Notre Dame Early Enrollees Look To Get Started Fast

Notre Dame welcomes 12 early enrollees to its 2023 football team, and five of those signees are on the offensive side of the ball. Getting this group in early should give the Irish depth chart a big boost in the spring, and several could have a chance to make an early impact.

A look at the early enrollees for the Notre Dame offensive signees who start school this week.

QB KENNY MINCHEY

IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 100 caliber player)
Upside Grade: 4.5

Minchey was one of the later additions to the class and it was a big one. The 2023 quarterback class was loaded and the Irish needed to get one of the top throwers from the class, and Minchey is just that.

Spring Push: Adding Minchey gives the Irish one more arm for the spring, as he joins a depth chart that includes transfer Sam Hartman, rising junior Tyler Buchner, rising sophomore Steve Angeli and rising junior Ron Powlus III. Minchey should be healthy by the time practice starts, which will be important. His focus this spring will be on picking up the offense, cleaning up his footwork and making the overall adjustment to being a college student.

Looking To The Fall: Barring a lot of bad things happening (injuries, poor play from multiple players), the 2023 season will likely be a redshirt campaign for Minchey, and that's a good thing. He needs time to fill out his frame, clean up his mechanics just a bit and to learn the offense. After missing half of his senior season, Minchey getting some time to get back on track and develop without having to play games could be good for him. If his number is called I do think we could see Minchey step into the spotlight and handle himself just fine, but hopefully that doesn't happen this fall.

WR BRAYLON JAMES

IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 100 caliber player)
Upside Grade: 5.0

Landing James gave the Irish a much-needed speed player to the roster. He's a high academic player with big time potential, although his game is still a bit raw. He ranked as Top 100 recruit by ESPN and Sports Illustrated.

Spring Push: The 6-2, 191-pound wideout is the most raw player in the talented four-man receiver class. His ceiling is arguably the highest, but there is still plenty he hast to learn when it comes to the finer points of the game. That will need to be the focus for James in the spring. Don't worry about pushing for playing time, just focus on learning as much about your craft as possible, and then when he gets a chance to show off his playmaking ability, do it.

Looking To The Fall: If James is able to take the spring to really work on his game from a route running and consistency catching the football standpoint he could make a push for playing time by the time the fall gets here. James has a ways to go technically if he's going to help as a freshman, but his speed is outstanding. James can stretch the field and make plays after the catch. There isn't someone with his skillset on the current roster, which means he could force his way into the rotation if he can learn the offense and develop technically over the next eight months. The tools are certainly there.

WR JADEN GREATHOUSE

IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 100 caliber player)
Upside Grade: 4.5

Greathouse is one of the more polished pass catchers in the entire country, he is also one of the most prolific. He finished his Austin (Texas) Westlake career with 232 catches, 4,035 yards (17.4 YPC) and 53 touchdowns. He was ranked as a Top 100 recruit by Rivals and Sports Illustrated.

Spring Push: Greathouse has arguably the best chance to force his way into the receiver rotation in his first season. He doesn't have the need for polish that most freshman have when they first arrive. Greathouse was injured in his last high school game, but if he's healthy by the spring his combination of size (6-2, 200), athleticism, ball skills and feel for the game will allow him to make an immediate impact. Part of the spring will be about finding which position, or positions, Greathouse is most comfortable early on.

Looking To The Fall: The arrival of transfer Kaleb Smith limited some of the "need" for a freshman to play right away, meaning that a rookie didn't "have" to play in order to fill out the rotation. That doesn't mean this talented freshman class won't have an opportunity to make an immediate impact. All four signees have the talent to help early on, but Greathouse could have the best chance of getting early action. I could see him making a push for playing time at all three receiver spots. If he can pick up the offense and stay healthy I could see Greathouse being a part of the rotation in his very first season.

WR RICO FLORES JR.

IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 150 caliber player)
Upside Grade: 4.5

An unheralded member of the 2023 class, Flores is also a talented player with the ability to eventually become an impact player for the Irish. Flores caught 153 passes for 2,238 yards and 19 touchdowns in his last two high school seasons against outstanding competition.

Spring Push: Flores suffered a broken foot late in his senior season, which cost him the postseason and a chance to play in the All-American Bowl. How quickly he comes back from that and can get up to full speed will determine how much of an impact he can make this spring. Being cautious with bringing him back is key because Notre Dame can't afford for this to become a bigger problem, which can happen with a foot if you rush it back to the field.

Looking To The Fall: A lot of this depends on how quickly Flores can get onto the field and get healthy. Our early expectation is that he'll be ready to go in the spring, so staying healthy, getting back up to speed and learning the offense is key. Flores is an advanced route runner with good speed and impressive ball skills. He's a smart player with a good feel for the game, so if he's healthy I could see him surprising some folks and working his way into the Notre Dame receiver rotation, especially if there is an injury or two at the position.

OL SAM PENDLETON

IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 300 caliber player)
Upside Grade: 4.0

Notre Dame clearly wanted to upgrade its size and physicality up front, and Pendleton certainly does that. He's a physical, nasty blocker that thrived at offensive tackle for Ronald Reagan High School in Pfafftown, N.C., but he projects inside for the Fighting Irish.

Spring Push: Offensive line is a position where the transition is often the toughest when freshman first arrive. Like we see with most lineman before him, Pendleton's biggest emphasis this spring will be on getting in good shape, staying healthy and trying to keep his head above water, so to speak. Those are needs for all rookie linemen, and how quickly he gets comfortable will determine how much he adds to the line in his first spring.

Looking To The Fall: Pendleton, like all freshman lineman, will need to get in college shape and add strength, but he starts with an outstanding foundation in that regard. He's very, very strong and he is already listed at 305 pounds (he's 6-4). If Pendleton can quickly get up to speed in the conditioning program, learn quickly during the spring and pick up the offense he has the kind of size, strength, power and demeanor to make an early splash, but odds are he'll earn a redshirt in his first season.

GRADE KEY

5.0 - Elite player
4.5 - All-American caliber player
4.0 - Multi-year starter
3.5 - Key role player / Late career-starter
3.0 - Backup

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2023 Scholarship Chart
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2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense

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