Class Impact: LB Josh Burnham Commits To Notre Dame
Notre Dame picked up a major commitment when Traverse City (Mich.) Central star linebacker Josh Burnham pledged to the Fighting Irish. This is significant for Notre Dame as it looks to build the kind of class that can close the gap on the nation's top programs.
Let's take a look at how the pickup of Burnham impacts the Notre Dame 2022 recruiting class and the Irish depth chart.
CLASS IMPACT
Burnham is the 11th prospect to commit to Notre Dame in the 2022 class. He's the fifth defensive player and the second linebacker, joining Grand Rapids (Mich.) Catholic Central linebacker Nolan Ziegler.
Notre Dame struck out completely at linebacker in the 2020 class, and while its top defensive prospect in the 2021 class was a linebacker (Prince Kollie) the numbers came up short. That puts Notre Dame in a situation where it needs numbers and impact talent at linebacker in the 2022 class.
Landing players with versatility is also very important.
Burnham earns the staff high marks in each of these areas. It gets them one step closer to meeting their numbers needs, but Burnham adds top-level athleticism and elite upside. He could play either the Mike or Will position in this defense, and he could even bring some value as a third-down pass rusher.
Landing a player with Burnham's size, skill, versatility and high recruiting profile this early in the process is huge for Notre Dame. Burnham is Notre Dame's highest ranked recruit according to 247Sports (No. 85 overall) and the 247Sports composite list (No. 115).
NOTRE DAME FIT
As I mentioned above, Burnham can play multiple positions in the Notre Dame defense, projecting just as well to the Mike and Will positions. If Notre Dame plays more 3-3-5 I could also see Burnham playing the Sam linebacker spot due to his athleticism and potential in coverage.
He's already 6-4 and 215 pounds with very, very long arms. Should Burnham fill out more than expected he could be a dynamic Vyper, or at the very least he could provide a long, athletic pass rusher as part of a third-down package.
That kind of versatility is extremely hard to find, and it's part of the reason Burnham was such a vitally important recruit for Notre Dame in the 2022 class.
Here is my film analysis of Burnham:
"The first thing that jumps out about Burnham is his frame and length. Listed between 6-3 and 6-4, and 215 pounds, Burnham possesses an excellent frame that will allow him to fill out quite a bit. Right now I project Burnham as an inside linebacker, and while I don't see it happening, it wouldn't shock me if he outgrew linebacker and ended up coming off the edge.
"Beyond a great frame, Burnham possesses elite length, which is evident on the football field and the basketball court. Burnham is an impressive athlete, showing off impressive foot quickness, easy change of direction skills and top-notch burst. Not only does Burnham have very good long speed, his short-area burst and closing speed is outstanding.
"Right now he doesn't know how to use that length as a weapon, and that is the one thing that drags down his grade a bit, at least his current grade. Burnham is still a bit of a raw prospect from a technical standpoint. He must improve his footwork at linebacker and also enhance his block destruction inside. At this point he's just getting by on tools and God-given ability, and his technical game is hindered by the fact he plays so many different positions (he plays quarterback, running back and even some wide receiver).
"While that might seem like a criticism, a talent evaluation has to love what he sees on film from Burnham. His evaluation is all about the ceiling, and his ceiling is truly elite. Burnham is already a highly productive two-way player in high school, but he's far from being a technician as a player.
"Once he starts to focus on defense you'll see his technical game improve. Once his technical game catches up to his physical tools the Traverse City Central athlete will become a truly dominant defensive player. He's just scratching the surface of what he can become, and if your focus is on his upside (and it should be) there aren't many better linebackers in the country."
Related Content
Notre Dame 2022 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2022 Class Big Board
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