Pot Of Gold Recap: Notre Dame Eyeing Small Group Of Talented Safeties

A look at the 2025 safeties offered by Notre Dame during Pot of Gold

It has been a rocky couple of recruiting cycles when it comes to safety recruiting for Notre Dame. After striking out in the 2022 cycle, the Irish staff got four commitments from some very impressive safety recruits. The problem is that Peyton Bowen flipped last minute and Brandyn Hillman was released from his national letter of intent after he signed.

That has put a lot of pressure on Chris O’Leary to really knock the 2024 cycle out of the park. On Friday, we also got an early look at some of the top safeties in the 2025 recruiting class that Notre Dame is pursuing as a part of the Pot of Gold offer event.

It was a small, but extremely talented, mix of players.

TOP NAMES TO KNOW

When you take a look at the safeties who were offered on Friday, there are two main types of defenders that the staff seems to be targeting early. The first is the true safeties who excel working from depth, providing a ton of coverage upside and versatility.

The three safeties who fit that description are Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra standout Tre’ Harrison, Cleveland (Ohio) Shaker Heights star Trey McNutt and Monroe (N.C.) High School defender Jordan Young. Each player makes a ton of plays on the football, creates big plays, but does it in very different ways.

Young is an incredibly impressive athlete, and one who is also very underrated in terms of draft rankings right now. The North Carolina native has extremely smooth hips, showing the talent to open up and work over top and play some man coverage. He is one of the more gifted cover men in the 2025 class.

McNutt brings some impressive ball skills to the table, which should be no surprise with the impact he has on the offensive side of the football. The Ohio native is that true ballhawk who has a propensity to make big plays. He also has a knack for finishing plays for touchdowns on both sides of the football.

McNutt and Young have both visited Notre Dame since receiving their offers.

In a lot of ways, Harrison is pretty similar to current Notre Dame defensive back Thomas Harper. While he may be labeled a safety, his biggest asset might be with his talents to play the nickel rotating down. Harrison has made a lot of plays working in man coverage.

The other type of safeties on the board are the bigger body types, the players who will do more of their damage dropping down, playing in the box and impacting passing lanes. The two players that fit that description are Norfolk (Va.) Maury athlete Kendall Daniels Jr. and Las Vegas (Nev.) Faith Lutheran heavy hitter Matai Tagoa'i.

In a lot of ways, Daniels’ game is very similar to former Alabama standout Ronnie Harrison. His length is impressive, creating a mess of turnovers and big plays in the run and passing game. Daniels is a long strider with the talent to create big plays.

There is a good argument that Tagoa’i might be the most imposing, and talented player, on the safety board for the Irish. The Nevada star creates a ton of big collisions, making his presence felt. His ball skills are also stellar, creating the all around impact you would want working from the third level.

2025 SAFETIES OFFERED

Here are the talented safeties that were offered during Pot of Gold day.

S Kendall Daniels Jr. - Norfolk (Va.) Maury

S Tre’ Harrison - Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra

S Trey McNutt - Cleveland (Ohio) Shaker Heights

S Matai Tagoa'i - Las Vegas (Nev.) Faith Lutheran

S Jordan Young - Monroe (N.C.) HS

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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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