Notre Dame Early Enrollee Impact

Notre Dame has started the spring semester this week, which means the college careers for the Irish early enrollees has officially begun. Notre Dame welcomes 15 new freshmen to the roster, including six on the defensive side of the ball.

Notre Dame's 2024 class is loaded, and there is a lot of talent arriving for the new semester. The group gets a head start on preparing for the 2024 season, and there are plenty of newcomers that will have a chance to make an early impact for Notre Dame.

Let's take a look at who arrives and the potential spring impact they could make.

DE BRYCE YOUNG

It always made sense why Notre Dame took Young as early as they did. There were obvious tools, and the DNA was always intriguing. Young was quite raw at the time, both physically and technically, but his game - and body - exploded in his final season. He went from a thin, raw prospect to one of the best edge players in the 2024 class in one season. Young was an explosive, dominant, highly productive end as a senior, and he starting tapping into his five-star potential.

2024 Spring Impact: Getting Young on campus early is a huge for Notre Dame, and it's vital for Young. He has the physical tools to play early on. I'm talking size, natural strength, explosiveness, speed, etc. His game is still a work in progress, and giving him extra time to work with Al Washington could help him continue developing his overall technical game. Young will need to use his hands better and enhance his pass rush moves, and getting in early gives him more time to work on those parts of his game before fall camp starts. A year ago I would have told you Young absolutely needed a year, but with the end position a question mark and his game taking off the way it did, he'll be much harder to keep off the field.

DE LOGHAN THOMAS

Thomas is another raw but very, very talented member of Notre Dame's edge class. Thomas is a unique player, possessing elite length and explosiveness, and he had an outstanding senior season after moving to Ohio. There is a lot to work with here, but he will need a lot of work building up his body and learning the finer points of the game. Thomas might need time, but when he figures it out he has a chance to be a really, really good football player.

2024 Spring Impact: The first thing Thomas will need work on at Notre Dame is building up his body. He was listed at just 210 pounds when he signed, and he's a pretty thin young athlete. Getting a six-plus month head start in the strength program is huge. If he can add at least 15-20 pounds he could have a chance to play early on just because of his speed and explosiveness. If he can do that and also use the extra practice to learn the finer points of the position he could be an early surprise, but I still think Thomas will probably need a year of development. if not for the spring period that would be a no brainer.

DE COLE MULLINS

Mullins is one of the most underrated players in the class for Notre Dame, and the Georgia native graded out as a Top 150 caliber player on the Irish Breakdown board. If he didn't get injured as a senior he might have jumped into the Top 100 category. His combination of size (6-4, 240), punch and athleticism is impressive. Mullins was a standout middle linebacker in high school, but he would line up on the edge and look natural there. There is a lot to work with here

2024 Spring Impact: Mullins missed his entire senior season with a tough leg injury, so there is some question about whether or not he can get back to full strength and speed. Getting extra time with the Notre Dame medical staff will help. Getting healthy will be the focus for Mullins this spring.

DT SEAN SEVILLANO JR.

Notre Dame's coaching staff is very high on Sevillano, and he put up monster numbers during his high school career. Notre Dame also wants to add more beef to the middle of the line, and Sevillano and his 325 pounds certainly adds some of that to the depth chart. He's a strong young player, which could help him make a quick transition.

2024 Spring Impact: Sevillano will likely be one of the strongest players in the 2024 class, and that was likely true the minute he arrived. The key for him this spring will be more on the conditioning part. Sevillano will always be big, and Notre Dame wants him to be big, but there is certainly room for some body reshaping, and building up his stamina so he can play more snaps. Sevillano will also benefit from the extra practice reps, where he can improve his hand play and he'll need to work on driving his feet more consistency.

LB KYNGSTONN VILIAMU-ASA

Landing Viliamu-Asa was coup for Notre Dame for a number of reasons. On top of the importance of beating Ohio State, Viliamu-Asa is one of the most advanced and talented linebackers in the country. He possesses all the traits you want in a modern linebacker. He has size (6-2, 230), he is athletic, he is very instinctive, he is physical and he can play with range in the run game, pass game and as a pass rusher.

2024 Spring Impact: Notre Dame has a very talented linebacker room, so you'll have to be really, really good to make an early push in that room. But that's exactly what Viliamu-Asa is, he's the kind of physical, talented, athletic player that could make a quick rise up the depth chart. I'm curious to see where Notre Dame starts him (Mike or Will), and how being in the strength program enhances (or not) his change of direction and first step. Getting a head start on learning the defense only increases the odds that Viliamu-Asa at the very least earns a starting special teams role and emerges as a part of the linebacker rotation.

S KENNEDY URLACHER

Young isn't the only son of a NFL Hall of Famer joining the Notre Dame team in 2024. Urlacher is what you'd expect considering his lineage, he's a physical football player that does his best work as a hitter. Urlacher is a quality athlete that has shown himself to be an impact run defender, and if the rest of his game can match that he'll add a playmaker on the back end of the defense.

2024 Spring Impact: Urlacher is an interesting prospect in that I absolutely love his film as a run defender and hitter, but there isn't much of him playing in coverage. That part of his game will need a lot of work, and getting a head start as an early enrollee is exactly what he needs. Chris O'Leary is a very good teacher, and Urlacher getting 15 extra practice/game opportunities to learn the finer points of playing the pass is important. I wouldn't be surprised if very early on he becomes a player that Marty Biagi advocates for getting on his coverage units.

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Irish Breakdown Content

2024 Scholarship Chart
2023 Football Schedule

Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers

2024 Commit Rankings - Offense
2024 Commit Rankings - Defense

2024 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2024 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense

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