Grading The Notre Dame 2021 Recruiting Class: Offense
Notre Dame has wrapped up its 2021 recruiting class, and its one of the deepest and most balanced of the Brian Kelly era.
The offensive class is why this class is considered a Top 10 group. Notre Dame signed a player at quarterback, wide receiver, tight end and offensive line that ranked as a Top 100 recruit by at least one recruiting service. It also had a running back that ranked among the Top 150 nationally by at least one service.
With the class now officially complete it is time to hand out grades. Grades are a combination of meeting needs from a numbers standpoint, landing impact talent, getting players that fit the scheme and how well the class complements the current and previous class.
QUARTERBACK
Grade: A
Signee: Tyler Buchner, Ron Powlus
Notre Dame identified Tyler Buchner as its top target at the position right away, and landing him gave the Irish their potential quarterback of the future. Buchner is a unique prospect that can shred teams from the pocket, he can rip off big plays on designed runs and he’s dangerous when moving around the pocket.
I graded Buchner as a five-star recruit following his brilliant junior season, during which he passed for 4,474 yards, rushed for 1,610 yards and accounted for 81 total touchdowns. During the summer Buchner displayed a new look throwing motion, and the ball didn’t come out of his hand as accurately, as powerfully or with the same trajectory it did during his junior season.
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California canceling the fall season meant we didn’t get a chance to see if he corrected that motion, or if he was able to adapt and thrive with it. That concern dropped Buchner a bit in the rankings, but he’s still the same ultra-skilled, dual-threat talent that initially earned the five-star grade.
Powlus is nothing more than a depth player that will likely serve more of a Nolan Henry role on the offense.
To listen to former Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire break down Buchner's game and potential click HERE.
RUNNING BACK
Grade: B+
Signee: Audric Estime, Logan Diggs
The loss of Jahmir Smith and Jafar Armstrong from the roster, and the possibility that Kyren Williams could only be at Notre Dame for one more season made landing two backs in this class absolutely essential to success for Notre Dame. Landing two backs who could play early was just as important, and Notre Dame was able to do both, and it is adding a very talented two-man group to the class.
Just as important, the two backs signed by the Irish are able to play together due to their unique, complementary skillsets.
Audric Estime had a breakout senior season, rushing for 1,857 yards (9.8 YPC) and 22 touchdowns in just eight games. Estime is a big back (6-1, 215) that can be physical, but he's also nimble, a great decision maker and a highly productive back. In many ways, Estime reminds me of a faster version of Tony Jones Jr.
Logan Diggs is also a big-boded back (6-0, 200), and like Estime he can be physical when he wants to be. Diggs can lower his shoulder and rip through defenders, but he's also athletic, nimble and capable of making defenders miss in space. His decision making is impressive, and he does a lot of damage on the perimeter and in space.
Diggs is far more accomplished and experienced in the pass game than Estime, and that's an area where this duo complements each other. Estime is more of a tackle-to-tackle player, while Diggs does a lot of damage in the pass game and he is a guy who makes a living executing the outside zone, although he can also play between the tackles.
Not only do Diggs and Estime complement each other, they are great complements to 2020 signee Chris Tyree, who had a strong freshman season for the Irish.
WIDE RECEIVER
Grade: A-
Signees: Lorenzo Styles Jr., Deion Colzie, Jayden Thomas
Notre Dame needed at least a three-man receiving corps and it needed high-upside players, and that’s what the staff got. Adding to the grade is the complementary nature of the signees, to each other and to last year's class. None of the group is an elite player right now, but there is quality talent across the board, and the unit fits well together.
Pickerington (Ohio) Central star Lorenzo Styles Jr. is my highest graded member of the wideout class. He was always an impressive athlete, but as a senior he showed an extra gear that made him a game-changer as a vertical threat and with the ball in his hands. Styles projects as either a slot or the field position.
Athens (Ga.) Academy big man Deion Colzie has the most upside of the wideouts in this class. Colzie is a quality athlete for his size and he has a natural feel as a route runner. Being challenged by better players should do him some good, as should work in the ND weight room. If Colzie puts in the work he could develop into an impact player as a boundary receiver.
