Class Impact: CB Justyn Rhett Commits To Notre Dame
Notre Dame's 2023 recruiting remains red hot as the Irish have added another huge piece by landing Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman cornerback Justyn Rhett. The Irish beat out Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma and Tennessee to earn Rhett's commitment.
Let's break down what this commitment means for the Notre Dame 2023 recruiting class and the Fighting Irish depth chart.
NOTRE DAME CLASS IMPACT
Rhett is the seventh player to commit to Notre Dame in the 2023 class. He is the fifth defensive recruit and the second defensive back, joining Irvington (N.J.) High School safety Adon Shuler.
Rhett is ranked as the nation's No. 50 overall recruit according to Rivals, which makes him the fourth commitment in the class to be ranked a Top 50 recruit by at least one service. The others are defensive ends Keon Keeley and Brenan Vernon, and linebacker Drayk Bowen.
Notre Dame landed four cornerbacks in the 2021 class and have two more committed in the 2022 class (Benjamin Morrison, Jaden Mickey). The staff is quite high on the current freshmen and the 2022 class has an outstanding one-two punch. The success of the last two classes means Notre Dame's focus in the 2023 class is on impact talent over numbers.
Rhett gives Notre Dame exactly that kind of cornerback. Should his ranking on Rivals stay where it is, or improve (which will be hard considering he is now committed to Notre Dame, and we know what that means), he would be the first Top 50 cornerback to sign with Notre Dame in over a decade.
Landing Rhett bumps the Notre Dame 2023 class ahead of Georgia to No. 1 in the national rankings according to Rivals. The Irish remain No. 2 behind the Bulldogs according to 247Sports.
NOTRE DAME FIT
Notre Dame covets long cornerbacks and Rhett certainly fits that mold. He's listed at 6-1 but he also has very long arms. Rhett continues to get better and better at using that length to dominate. Rhett is a physical cornerback that thrives against the run. His block destruction is quite good and he's strong at the point of attack.
Rhett has strong hands, which not only makes him good against the run, it allows him to reroute effectively in coverage. He shows a very strong punch, and as his technique improves his length will become even more of an asset at the line of scrimmage and his strength will become a greater asset when he opens and runs.
The Bishop Gorman corner is quite good when playing off man. He shows very good route awareness and he can quickly plant, redirect and drive downhill on quick and in-breaking routes. He's also quite good at using his hands to jam and reroute when working down the field.
Where Rhett needs to the most work is in man coverage. He has all the tools to be good there; length, strength, recovery speed, ball skill. The issue is that his footwork slows down his transitions a bit, but once that is improved you'll see him be a more clean open and run defender. When that improves along with better hand play he'll be even more dominant at the line.
Rhett fits into the boundary position thanks to his length, strength and ability to run. He'll need to improve his man coverage technique and effectiveness to stick in the boundary, but as I said earlier, the tools are there. His instincts, tackling and length also fit quite well at the field position.
If the man coverage skills catch up that will really take his game to a new level and would make him a truly special pickup. The reason is that would allow him to play the field and boundary with equal effectiveness, which is where Notre Dame wants to be. Having two corners that can play field and boundary with equal effectiveness means the staff can do more left-right with its alignments, which allows them to match up against any offense.
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Irish Breakdown Content
Notre Dame 2021 Roster
Notre Dame 2021 Schedule
Notre Dame 2022 Commits Big Board: Offense
Notre Dame 2022 Commits Big Board: Defense
Notre Dame 2022 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2022 Class Big Board
Notre Dame 2023 Class Big Board
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