An Early Look At The 2024 Defensive Recruiting Class For Notre Dame

Notre Dame landed a second straight outstanding defensive recruiting class in the 2023 cycle, and the staff will now focus on making it three in a row. With the 2023 class signed the Irish staff can now put more and more effort into the 2024 class.

Let’s take a look at some of the main marks, including some of the top targets, on the board for the defensive staff!

DEFENSIVE LINE

After signing a ton of power based defensive lineman in the 2023 recruiting class, the emphasis will be on true Vyper types for the Irish staff in 2024. Luckily for Notre Dame, those types seem bountiful in 2024 right now.

The top player on the board, although somewhat unrealistic currently, is Tucson (Ariz.) Salpointe Catholic star Elijah Rushing. The 6-5, 225-pound pass rusher is one of the more physically gifted players in the 2024 recruiting class regardless of position.

Rushing had some early interest in Notre Dame and while the intrigue is still there, this will be a massive battle for the Arizona native. The elite programs from all over college football are also in on Rushing. The Irish staff will have an uphill battle for his services.

Notre Dame has been making a tremendous impact in the St. Louis area recently and holes to continue that momentum moving forward. Although he plays his football three hours west of St. Louis, five-star Lee’s Summit (Mo.) North defensive end Williams Nwaneri is a player that the Irish staff has their eye on.

The 6-5, 240-pound pass rusher is one of the elite defensive lineman in the 2024 recruiting class. Like Rushing, competition will be fierce. Nwaneri does seem extremely open to Notre Dame so don’t count them out on this one just yet.

Although he may be listed as a linebacker right now, Largo (Fla.) star defender Adarius Hayes boasts the type of athletic frame to quickly make the move on the ball as he develops. From an athleticism perspective, good luck trying to find a defender as gifted as Hayes. He truly has special traits.

Potentially continuing the defensive line twin trend that is very familiar to Notre Dame fans, Windsor (Conn.) Loomis Chaffee School defensive lineman Jacob and Jerod Smith are a talented set of brothers that the Irish staff seem high on. Jacob Smith is another potential answer to the Vyper question marks. At 6-5 and 225 pounds, he is a twitched up pass rusher with a ton of potential.

His brother, Jerod Smith, is more in the mold of Jayson Ademilola. At 6-3 and 265 pounds, Smith projects best at big end early on in his career but has the body type that could see him work inside at three technique long term. The brothers seem to be a package deal, and an extremely talented one at that.

Focusing on bolstering the interior of the defensive line, Chicago (Ill.) St. Ignatius five-star defensive tackle Justin Scott should be viewed as a can’t miss player for Notre Dame. The 6-5, 310-pound defender is a Catholic school standout who is right in the program's backyard.

For whatever reason, Notre Dame got into the fold a little late. They allowed some other top schools to get into the fold and will now be in store for a massive fight for his services. Scott should be a massive priority moving forward.

With Notre Dame already having a commitment from Princeton (N.J.) Hun School defensive tackle Owen Wafle, who just put together a fantastic junior campaign. Pairing him inside with some length should be a priority for the rest of the class.

One of the more underrated players in the 2024 class, Bryant (Ark.) High School star TJ Lindsey has a skill set that is eerily reminiscent of former Irish star Stephon Tuitt. At 6-5 and 270 pounds, Lindsey has the type of profile to transition inside long term on the next level. His length and power profile is a big time sell.

There is a massive opportunity for Notre Dame up front in 2024.

LINEBACKER

There are a number of extremely talented linebackers on the board for Notre Dame in the 2024 recruiting class. With how the Irish staff has recruited the linebacker position over the last two cycles, it’s foolish to count them out while going after the big dogs in the class.

Some of the notable linebackers on the board include Jefferson (Ga.) High School standout Sammy Brown, Lucas (Texas) Lovejoy star Payton Pierce, Arden (N.C.) Christ School defender Cayden Jones and Stafford (Va.) Mountain View linebacker Kris Jones. Each of the standouts have been on campus at Notre Dame in the class and have some interest.

It appears that Notre Dame will continue to recruit that top group with high effort. The Irish staff should be looked at as a player for each but isn’t on the podium for either currently.

For a while now, Notre Dame has been in a good spot with Pittsburgh (Pa.) Central Catholic standout Anthony Speca. The hard nosed linebacker seems like a natural fit in South Bend. If Notre Dame makes a serious push for him, expect them to be the team to beat for Speca.

At rover, Notre Dame was in a good spot for Sunbury (Ohio) Big Walnut linebacker Garrett Stover early on. Ultimately he opted for the Buckeyes and left the rover board a little bit of a question for the Irish.

One player worth keeping an eye on is Many (La.) High School defender Tylen Singleton. A safety by trade, Singleton is a gifted athlete who has a lot of upside at multiple spots. His long term destination could be at rover as his body continues to develop.

CORNERBACK

Notre Dame had a nice win early on, flipping the commitment of former South Carolina commit Karson Hobbs from the state of Ohio. At 6-1 and 180 pounds, Hobbs has a lot of physical traits to work with.

As a press man cornerback, he has a ton of upside. Hobbs was a player that the staff quickly identified that they needed in the class.

After Hobbs, there are a series of talented cornerbacks that are currently on the board. That list includes Springfield (Ohio) High School standout Aaron Scott, who would be a tough pull out of the state of Ohio but is a player that the staff likes.

There are other names on the board like Upper Marlboro (Md.) Charles Herbert Flowers standout Braydon Lee and Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra cornerback Dakoda Fields. Both players have interest in Notre Dame but it is too early to tell just how much that interest is in the Irish.

Even though he is currently committed to the University of Tennessee, Nashville (Tenn.) Lipscomb Academy Kaleb Beasley Is a player that Notre Dame has been very high on. It appears that they will continue to recruit the talented defender until he tells them to stop calling.

SAFETY

The safety board in the 2024 recruiting class is a little blurry right now. With the loss of Peyton Bowen late in the process, the safety position has become a major priority in the next cycle, specifically to find impact talent at the position.

Arguably the most well known name on the board to Irish fans is Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco star Peyton Woodyard, who is one of the top players at the position in the class. He also happens to be the cousin of former Notre Dame standout Kyle Hamilton.

Woodyard has a nice upside as an all-around safety who can do a little or everything. The California native is being courted by several top programs, including the likes of Alabama and Georgia. Notre Dame will have to out duel those caliber of programs for his commitment.

An in-state star, Fort Wayne (Ind.) North Side standout Brauntae Johnson is an impressive athlete at 6-3 and 170 pounds. Boasting an incredible combination of length and explosiveness, Johnson is being recruited at both safety and wide receiver. Notre Dame prefers him on the defensive side of the football.

Back in the 2022 recruiting class, Notre Dame landed both quarterback Steve Angeli and defensive back Jayden Ballamy from Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic. They now have a talented defensive back in Kaj Sanders on the board in 2024. A versatile defender, Sanders brings an interesting athletic profile to the table.

So far in the process, Sanders has heard a ton from Notre Dame. They have kept consistent contact with him.

It’s the same case Irvington (N.J.) High School star Vaboue Toure, who is the teammate of 2023 Notre Dame safety signee Adon Shuler. Toure is a rangy free safety type who offered an impressive combination with the hard hitting Shuler.

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Irish Breakdown Content

Notre Dame 2022 Roster
Notre Dame 2022 Schedule

Notre Dame 2023 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers

Ranking The 2022 Signees - Offense
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Defense

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