Atlanta (Pa.) Pace Academy wide receiver Jayden Thomas lacks the size that Colzie brings to the game or the explosiveness we see from Styles. Thomas is a quality all-around athlete that also thrives on the baseball diamond. He needs to prove he can stay healthy, but Thomas is a tough pass catcher, he’s surprisingly good after the catch, he’s a strong blocker and he’s a smart football player.
TIGHT END
Grade: B
Signees: Cane Berrong, Mitchell Evans
Hartwell (Ga.) Hart County tight end Cane Berrong is an interesting recruit, and the wide gap in how he is evaluated by the recruiting services is interesting to say the least. He is ranked as the nation’s No. 61 overall player by SI All-American and No. 51 overall by ESPN, but Rivals and 247Sports rank him as a three-star recruit.
I was in between on Berrong heading into his senior season, but the Georgia native impressed me quite a bit as a senior. His blocking continues to impress, and his vertical speed got even better. Berrong showed much-improved route running skills, which he combined with top-notch ball skills to be a difference maker for Hart County.
Wadsworth (Ohio) High School big man Mitchell Evans is a quality depth player. He’s massive (6-7, 240) and a decent athlete for his size. Notre Dame’s coaches seem to like him more than I do, and if they are right this tight end class will perform much better than my grade, and my grade shows I already think highly of it.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Grade: B+
Signees: Blake Fisher, Rocco Spindler, Caleb Johnson, Joe Alt, Pat Coogan
Notre Dame needed at least four blockers in this class and it needed tackle bodies, and the Irish checked off both boxes with this five-man class. There is one pure tackle in the class (Alt), two tackles that could also thrive inside at guard (Fisher, Johnson), and two interior blockers (Spindler, Coogan). It was a balanced class from that standpoint.
The one-two punch at the top of this class is as good as any in the country. Avon (Ind.) High School offensive tackle Blake Fisher was so good as a senior that he leaped Buchner as my top graded player. He showed improved conditioning, he reshaped his body a bit and he was absolutely dominant.
Fisher could be a multi-year starter at tackle, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he thrived at that position. It’s not hard to envision a future line that has 2020 signee Tosh Baker manning the left tackle position, Fisher dominating at right tackle, and Notre Dame having the nation’s best tackle tandem, which it had in 2015 and had again in 2020.
I could also see Fisher moving inside to guard and becoming a special player there. In fact, a case could be made that guard is where his upside is truly the greatest, but it’s about picking between which position he could be very good at that allows him to get on the field the fastest.
Clarkston (Mich.) High School star Rocco Spindler is another Top 100 caliber lineman. Spindler played guard as a junior and thrived at tackle as a senior, but his highest upside is inside at guard, or potentially even center. A former wrestler, Spindler has the power and physicality needed to be a force at the point of attack, and he’s athletic enough to be a top-notch blocker on pulls, traps and on the second level.
What keeps this class from being either an A- or A grade is that players three through five aren’t in the same league as the top two, and while there is some upside there, it’s not to the level as past classes like 2019, 2017, 2014 or 2013 in regards to the quality of the depth. Notre Dame also missed out on far too many of its top prospects behind the elite duo at the top.
Ocala (Fla.) Trinity Catholic big man Caleb Johnson is my third ranked offensive lineman in the class, and he has an impressive offer list. He’s a physical blocker that lacks the athleticism of other top tackles, but he makes up for it with length and toughness.
The player that holds the key to this class jumping up to an A grade during their careers at Notre Dame is North Oaks (Minn.) Totino-Grace tight end Joe Alt, who projects to play offensive tackle in college. Alt has a low floor, and we don’t yet know if he can add the necessary weight and strength needed to play tackle in college without losing his athleticism.
The reason I love this signing, however, is that Alt also has an extremely high ceiling. If he maintains his foot quickness, agility and balance while getting to 300 pounds adding grown man strength there’s a chance that Alt could become a really darn good college tackle. If that happens this class jumps up to an A grade.
Chicago (Ill.) Marist guard Pat Coogan is a tough blocker, but his lack of athleticism could relegate him to a depth role for much of his career. Coogan could play guard or center in the future.
GRADE KEY
A — Elite / College Football Playoff caliber
B — Outstanding / Top 15 caliber
C — Solid / Borderline Top 25 caliber
D — Subpar / Not good enough
F — Disaster
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