Notre Dame Recruiting Mailbag

In the second installment of this week’s recruiting mailbag we talk Vyper options now that Keon Keeley has de-committed. Offensive tackle and wide receiver recruiting were also discussed, as well as a little fun grading a couple of other schools' recruiting efforts. All in all, it was another fantastic week of questions that were submitted!

As always, the questions were brought to you by the wonderful subscribers over at the Irish Breakdown premium message board. With the season right around the corner, it’s never a bad time to discuss some recruiting!

@cethclark60: What Vyper prospects have you heard Notre Dame is interested in and who do you want Notre Dame to target?

@ryanloftus93: With Keon (Keeley) gone, who are some names we should know or look out for?

It’s the million dollar question after Keeley opted to decommit from Notre Dame. The staff is continuing to do their evaluations and I would expect the board to continue to expand moving forward. That process has already started. There are some players on the board we aren't at liberty to mention yet because they are committed to other schools, but the board is definitely expanding.

The Irish staff recently extended offers to a couple of talented defensive end recruits, including Caleb Herring, Blake Purchase and Jaeden Moore.

Herring is the highest rated of the crew, currently pegged as the No. 79 overall player and No. 11 edge in the class according to 247Sports. The 6-6, 220-pound defender is currently committed to the University of Tennessee but Notre Dame seems intent to at least poke around and see what traction they can create. The Volunteers also have another talented defensive end committed in Chandavian Bradley, who the staff had already extended an offer to prior to the Keeley decommitment. His upside is immense and should be a player to watch, but right now there isn't a great deal of interest.

Purchase is a really intriguing player. Out of the state of Colorado, he is built a lot more like an inside linebacker than defensive end. His team uses him as an overhang defender a ton on top of his abilities as a pass rusher. Purchase brings a really intriguing skill set to the table for the vyper position who can do a little bit of everything.

Moore is the most recent addition to the board, but he also recently committed to Oregon. His production is off of the charts for Central Valley Christian, combining for 155 total tackles, 30 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks. The 6-3, 225-pound pass rusher is all over the field, showcasing a solid blend of athleticism and effort on the field. He is a bit raw and a pure upside pick right now but the staff clearly sees some traits that they like.

Notre Dame's staff doesn't appear to be in a hurry to fill the void and will likely go through the season in order to evaluate more players and continue getting their top targets on campus for games.

@chesneyb: This is my first time posting here so let’s see if this will make it. With high hopes that Notre Dame will have a solid season how do you think recruits will react if Notre Dame falters and has a bad season under a first year head coach?

I think that really depends on what you would constitute as a bad season.. If it is an absolutely dreadful year and they finish 7-5 or worse then it creates some doubt, without question. That could really fracture that momentum. If it is just a slight down from what the program has done recently, it hurts but I don’t believe that it is debilitating. It could slightly stall momentum but I wouldn’t be overly worried about it having a long term impact. With a first year staff, the coaches can be afforded some benefit of the doubt with the transition.

@rhollcraft1: It feels like offensive tackle should be a very important position to recruit in the 2024 class. With (Joe) Alt and (Blake) Fisher likely headed for the NFL after the 2023 season, who in your opinion are the best true left tackles in the 2024 class (not necessarily on Coach Hiestand’s board)?

We have discussed this topic a bunch during the podcast. I agree that finding some nice options at offensive tackle during both the 2023 and 2024 recruiting classes is crucial. You will need insurance just in case one or both of Joe Alt and Blake Fisher declare early.

Of course there needs to be some conversation over how likely that is to happen. I think we all agree that the bookends have a chance to be very special players. I think it would be safe to assume that one could very well opt for the NFL early if their development is maximized. Both entering seems possible but far from a certainty. If it was the case, I believe that Notre Dame has a couple interesting options already on the board.

It starts with West Roxbury (Mass.) Catholic Memorial standout Guerby Lambert. The 6-7, 285-pound offensive tackle has everything you would look for in a blindside protector; size, length and quick feet. If developed properly he has high end potential. Lambert is also the teammate of 2023 defensive end commit Boubacar Traore, so the staff is already well aware of the junior to be.

The only other player on the board who has true left tackle potential is Dillon (S.C.) High School star Josiah Thompson. If Thompson does end up as a blindside protector, the offense would need to operate a little differently. He has some of the same strengths as former Miami Hurricane star Ereck Flowers. Thompson’s game is predicated on power so implementing a key emphasis on the running the football, play action and power sets would be very advantageous to his skill set.

@domengolder: Here is another one that I’ve been meaning to ask:

Can you evaluate the job Brian Kelly’s staff has done for the 2023 class down in LSU?

@bruce-shearer: Who has done a poorer job recruiting for 2023 and 2024 so far, Brian Kelly or Jim Harbaugh?

Great minds think alike once again. I decided to combine these both into one question, breaking down the jobs that Brian Kelly and Jim Harbaugh are doing on the recruiting trail.

Let’s start with good ole’ Brian Kelly, whose staff is trending in the right direction after getting off to a very slow start. They have landed a couple nice in state lands recently after failing to impact the state early on. The wide receiver tandem of Shelton Sampson and Jalen Brown is about as impressive of a one-two punch as you will find anywhere. They still have work to do but it’s been a good recovery for Kelly and the rest of the coaching staff. They currently rank as the No. 6 overall class in the 2023 cycle according to 247Sports.

Michigan, on the other hand, is an absolute mess. They currently rank as the No. 28 overall class on the 247Sports ranking, which is actually a lot higher than it has been for most of the cycle. Coming off of a season where they just won the Big Ten and made it to the College Football Playoff, it is completely unacceptable to be recruiting this lowly so far. Jim Harbaugh really hurt his teams momentum with his flirtation with the NFL this off-season and recruits are clearly hesitant. Things will need to pick up for the Wolverines soon on the recruiting trail or they could be in some major trouble.

@domhenn14: I know you guys have talked about CJ Carr and Cam Williams putting in work recruiting Ryan Wingo in the 2024 class. Does ND have a real shot at this kid? Things seem to be going well!

I can’t help but think there are weapons out there at the skill positions that are eyeing coming in to play with Carr.

Yes, I believe they have a legitimate chance with Wingo. It will, without question, be a hard fight. The 6-2, 200-pound pass catcher is a special football player and arguably the top wide receiver in the 2024 class. His combination of size, smoothness and competitiveness is hard to find.

There is clear interest between Wingo and Notre Dame, evident by the three trips he has already made to campus before his junior year has even kicked off. There are a lot of schools coming after him. With Wingo being a high academic kid, every school would love to have him. He also has a connection to the University of Arkansas, where his older brother (Ronnie Wingo Jr.) played running back. This is a recruitment that doesn’t have a clear timeline set in stone but Notre Dame is definitely in it early on.

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Ranking The 2022 Signees - Offense
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