Class Impact: Nolan Ziegler To Notre Dame
Notre Dame picked up an important commitment for its 2022 class, landing Grand Rapids (Mich.) Catholic Central athlete Nolan Ziegler. The Irish are recruiting Ziegler as a linebacker, and his versatility makes him an even more important pickup.
Ziegler had offers from Michigan, Nebraska, Virginia Tech, Iowa, Boston College and Cincinnati, among others.
Let's take a look at what the commitment of Ziegler means for the Notre Dame 2022 class and the Fighting Irish depth chart.
CLASS IMPACT
Ziegler is the third player to commit to Notre Dame in the 2022 class, joining Indiana offensive tackle Joey Tanona and Georgia tight end Jack Nickel. Ziegler, of course, is the first defensive player to jump on board.
Prior to Ziegler, one of the two most recent commits to Notre Dame was 2021 offensive guard Rocco Spindler, which means two of Notre Dame's last three pickups came from the state of Michigan, and both were players the Wolverines wanted. That makes this a strong win for the Notre Dame coaching staff.
Notre Dame loaded up at linebacker in the 2018 and 2019 classes, landing eight players from those classes that are currently on the depth chart at the position.
That success allowed the staff to be picky at the position in 2020 and 2021, but landing just one combined linebacker in those two classes (2021 commit Prince Kollie) put the depth chart in a tough spot by the time the 2022 gets to campus. Notre Dame needs at least three linebackers in the 2022 class, so landing a player of Ziegler's caliber this early is important for the Irish staff.
Saying that means a couple of different things. The first aspect is the first player to jump on board at a position sets the bar for the rest of the class. When you have a player with Ziegler's ability, if the players you add are as good or better you have an excellent class. The second aspect is that Ziegler is a versatile player, one that projects to possibly play all three linebacker positions, but at least he has the tools to play rover or Buck linebacker.
Getting Ziegler so early is also beneficial, and the staff can now move onto its other top targets at the position.
NOTRE DAME FIT
I absolutely love Ziegler's versatility as a player. Right now he is a rover/safety hybrid, and the 6-4, 205-pound athlete registered 78 tackles and two picks as a sophomore. He registered 10 tackles in Grand Rapids Catholic Central's state title victory. He could stick at rover, but with his impressively long and broad frame he could also easily grow into an inside linebacker position.
I'm not a huge fan of comparisons, but in this instance its hard not to see the comparisons to former Notre Dame star Drue Tranquill. Ziegler, of course, is much longer than Tranquill, but their games are similar. Tranquill was a safety in high school, began at safety at Notre Dame, moved to rover and eventually grew into a Buck linebacker. Ziegler won't start at safety, but he has a similar track for growth.
Ziegler is a long strider; he can cover a lot of ground and he's comfortable in space. He makes smooth transitions and gets to full speed in a hurry, which should allow him to cover a lot of ground in space, and also gives him the traits needed to run with vertical routes in coverage.
His footwork is outstanding, and Ziegler shows suddenness and a strong burst when needed, but he also shows fluid, smooth traits when needed. Unless he completely outgrows the position, his combination of athletic traits plus top-level coverage instincts (makes great reads, knows how to play angles, can thrive in zone and man coverage from the slot) fits quite well at rover.
If he maintains this level of athleticism and adds 30 pounds he could easily develop into an incredibly athletic inside linebacker that can play to the sideline.
Ziegler is a strong form tackler for his age. He needs to fill out and get a lot stronger, but that isn't a surprise for a player that is just beginning his junior year in high school. Once he fills out and adds weight room strength I see him developing a lot more pop when he arrives at the football.
Depending on how he fills out, that pop will be needed if he moves inside. His length and strong hands allow him to keep blockers off his body already, and with more strength his block destruction in the box could become a strength. He's already excellent in this department while playing in space because he's constantly going against smaller players, and it should get better as he matures.
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