Five Must-Get Recruits For Notre Dame In 2021 - Offense
Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly stated in December that he wanted to land a top five recruiting class. The following five players will go a long way towards accomplishing that goal.
For each recruit, the following list involves four categories. Notre Dame’s desire to land the prospect, his recruiting ranking, a player that’s capable of playing more than one position and it must be a target Notre Dame legitimately can sign.
RB WILL SHIPLEY, Matthews (N.C.) Weddington
ESPN: 4-star - No. 22 nationally
Rivals: 4-star - No. 36 nationally
247: 4-star - No. 43 nationally
Composite: 5-star - No. 20 nationally
Perhaps no other Notre Dame prospect receives more conversation time than Shipley. The dynamic playmaker will be listed at running back, but Shipley could play slot wide receiver, flanker (X in Notre Dame’s offense), cornerback or free safety. There may not be a more versatile running back prospect from the class of 2021.
One of the reasons the 5-11, 200-pound athlete earns such high recruiting rankings stems from the ability of an offensive coordinator placing Shipley and another running back on the field at the same time. Which defensive personnel grouping will the opposition utilize? Stay with a base defense and it could lead to Shipley being one-on-one with a linebacker in the slot. Good luck, Shipley’s film tells the rest of the story.
Shipley’s recruitment appears to be concentrated on two schools, Clemson and Notre Dame, but do not discount other programs such as Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, North Carolina and North Carolina State. This would be recruiting, and that means almost anything can happen.
WR DONT’E THORNTON, Baltimore (Md.) Mount Saint Joseph
Rivals: 4-star - No. 52 nationally
247: 4-star - No. 55 nationally
ESPN: 4-star - No. 86 nationally
Composite: 4-star - No. 47 nationally
The sheer scarcity of 6-4 wide receivers with the initial explosiveness of Thornton likely can be counted on one one hand during any given recruiting class. Out of his wide receiver stance, Thornton takes off like a 5-8 slot wide receiver.
Combined with his long arms and ability to quickly turn a five yard hitch route into a 70 yard touchdown, and it’s not surprising that schools from across the country like Oregon, Notre Dame, Penn State and Maryland covet the wide receiver. He could play boundary wide receiver, flanker, or even move to defense and play free safety.
Thornton continues to closely evaluate Notre Dame and many other programs, but look for the Irish and Nittany Lions to be two of his primary suitors moving forward.
WR JAYDEN THOMAS, Atlanta (Ga.) Pace Academy
Rivals: 4-star - No. 122 nationally
ESPN: 4-star - No. 207 nationally
247: 4-star - No. 247 nationally
Composite: 4-star - No. 182 nationally
A powerfully-framed wide receiver that’s also a capable running back prospect or safety prospect, Thomas can change a game with a single play. The 6-1, 200-pound wideout been trained on the nuances of wide receiver and defensive back play, and he possesses the frame to add even more muscle and strength. This young man can help a football team in a multitude of ways.
Thomas did not yet dwindle his list of schools down to a top five, but he’s certainly considering Notre Dame. From Thomas’s Twitter account, here’s his latest recruiting update.
OL ROCCO SPINDLER, Clarkston (Mich.) High School
Rivals: 4-star - No. 55 nationally
247: 4-star - No. 63 nationally
ESPN: 4-star - No. 76 nationally
Composite: 4-star - No. 49 nationally
An excellent high school wrestler, Spindler possesses excellent athleticism for a lineman. While most teams want to sign Spindler and play him along the offensive line, he could also compete at a high level as a defensive tackle.
During his college career, that type of athleticism could allow Spindler to play multiple offensive line positions. For today’s college football world, that will also allow an offensive coaching staff to place Spindler in a position that best helps its offensive philosophy regardless of what that philosophy may be.
Spindler’s recruitment appears to be a two-horse race between Notre Dame and Michigan. Of course programs such as Ohio State, Penn State, Alabama and many others could factor into a final decision as well. Still a long way to go.
OL LANDON TENGWALL, Olney (Md.) Good Counsel
Rivals: 4-star - No. 27 nationally
247: 4-star - No. 77 nationally
ESPN: 4-star - No. 84 nationally
Composite: 4-star - No. 45 nationally
Tengwall could be favorably compared to Notre Dame commitment Blake Fisher, 6-6, 340 Avon (Ind.) High School because of his raw power and drive blocking ability. Also like Fisher, Tengwall could be successful at offensive tackle or offensive guard. He’s not just a power player either.
Tengwall possesses the quickness to be a threat to get down field in the screen game and spring a big gain with an open-field block versus a much smaller defender. This is the type of athleticism that college coaches seek for a spread offense like the one the Irish employ.
As most Irish recruiting fans may already know, Tengwall already dwindled his list of schools down to a select two. The Irish will be trying to upset the perceived favorite Nittany Lions. For some reason, Notre Dame and Penn State will be butting heads for many top recruits this year, Tengwall included.
Tomorrow will be a look at five defensive players the Irish need to sign to have a top five class, with an added surprise.
