Gap Closers: Five Must Gets For Notre Dame In The 2023 Class

Notre Dame currently has the nation's No. 1 ranked recruiting class, and unlike past seasons there are players on the board that could allow the Fighting Irish program to finish at that spot.

Landing the No. 1 class would be fun to talk about, but more importantly there are players on the board that allow Notre Dame to close the talent gap on the top programs. There are players on the board that give Notre Dame the elite talent it needs to go toe-to-toe with anyone on its quest to win a championship.

Here is a look at the five players and/or positions that Notre Dame must hit home runs on during this cycle if it wants to truly close the gap.

1. DANTE MOORE, QUARTERBACK

Any discussion about must-gets for Notre Dame in the 2023 class must begin with Moore. Ranked as the nation's No. 7 overall player, Moore would add value to the class from a recruiting rankings standpoint, but it's his on-field talent and Notre Dame fit in the classroom that makes him such an important player for the Irish staff. Moore recently tweeted that he finished the last semester with a 4.0 GPA, just another reason he fits so well at Notre Dame.

The 6-2, 195-pound signal caller has elite arm talent and he's athletic enough to do damage with his legs. What makes him a five-star is the high level IQ he shows on the field, which includes a great feel for the game, quick decision making, elite ball placement and the ability to thrive off-platform. Moore is also a winner, and he's the kind of player that elevates everyone around him, which is a must for a championship quarterback.

Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees has done a tremendous job so far building a strong connection with Moore. The key now is closing. There are a lot of programs that want Moore, rightfully so, but Notre Dame needs Moore. It needs his on-field talent and it needs his ability to be the pied piper to an elite class.

2. CARNELL TATE, WIDE RECEIVER

Notre Dame landed a strong 2021 wide receiver class, and it landed a Top 50 prospect nationally in the 2022 class when it brought in Tobias Merriweather. Notre Dame has a numbers problem at wide receiver, and there is still another level the depth chart can and must get to from an overall talent standpoint.

Enter Tate, a 6-2, 185-pound receiver that has elite talent and an elite ranking. Tate is ranked as the nation's No. 19 overall player and No. 3 wide receiver. Like Moore, he is key to Notre Dame finishing with the top class, but like Moore it is more important to add his talent and potential the to roster. Tate is a long and smooth athlete with excellent body control and ball skills. He would fit perfectly into both the boundary and field receiver positions in the Irish offense, and he's a great complement to Merriweather.

The thing I love about Tate as a prospect is that he's not close to being a finished product, and with good coaching in college his game still has another level to get to. That only adds to the importance of Notre Dame landing him. Despite being a native of Chicago, there is no doubt that Tate will be hard to land, but Notre Dame is at least in the game. He'll be the first huge test for new receivers coach Chansi Stuckey.

3. EXPLOSIVE PLAYMAKER

Notre Dame also needs more playmakers on offense, and it needs players that have the speed and ability with the ball in their hands to be game changers. There are two players on the board that I have in mind: Jalen Brown and Rodney Gallagher.

Notre Dame has a lot of work to do with both players, but the staff needs to do what it takes to get one (or both) of them in the class.

Brown is a smooth athlete with game-changing speed. When thinking about comps he has the fluid running style of Kevin Stepherson, the game changing speed of Will Fuller and he has better hands and ball skills than both of them. Brown is a tremendous vertical threat that can take the top off any defense, but his speed and easy movement skills also make him effective after the catch.

Gallagher is a different kind of player, which is why in a perfect world Notre Dame would want both of them in the same class. Gallagher is basically a wildcat quarterback at the prep level, so most of the damage he does is with the ball in his hands. There's a lot I don't know about Gallagher as a wide receiver because of the position he plays, but all the athletic tools are there.

Notre Dame needs more speed at wide receiver, and both bring that to the table. Notre Dame needs ball-in-hand game changers at wide receiver, and both bring that tot the table. For Notre Dame to truly land the kind of game changing, gap closing class it needs one of these players, or a player like them, in the class.

4. ELITE LINE CLASS

Notre Dame landed an outstanding offensive line class in 2022, but the unit was a bit heavy on interior players. As good as the class was it didn't quite have the same elite talent at the top of the class like past great line classes possessed. Notre Dame doesn't have a numbers need in the 2023 line class, which should allow Harry Hiestand to focus on adding elite talent.

There are three players that are part of a "must get" line class for Notre Dame. Samson Okunlola, Monroe Freeling and Charles Jagusah are the prospects that would absolutely fill the "big time class" need for Notre Dame up front.

Okunlola has elite length, size and athleticism. He projects as a pure left tackle on the next level, but also also has the power and short-area quickness to be a standout inside of that gets him on the field faster. Freeling is a long, athletic tackle with an extremely high upside. Jagusah is a physical, nasty player that could play right tackle or transition inside and be an elite guard.

This trio would give Notre Dame three Top 100 prospects with incredibly high ceilings. Its the kind of line class a quarterback like Moore will want to play behind, it would be a great statement for Hiestand on the trail and it would allow Notre Dame to continue putting elite line talent on the field.

5. BIG RECEIVER

I love wide receiver classes that complement each other, and the ideal complement to a class with Tate, one of the dynamic players and tight end Cooper Flanagan is a long playmaking receiver that can stretch the field and win on the perimeter.

Notre Dame's board is still evolving here, but the targets that would fit this bill are Braylon James and Tyler Williams. Another player to keep an eye on is Jaden Greathouse. Listed at 6-1 and 6-2, Greathouse doesn't have the length of James or Williams, but he plays much, much bigger. He would also fit the "ideal complement" role to Tate and the other players, and he's also a big time prospect.

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Ranking The 2022 Signees - Offense
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Notre Dame 2023 Class Big Board

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