Notre Dame Commit Roundup: Irish Commits Kick Things Off In Week Zero
High school football made its return this past week, with games both on Friday and Saturday. There were several Notre Dame commits who made their season debuts.
The future of the Irish program was bright, including several victories, key performances and a lot of things to build off of. Let’s take a look at some of the top performances from the week.
WR MICAH GILBERT, CHARLOTTE (N.C.) CHRISTIAN
RESULT: Charlotte Christian 40, Myers Park 37
It was an incredibly entertaining, and fast paced comeback victory for Charlotte Christian on Saturday. The passing game was a big part of that, throwing for three touchdowns on the day. Gilbert chipped in with five receptions for 65 yards in the opener, including an outstanding one-handed sideline grab.
The standout wide receiver did a lot of his work after the catch, showing his ability to work through contact and create hidden yardage. Gilbert appears substantially bigger than he did as a junior, looking both taller and even more filled out.
TE JACK LARSEN, CHARLOTTE (N.C.) CATHOLIC
RESULT: Charlotte Catholic 49, South Mecklenburg 16
It was business as usual for Larsen, who hauled in three touchdowns for Charlotte Catholic during the victory. As always, Larsen showcased outstanding body control, strong hands and ability to finish in the air.
Those three touchdown receptions went for 46 yards, including one from 20, 14 and 12 yards respectively. In total, Larsen hauled in four total receptions. It was a strong start of the season for one of the most underrated members of the Notre Dame 2024 recruiting class.
OL ANTHONIE KNAPP, ROSWELL (Ga.) HS
RESULT: Roswell 41, Denmark 0
Roswell got the 2023 season off to a fast start on Friday, dominating Denmark by a score of 41-0. That final score doesn’t do the dominance justice, with the Hornets getting off to a dominant 34-0 lead at halftime before going into cruise control. Knapp and the Roswell powerful offense were way too much for Denmark to handle.
OL STYLES PRESCOD, FISHERS (Ind.) HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN
RESULT: Hamilton Southeastern 28, Carroll 14
Hamilton Southeastern got 2023 off to a hot start on Saturday, defeating Carroll by a score of 28 to 14. Prescod had several highlight blocks during the outing, showing a new level of physicality, which was nice to see after gaining about 20 pounds this off-season.
Hamilton Southeastern (1-0) will travel North Central (0-1) on Friday.
DE BRYCE YOUNG, CHARLOTTE (N.C.) CHRISTIAN
RESULT: Charlotte Christian 40, Myers Park 37
While Gilbert put together a good performance on offense, Young was arguably the player of the game on either side of the ball for Charlotte Christian. In warmups, you could see just how much bigger the Irish legacy looked. Young went from a toolsy pass rusher to an imposing defensive force up front.
On the day, Young collected two sacks, had another tackle for loss and recovered a fumble. He was a difference maker throughout the contest.
DE LOGHAN THOMAS, LAKEWOOD (Ohio) ST. EDWARD
RESULT: St. Edward 27, Center Grove 10
After transferring from Katy (Texas) Paetow this off-season, Thomas got off to a fast start for the extremely talented St. Edward squad. The twitched up pass rusher was a part of a staunch defense that put a ton of pressure on 2024 Duke quarterback commit Tyler Cherry. As a unit, they collected six total sacks, with Thomas applying a lot of the pressure.
DE COLE MULLINS, HOSCHTON (Ga.) MILL CREEK
RESULT: Mill Creek 49, North Gwinnett 14
As defender state champions, Mill Creek is expecting to be very good once again in 2023. They got off to a dominant start on Saturday, defeating North Gwinnett by a 49 to 14 margin in the Corky Kell and Dave Hunter Classic.
On defense, Mullins is the leader with Caleb Downs now suiting up for Alabama. Unfortunately Mullins suffered an injury two weeks ago during a scrimmage which has sidelined him.
LB KYNGSTONN VILIAMU-ASA, BELLFLOWER (Calif.) ST. JOHN BOSCO
RESULT: St. John Bosco 42, Liberty 22
It was business as usual on Friday for St. John Bosco, who defeated Liberty by a score of 42 to 22. The Braves are coming off of a dominant 13-1 season in 2022, including a state and national championship. The team is an embarrassment of riches, boasting big time players at seemingly every position, including Viliamu-Asa as arguably the top defender.
Since 2013, St. John Bosco has gone 120-14 under Head Coach Jason Negro. Calling the program dominant would be a massive understatement.
CB KARSON HOBBS, CINCINNATI (Ohio) ARCHBISHOP MOELLER
RESULT: Ben Davis 49, Archbishop Moeller 28
Archbishop Moeller has some massive expectations for the 2023 season, coming off of a 12-2 campaign last season. The season did not get off to the greatest start on Friday, falling to Ben Davis by a score of 49 to 28. That ruined an awesome storyline for Hobbs, who made a speedy return from an off-season thumb surgery. The senior defensive back ended the outing with five total tackles.
Ben Davis, a power in Indiana, stole the show. Arguably the top player on either side was junior athlete Mark Zackery IV, who had a couple big plays in this game. The first was a 67 yard touchdown catch working against cover two early in the game.
The other happened right before halftime. Archbishop Moeller was trying to score and cut it to a one score game when the offense fumbled. Zackery picked the football up and raced 99 yards for another score.
S TAEBRON BENNIE-POWELL, WEST CHESTER (Ohio) LAKOTA WEST
RESULT: St. Xavier 10, Lakota West 0
Despite a tough 10 to 0 loss to St. Xavier, the Lakota West defense came to play on Friday. Senior safety Taebron Bennie-Powell was active during his return to the safety position, making several plays on defense on top of blocking a field goal. The team will look to get back on when they take on Princeton (1-0) at home on Friday.
S BRAUNTAE JOHNSON, FORT WAYNE (Ind.) NORTH SIDE
RESULT: Northridge 26, North Side 13
Unfortunately Johnson was not available for North Side due to a lower leg injury, which isn’t considered serious. In his absence, the Legends fell 26 to 13 to Northridge. The talented two-way star is expected to be back by week three.
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