Notre Dame Makes Final 5 For Elite 2022 Defensive End
Notre Dame already has three defensive linemen committed in the 2022 class, and if the Irish are going to take another he has to be an elite player. That is exactly what Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman defensive end Cyrus Moss is, an elite prospect, and one the Irish would still love to have.
Moss narrowed his expansive list of schools down to just five, and Notre Dame has made the cut.
Notre Dame made the cut along with Clemson, Oregon, Florida and Arizona State.
The Irish will hope to get Moss on campus this summer, and that is what would give Notre Dame its best shot at climbing to the very top of his list.
Moss is ranked as the nation’s No. 31 overall player according to 247Sports, and he earned a 4.5 grade on the Irish Breakdown board, which equals a Top 50 overall recruit. Moss also earned a 5.0 upside grade, which means he has elite tools.
Here is my film evaluation of Moss:
“Moss didn't get to play his junior season due to Nevada canceling the fall football season. That means right now his evaluation is based off sophomore film, and his grade is still based more on his raw tools and projection than anything else.
“The 6-4, 220-pound edge player has all the physical tools you want in a modern-day weakside defensive end. He is incredibly long, he's athletic, he competes in the run game and he has experience dropping into coverage. When you consider that Moss is still young and the film we see is just sophomore tape it's almost impossible to not get excited about what kind of player he will be by the time his high school career is over.
“Not only does Moss show excellent length for a young player, his hands are extremely fast and he has an impressive punch for such a young athlete. He shows a unique understanding of leverage and angles, and the need to anchor his base when being run at. When he gets more weight room strength his ability to dominate the edge as a run defender will be greatly enhanced, and its a big reason why I view him as a future five-star prospect.
“Moss shows an excellent burst at the snap as a pass rusher, and when he gets turned loose he explodes off the edge. His ability to redirect when running full speed is outstanding, and Moss shows impressive agility, balance and flexibility. As his game matures and he continues to enhance his hand play, develops his pass rushing repertoire and gets more weight room strength he will have a chance to turn into an elite edge rusher.
“On top of being long and athletic, Moss shows an impressive football IQ for such a young player. He makes clean run/pass reads, shows good route recognition when dropping into coverage and he doesn't get fooled very often.
“From a Notre Dame standpoint, Moss would be the ideal complement to Ford. Notre Dame's lone defensive end commit is 6-5, 250 pounds and quite powerful. Ford is an ideal fit for the strongside end position in the Notre Dame defense. Moss projects as a weakside player, which would be the old drop end position. His athleticism would also allow him to play in space, something we might see more of from that position in the Marcus Freeman defense.
“Should Notre Dame be able to add Moss to a class with Ford it would give the Irish their best one-two punch at end since 2011, when Notre Dame landed Stephon Tuitt, Aaron Lynch and Ishaq Williams in the same class.”
Related Content
Notre Dame Dream Class: Defensive Recruits The Irish Must Sign
Notre Dame 2022 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2022 Class Big Board
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