Class Impact: Breaking Down The Commitment Of Isiah Canion To Notre Dame

Notre Dame has added an incredibly intriguing player to its vaunted 2024 class by landing Warner Robins (Ga.) High School athlete Isiah Canion. The 6-3, 195-pound Canion plays quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back for Warner Robins, but Notre Dame sees him as a potential impact wide receiver.

Let's take a look at how landing Canion impacts the Notre Dame 2024 class and how he fits into the Irish offense.

NOTRE DAME CLASS IMPACT

Canion is the 11th player to commit to Notre Dame in the 2024 class. He is the 7th offensive player and the 2nd wide receiver to commit to the Fighting Irish, joining big time wideout Cam Williams. Notre Dame also has five-star quarterback CJ Carr, running back Aneyas Williams, tight end Jack Larsen, offensive lineman Peter Jones and offensive lineman Anthonie Knapp in the class on offense.

Notre Dame landed an outstanding 2023 wide receiver class, but it was imperative the the staff follow that up with another dynamic class. The Irish need at least three receivers in this class, and it was important to add at least one more player with home run speed. Landing Canion to go with Williams gives Notre Dame two players that fit that mold, and Canion is without question one of the more underrated and high ceiling wideouts in the class.

Notre Dame could go up to four wideouts in this class, but it needed impact talent even more than numbers. Canion is that kind of player, and although he'll need technical work after playing quarterback and defensive back, as well as wide receiver, during his prep career the tools are there. This winter he measured in at 6-3 1/8, 198 pounds and ran a laser timed 4.51 at a camp, which is absolutely moving for that size.

Landing Canion gives Notre Dame a major sleeper that reminds me of when they landed Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Benjamin Morrison in that while they are somewhat low ranked by some at the time of the commitment, the film tells a different story. Canion has that same kind of athleticism and upside.

NOTRE DAME FIT

Canion is a legit college caliber starter as both a wide receiver and defensive back, but Notre Dame clearly views him as an offensive player, as do I. His size-speed combination makes him a great fit for the boundary position in the Notre Dame offense, but his big-play ability and overall agility could also fit quite nicely as an outside field receiver. It's in the boundary that I see Canion fit best, but a case could be made that he could ideally fit any of the three wide receiver spots.

Landing a player with such versatility, to go with Williams (who can also play multiple spots), means the Irish staff can focus on landing the best available players to finish off the receiver class and doesn't need to focus on landing a specific skill set. If Notre Dame lands another receiver who projects better to the boundary it can easily slide Canion to the field spots, and Williams also fits incredibly well into both field slots.

Canion will need technical work as a receiver, which isn't a surprise considering he plays so many different positions. One of the reasons he grades out as a Top 100 recruit on the Irish Breakdown board, however, is that he shows an impressive natural feel for the position. That should allow him to make a fast and easy transition to being a full-time receiver.

I love his feel for the game, but the ultimate reason I have Canion ranked so high, which includes a 5.0-star upside grade, is his combination of athletic skills and side. Canion has a great frame, checking in at over 6-3 and already weighing almost 200 pounds. He's still on the thin side, and he'll be able to easily get to 215 pounds and add even more explosiveness and strength. Canion also has very long arms and strong hands, which gives him a huge catch radius, which fits great as a boundary receiver or over the middle working the slot.

Canion explodes off the line when he gets a clean release, and his second gear shows up on film. He gets on top of corners in a hurry, and his ability to accelerate over the top of the defense projects quite nicely to the next level. Canion is also a smooth and fluid athlete, showing the loose hips and change of direction you want and need to develop into an impact route runner. Canion projects to add legit home run speed to the offense, but this level of fluid athleticism should also allow him to be an effective after the catch weapon to the degree you don't often see from a player with his size.

Canion is strong and physical as a pass catcher, which should allow him to work the middle of the field effectively and also make him an impact blocker as he adds more weight room strength.

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Irish Breakdown Content

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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