Pot Of Gold Recap: 2025 Notre Dame Tight End Board Littered With Elite Talent

One position that Notre Dame has historically recruited as well as anyone is tight end, which brings a long list of difference makers on the college level who developed into NFL players. Luckily for the Irish staff, they have already gotten a commitment in the 2024 recruiting class from North Carolina standout Jack Larsen.

The plan, as of now, is to bring in a second tight end in 2024 to pair with Larsen. That will garner a lot of Gerad Parker’s attention but the staff already has their eyes on several top talents in the 2025 recruiting class.

That includes eight tight ends who were extended offers during the Pot of Gold offer event on Friday. It is an impressive list.

A FEW NAMES TO KNOW

For the most part, the 2025 tight end board is made up from three states, Georgia, Oklahoma and Texas. In total, seven of the eight tight ends on the board hail from those territories.

Georgia is a state that has historically put out talent just about as anyone into the college ranks. That is exemplified by the trio of tight ends on the board for the Irish, including Alpharetta (Ga.) High School standout Ethan Barbour, Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton star Ryan Ghea and Folkston (Ga.) Charlton County two-sport standout Elyiss Williams.

Barbour is arguably the top tight end in the 2025 recruiting class. He is smooth and explosive at 6-3 and 215 pounds. The Georgia native functions closer to a big wide receiver who can make plays all over the field.

Ghea is much more of a traditional inline blocker than Barbour. He has some dominant moments as a blocker on film, routinely finishing defenders on the ground. There are also substantial receiving tools to work with.

Williams is one of the rawer tight ends on the board, possessing some eye popping size and athleticism on film. He is also a standout basketball player for Charlton County, which shows up consistently on film. There is a lot of interest in Williams on the defensive side of the football from a ton of programs but the Irish like his skills catching passes.

Notre Dame also extended offers to two standout tight ends from the state of Oklahoma. Weatherford (Okla.) High School standout CJ Nickson and Washington (Okla.) High School star Nate Roberts each brings interesting, yet different, profiles to the table.

Like Williams, Nickson also excels in the basketball court. On the football field, he plays like a big bodied boundary receiver. Nickson is long, smooth and springy. His upside is immense.

Roberts is your modern day YAC threat at tight end. Washington High School uses him on a lot of RPO action, utilizing his abilities to create big plays after the catch. The Oklahoma native also has some big moments in the run game.

It should be no surprise that Texas is putting out some big time talent in the 2025 recruiting class with its history of producing notable talent. Texarkana (Texas) Pleasant Grove standout Lance Jackson and Southlake (Texas) Carroll star Jack VanDorselaer each received their offers on Pot of Gold day.

Jackson is being pursued by other schools heavily, mostly for his skills on the defensive side of the football. He is very explosive linearly, presenting a lot of mismatch potential for opposing defenders. The Texas star has legitimate upside on both sides of the football.

There isn’t a better blocker on the board than VanDorselaer. The 6-4, 225-pound tight end is an absolute monster in the run game. He is an extension of the offensive line, creating easy movement at the point of attack and routinely finishing. VanDorselaer should be utilized a ton more in the passing game as a junior.

The lone member of the tight end board that does not come from either of those three states is Green Bay (Wisc.) Notre Dame De La Baie Academy tight end James Flanigan. The 6-5, 220-pound athlete is a difference maker on both sides of the football.

As if his skills on the field aren’t enough, he also brings a deep connection with the Irish program.

Of course, the name Flanigan should be very familiar to Notre Dame fans. He is the son of former Irish defensive lineman Jim Flanigan Jr., who starred for the program from 1990-1993.

After Flanigan was a standout defensive lineman for the Irish from 1990-1993, he was selected by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 1994 NFL Draft, parlaying that success into a ten year career with the Bears, Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles.

2025 TIGHT ENDS OFFERED

Here are all of the 2025 tight end recruits who were offered by Notre Dame during Pot of Gold.

TE Ethan Barbour - Alpharetta (Ga.) HS

TE James Flanigan - Green Bay (Wisc.) Notre Dame De La Baie Academy

TE Ryan Ghea - Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton

TE Lance Jackson - Texarkana (Texas) Pleasant Grove

TE CJ Nickson - Weatherford (Okla.) HS

TE Nate Roberts - Washington (Okla.) HS

TE Jack VanDorselaer - Southlake (Texas) Carroll

TE Elyiss Williams - Folkston (Ga.) Charlton County

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Irish Breakdown Content

2023 Scholarship Chart
2023 Football Schedule

Notre Dame 2023 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers

2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense

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