitment to the Fighting Irish.

The weekend then went from good to great for Notre Dame when Spindler announced his decision on Saturday.

Spindler chose Notre Dame over his home-state University of Michigan. Also in his final top five were Penn State, Ohio State and LSU but this had been seen as a two horse race for some time.

Spindler joins Notre Dame’s 2021 recruiting class as a four star prospect and may potentially help the Irish recruiting ranking into the top ten.

Spindler is listed at 6-4.5 and 215 pounds. He plays his high school ball at Clarkston High in Clarkston, Michigan. He is also the son of former Pitt and NFLer, Marc, who spent nearly a decade with the Lions and Jets.

Spindler becomes the 17th commitment in Notre Dame’s 2021 class and fourth offensive lineman.

This is a huge get for Brian Kelly and the Fighting Irish as two of the most important remaining targets of this class both chose Notre Dame in the last 24 hours.

We’ll be breaking down this huge commitment the rest of the weekend so keep it locked here to Fighting Irish Wire.

Massive Recruiting Weekend Awaits Notre Dame

Notre Dame’s football future will be largely shaped the next two days as a pair of priority recruits are set to announce their commitments..

The next roughly 48 hours will play a large role in shaping Notre Dame football in the years to come.

No, Notre Dame won’t be joining the ACC full-time, at least not yet, but perhaps their two most important remaining targets in the 2021 recruiting class will be announcing their college decisions.

Prince Kollie and Rocco Spindler are the two prized prospects and both will have announced their respective college decisions by Saturday afternoon.

Kollie is a four-star outside linebacker that is an extremely important potential get for Notre Dame.  Not only is Kollie incredibly skilled, he’s also appears to be the only real possibility of a linebacker in Notre Dame’s 2021 class, and this comes after the Irish were shutout at the position in their 2020 recruiting haul.

Kollie lists his top five but it appears it’s between Notre Dame and Louisville to land his commitment.  We’ll know at 7 p.m. ET on Friday who it ends up being for Kollie.

Related: Notre Dame Recruiting – 2021 Commitment List

Rocco Spindler is the other big-time target that’s set to announce his college decision this weekend and a commitment from the offensive guard could mean massive things for Notre Dame.

Spindler has long been a priority recruit for Notre Dame as their offensive line currently has currently has three commitments but adding Spindler at guard alongside having Fisher at tackle could mean big things for the Fighting Irish offensive line in the coming years.

Spindler is seen as one of the top five guards in the entire country in 2021 and although offensive lineman almost never see the field their freshman year at Notre Dame, he has the potential to be a difference maker fairly early on when he arrives on whichever college he ends up choosing.

Spindler has his list of potential schools down to five but most believe it’s between Notre Dame and home-state Michigan to land his commitment.

Spindler will announce his decision Saturday on CBS Sports HQ.

If Notre Dame lands neither of the two this weekend it’ll be a disaster for the 2021 recruiting class, if one of the two commit it’ll be good but not great based off positional need at both spots, but if both end up picking Notre Dame this will go down as a massive weekend in terms of building the 2021 class that would possibly be back on it’s way to being a top ten class nationally.

 

Locked On Wolverines Podcast (Ep. 367): The 2020 schedule, Big Ten plan, Jim Harbaugh hate and Rocco Spindler recruiting spectacular

There’s about 20 different things to discuss, the schedule, the Big Ten release, Rocco Spindler’s recruitment and more.

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We have so much to cover and so little time. The Big Ten released its plan for the 2020 season as well as the schedules for all 14 teams. We discuss that and what it needs to do to make sure a season happens (and why we still believe it will).

Then, we get into some weird situations where people are hating on Jim Harbaugh, including a sitting U.S. senator over the weekend. Why it’s misguided.

And what we know about Rocco Spindler’s recruitment and why I always felt it was going to be hard to beat Notre Dame.

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Latest on Michigan and 2021 four-star OG Rocco Spindler

Where things stand between the Wolverines and Fighting Irish as they race to secure an elite Michigan prospect.

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Michigan fans got something of a gut punch on Tuesday when 247Sports director of football recruiting Steve Wiltfong put in a crystal ball for Clarkston (MI) four-star offensive guard Rocco Spindler for Notre Dame with a seven rating confidence level.

The Fighting Irish and Wolverines have been all but tied for the standout’s services, and that was indicated in the 247Sports Crystal Ball as the two teams were split with a 50% prediction for either school. While Wiltfong’s prognostication makes it seem like disaster is imminent — he has a 98.57% success rating for his 2021 class predictions — we’re told: not so fast.

I spoke to a person close to the Michigan side of things who requested anonymity, but is very close to the recruitment, and they indicated that nothing has changed at this juncture and that the Wolverines still feel like it’s a 50/50 shot between them and the Fighting Irish. At this point, they shared, they haven’t heard anything to suggest he’s not coming to Ann Arbor or going to South Bend — but those remain the two contenders, as we’ve felt all along in his recruitment.

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As far as personal feeling — not to be confused with Sam Webb’s ‘gut feeling’ which tends to indicate a high sign of knowing what’s actually going to happen — I’ve long felt like Notre Dame is the team to beat. It was some time ago, during Spindler’s sophomore season, but I had spoken to a person close to his camp who indicated that ND had intrigued him from day one — from the storied football program itself to the fact that the school rooms its student-athletes with other attendees in the student body who aren’t on the team. I was told this held a certain appeal to Spindler, and I have no reason to believe this isn’t still true.

Nonetheless, neither choice at this juncture would surprise me. Spindler has a great relationship with both staffs and coaches, not to mention currently committed players.

He will be revealing his choice on Saturday, Aug. 8 at 6 p.m. at Clarkston High School.

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Ohio State football target Rocco Spindler sets college decision date

Four-star offensive tackle Rocco Spindler has set a decision date of Aug. and will choose between Ohio State and four other schools.

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Ohio State is still working on putting its final touches on what it hopes will be the country’s top-ranked recruiting class for 2021. Even without any further commitments, it’s still a monster class, but there is room to add to the 19 players already committed — especially for a few big-time targets still looking to make a decision.

One of those is four-star offensive guard Rocco Spindler out of Clarkson, Michigan. He already announced a final five of Ohio State, Penn State, Notre Dame, Michigan and LSU, and now it appears as though he is ready to let the world know where he’ll be playing his college ball.

Spindler announced his intentions to announce that decision on Aug. 8 according to a Twitter post Wednesday.

Rated as the No. 3 offensive guard and 48th overall recruit in the 2021 recruiting cycle, according to the 247Sports composite rankings, there’s no doubt Ohio State would make room for him if it comes down to it. Right now though most analysts have the heavy favorites as Notre Dame and Michigan.

The fact Spindler was unable to get a visit scheduled to Ohio State because of the COVID-19 pandemic will likely work against the Buckeyes. He had originally planned to visit five schools before making a decision, but that no longer appears to be a real option.

Either way, we’ll have coverage of his announcement went it occurs next Saturday.

 

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