Notre Dame Needs To Bounce Back With 2024 Defensive Line Recruiting

The 2024 Notre Dame recruiting class took a big blow on Sunday, getting a decommitment from West Bloomfield (Mich.) High School standout defensive lineman Brandon Davis-Swain. Originally committing during the spring game weekend, Davis-Swain was actually the first commit in the 2024 class for the Irish staff. With the class getting off to such a strong start, this is a slight halt in the momentum, there is nothing around that.

That means that Notre Dame is down to just one defensive lineman in the class with Princeton (N.J.) Hun School standout Owen Wafle. The New Jersey product is a really nice start in his own right but without Davis-Swain, who is considered the No. 29 overall player in the 2024 class according to Rivals, the defensive line class will need some much needed attention.

Luckily for the staff, there is a flurry of talented players who are still firmly in play.

KEY TARGETS

The Notre Dame program has had success with twins on the defensive line in the form of Jayson and Justin Ademilola. The 2024 class boasts another talented pair of brothers, who could arguably be even more physically gifted than the Ademilola twins coming out of high school.

Windsor (Conn.) Loomis Chaffee School standouts Jacob and Jerod Smith are fantastic talents and already share some real intrigue in the Notre Dame program.

Jacob Smith, the defensive end of the two, is long limbed and explosive at 6-5 and 225 pounds. He is a true Vyper type that the staff just prioritize in the 2024 recruiting class. His ceiling is the roof in terms of Smith’s upside as a pass rusher.

Like Jayson Ademilola, Jerod Smith has some tweener traits but would best fit more than likely as a quick twitch three technique in Notre Dame’s defense. He is strong, dense and violent up front. As his body continues to mature, Smith could present a lot of matchup potential for his prospective school.

Notre Dame appears very high on the Smith twins early on, and the brothers reciprocate that interest. The staff is scheduled to make the trip to see them this week.

Another player that the staff seems high on so far is Bryant (Ark.) High School standout TJ Lindsey. At 6-5 and 270 pounds, Lindsey is a perfect fit for the power positions in the Notre Dame system.

He also has the type of frame where he could add a substantial amount of weight and potentially develop into a three technique long term. Lindsey’s combination of length and power is a difficult task to move at the point of attack for opposing offensive lineman.

ELITE NAMES TO WATCH

It was a head-scratching decision for the Irish staff to get in on Chicago (Ill.) St. Ignatius defensive tackle Justin Scott so late. A dominant player who is right in your backyard, Scott is the type of player that you need to prioritize early.

Notre Dame didn’t and it has allowed so several other notable programs to get involved. You can’t miss on this caliber of kid right in Chicago if you are the Irish staff.

The staff also had a solid standing early on with Tucson (Ariz.) Salpointe Catholic defensive end Elijah Rushing. Like Smith, he is a true Vyper type with a tremendous amount of upside. Rushing is currently ranked as a top ten overall player by both On3 (No. 9) and 247Sports (No.10), highlighting just how gifted he is as a player.

When Rushing was originally offered, he spoke frequently about his admiration of Notre Dame and the draw to the Catholic element of the school. Since then, not much progress has been made and Rushing is being pursued by several top programs across college football. They will need to flip momentum quickly to get back into this one.

The Irish staff has had tremendous success in the state of Missouri recently. They hope to make waves with Lee’s Summit (Mo.) North star Williams Nwaneri to continue that momentum.

Nwaneri is another elite level recruit who Notre Dame should have every opportunity to get into the fight with. There is legitimate intrigue from Nwaneri’s side and the progress will need to continue to stay on him. The 6-5, 240-pound pass rusher has arguably the most well rounded tools in the entire defensive line class.

With the staff missing out on defensive end Jason Moore this past class, they are targeting a very similar player in Melissa (Texas) High School standout Nigel Smith. At 6-5 and 260 pounds, Smith is another player who is a perfect fit as that big end or three technique in a defense.

He is a nuanced player for his age with an expanding arsenal of moves at his disposal. There is intrigue on Smith’s side but Notre Dame will have to play catch up to get into the picture legitimately.

Even with Davis-Swain no longer in the class, Notre Dame still has an opportunity to pull in a gap closing class up front. Al Washington has a big test in front of him and he will have to pass it after a couple blunders in 2023.

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