All-American Bowl: Midweek Breakdown Of Notre Dame Signees

With day three of practices now officially in the books, we are just one more practice day away until the All-American Bowl kicks off on Saturday. Notre Dame is well represented at the event, including 2023 signees in linebacker Drayk Bowen, defensive end Brenan Vernon, cornerback Micah Bell, safety Adon Shuler and offensive lineman Sullivan Absher.

The rest of the week will serve as a grace period before the game. There will be fine tuning of course, leaving no doubt for what the coaches expect and what the expectations will be on the field. That leaves these mid-week evaluations as a pretty important understanding for how the recruits have performed.

Capping things off is wonderful to see but the week of practice is what really matters. Taking a look at the performances of the Irish signees in attendance, as well as the growth each has had, is extremely optimistic for the future of Notre Dame football while competing against the nation’s best.

EAST SQUAD

Notre Dame will be represented by Vernon and Shuler, who are a part of an extremely talented and deep East defensive squad. Despite that depth, both players have made their mark on this week of practices so far.

DE BRENAN VERNON

The physical traits that Vernon possesses is something that is unquestionable. Long and physically well put together, Vernon came to the event after shedding over twenty pounds since the end of the season. That was the first thing that stood out early in the week was just how slimmed down the Ohio native looked and how much more explosive he looks in result.

The things you would expect from Vernon, you saw very early in the week. He plays with outstanding pad level and extremely violent hands in the run game. Add that in with the power and you have a pretty impressive baseline of traits to work with.

By far the biggest question for Vernon as you project him forward is just how much of a difference maker he could be as a pass rusher. You saw some of those concerns pop up during the week, lacking much of a pass rush plan to make a splash.

Vernon is really a two trick pass rusher right now. He has the power profile and uses it well as a bull rusher. When he gets his hips aligned and plays with a good base, he is able to create some easy power and push the pocket. Vernon also has a double swipe to get hands off of him and explode to the quarterback.

The bigger issue is that Vernon isn’t great at stringing pass rush and counter moves together right now. When his initial move doesn’t work, he can get stuck a bit and lose ground. You saw a massive step forward from Vernon during the week in that regard.

S ADON SHULER

Shuler was about as consistent as you can get during the week. From a communication perspective, he has a clear understanding of what is expected of him. He was a sponge from the onset of the week and that continued to the most recent practice.

Early on in the week, Shuler also impressed with some surprising fluidity to change directions. For a player who is revered for his impact in the run game as a tackler, Shuler was very comfortable working from depth in zone coverage. He forced several incompletions on the week and rarely gave up much, if anything.

On a snap to snap basis, Shuler just always seemed to be in the right spot. Even when wide receivers have a step, he typically takes proper angles to recover and make plays on the ball. There just isn’t many holes you can poke in his game.

WEST SQUAD

LB DRAYK BOWEN

Competing among a talented West linebacker group that includes five-star Texas signee Anthony Hill, there is a legitimate argument that Bowen has been the best linebacker on either team so far this week. The versatility that Bowen possesses is what has really been standing out this week.

On the first day of practice, Bowen showed just how talented of an athlete he is. He recorded an interception on that day, as well as making a tremendous play in space on a screen.

More impressively, Bowen has taken on the role as the MIKE linebacker for the West squad. The Indiana star has been a consistent force in the run game, filling well against the run and using his communication skills to help get the defense set.

Bowen is the real deal. Give the man his fifth star already.

CB MICAH BELL

On Tuesday, Bell was limited during practice with a back strain. He wouldn’t participate much in individual drills and the 7-on-7 portion of practice. Bell did take part in the team session, taking most of his reps at safety.

On Wednesday, Bell was a full go. He was rock solid in the early practice for the West, showing impressive short area quickness and long speed to make wide receivers of all sizes and play styles.

Later that day, the East and West met in a joint practice. Bell was even better in that setting, including coming up with an impressive interception closing quickly on an underneath route for an interception.

The week may not have gotten off to the start that Bell would have hoped but he has certainly rounded into form. He has shown over the last two weeks that he has impressive athletic skills to work with.

OL SULLIVAN ABSHER

A late addition to the All-American Bowl roster, Absher got the call last Thursday with the invite and made sure he got in on Monday to be a part of the festivities. Absher’s week of practice got off to a pretty rocky start on Tuesday, struggling mightily in pass protection during one-on-ones.

The North Carolina standout would take a massive step forward on Wednesday, showing remarkable improvement in pass protection. It was really nice to see considering that Absher comes from running a triple option attack while at South Point where taking traditional pass sets was not something he did often.

In the run game, he has been consistent all week. His size and physicality have played well in that department. Absher plays with superb pad level and effort, really doing a solid job in both inside run and team drills.

Absher showing improvements during the week was great to see. The transition to a pro style attack will not be easy but he has the necessary tools to develop well.

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

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