Favorite 2024 Notre Dame Prospects

Notre Dame is off to a great start in the 2024 class, but the defensive side of the ball is playing a bit of catch up right now. Notre Dame will need to get back on track, especially in the front seven, if it's going to continue the strong defensive recruiting we saw the two previous cycles.

Every class has prospects that rank high and grade high, and there are some that for whatever reason are just some of my favorites. Prospects that I really enjoy watching and think could be big pickups for the Fighting Irish. Sometimes those prospects are highly ranked and other times they are more lowly ranked prospects.

There are obvious favorites like Justin Scott, Brauntae Johnson and Kaleb Beasley, who are big time football players. I'm going to focus on some of the lesser names, or players that aren't ranked quite as high for this list. It's a group of players that I absolutely love on film and love the fit for them in the Notre Dame defense. It's important that Notre Dame land these players, as the Irish aren't in on many of the nation's top front seven players.

The more players Notre Dame lands from this group of prospects the more excited I'll be about this class. This list will go position by position.

BRYCE YOUNG, DEFENSIVE END - Young is a very intriguing prospect in so many ways, and he's the ultimate boom or bust type of prospect. You aren't getting anything close to a finished product with Young, who is still quite raw in many aspects of the game. But whoever lands him is also getting a player with some interesting tools, and an elite pedigree. He is 6-5 and is already over 240 pounds, and when looking at his frame there's no doubt he has plenty of room to grow. Young shows strong hands, he just needs to learn how to use them. When he keeps his pads low he comes off the ball quite well, and if he can continue to fill out, get stronger and learn how to use his hands there's a chance he could be a really good football player down the road.

MYLACHI WILLIAMS, DEFENSIVE END - Williams is one of my favorite prospects in this class. He's raw and needs a lot of time in the weight room, but this is a young player that oozes potential. Williams is very long and rangy, and once he adds the necessary weight and strength he'll have a chance to be dominant. The Pennsylvania native is an explosive athlete with an outstanding first step off the line. His technique needs to get cleaned up, but his hand speed and feel for using his hands really shines on film. Blockers have a hard time getting hands on him when his technique is right, and his potential as a pass rusher is through the roof. He's not just a straight ahead speed player, with Williams showing the agility and balance to change direction with ease.

CAMERON CLARK, DEFENSIVE END - Clark is a very intriguing player. Right now he's more about upside and projection, but there are certainly tools to work with. He looks more 6-3 than his listed height of 6-5, but I like his length and tools, and his frame is impressive for a Vyper. Clark isn't quite as rangy as Williams, but he's first step is quite good. He shows good short-area quickness and change of direction, and his closing speed on the quarterback is impressive. He shows good feel in space, so I could see him dropping into coverage in some situations, but he's at his best when playing on the line. Clark shows good natural strength, and after some time in the weight room he projects to be a stout run defender as well.

KYNGSTONN VILIAMU-ASA, LINEBACKER - I really like Viliamu-Asa's game, especially as a projected Mike linebacker. He could play either inside spot, but I like his skills as a modern Mike linebacker. Viliami-Asa is an instinctive linebacker that shows quick run-pass recognition, and he closes quickly on the football. He is listed at 230 pounds, but he is a smooth mover that is very light on his feet. His downhill speed is quite good for his size and his agility allows and balance allows him to change direction with ease. He's not the kind of hitter that Junior Tuihalamaka was, but he is a strong tackler. His ability to get off blocks is impressive, and he closes on the football quite well. Viliami-Asa shows a good feel in coverage and top-notch timing as a blitzer.

COLE SULLIVAN, LINEBACKER - I will admit, it took me awhile to come around on Sullivan, but the more I studied his game the more I started to really like him as a prospect. Sullivan is a unique player that began his high school career as a tall, skinny, athletic quarterback. The Pittsburgh native is tall, skinny and long, but he has a frame that should allow him to add plenty of weight. Despite being around 200 pounds, Sullivan arrives at the football with force. Once he fills out and adds weight room strength he could turn into a thumper at the next level. He's a smooth athlete that shows impressive range, and his change of direction is quite good for such a long athlete. Sullivan is a bit of a project but his upside is really, really good.

DAVIS ANDREWS, SAFETY - Andrews is arguably the most underrated player in the country, regardless of position, and he's also one of my favorite players in this class. This kid has Top 100 talent, and I'm not quite sure why he isn't a much, much higher ranked prospect. Andrews is an impressive athlete, possessing the size and length of a rover but the movement skills of a safety. He's a rangy athlete that shows really good speed for his size, and his ease of movement really stands out. At times his footwork can slow down his transitions, but when his technique is clean he shows impressive open and run ability, and his downhill speed is top-notch. Andrews is also a smart football player that gets his hands on the football a lot and he can arrive with force as a tackler.

JAYLEN MCCLAIN, SAFETY - I give On3 a hard time for their rankings, and that criticism is warranted, but in the case of McClain they have it right, this is a Top 100 football player. McClain is also one of my favorite players in this class regardless of position, and he's a must get for the Fighting Irish. All he really lacks is great size, but at 5-11 and 185 pounds he's plenty big enough to be an impact player. McClain is a physical defender that plays the alley as well as any safety in the class, and he arrives at the football with great force. His impressive length allows him to beat blocks and make plays on the football. McClain is nimble footed and has an outstanding burst and closing speed. He'll need a lot of technical work, but he also shows good coverage potential thanks to his length, instincts, athleticism and physicality.

KENNEDY URLACHER, SAFETY - Urlacher is an intriguing prospect with excellent DNA. As you'd expect, Urlacher is a thumper in the run game, but there's a lot more to his game than that. I like his size (6-0, 185), and he's a fluid and agile athlete that moves with ease. He's not a burner, but Urlacher gets to top speed in a hurry, he shows top-notch closing speed and his change of direction stands out. He shows a good feel for man coverage, he can play the alleys and although we don't see it much, but when asked to play over the top he shows really good range as a deep safety. Urlacher is a smart player that shows god route recognition and he plays the ball well in the air.

JON MITCHELL, CORNERBACK - Although Beasley is the big name on the board, a player that I also really, really like is Mitchell. The Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin cover man isn't the biggest corner (5-11, 185), but he has really, really good length. Minus an inch or so in height, his overall frame reminds me a lot of current Notre Dame star Benjamin Morrison. Mitchell is one of the more instinctive cornerbacks I've seen in the entire class. He shows a strong natural feel for coverage and his athleticism is outstanding. His agility and transition skills are exceptional, and that combines with his overall feel to make him a high upside cover man from both the outside and the slot.

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2023 Scholarship Chart
2023 Football Schedule

Notre Dame 2023 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers

2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense

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