Recruiting Comparison: Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Pittsburgh Panthers

Notre Dame heads into a very intriguing matchup against the Pitt Panthers on Saturday, a team that has struggled mightily during the 2023 season. On paper, this should be a decisive victory for the Irish, who appear to boast a massive talent gap at several key spots.

From a recruiting perspective, Notre Dame has a decisive advantage. However there are several key positions, and potential matchups, that do offer some intrigue on Saturday. Let’s compare the two from a recruiting perspective, and just how much talent is on each roster.

Notre Dame Offense vs Pittsburgh Defense

From an offensive perspective, Notre Dame is built around being physical up front and having the ability to run the football. When you look at their past recruiting, it really backs up that identity. Of the starting five up front, four were ranked as four-star recruits coming out of high school. The highest was right tackle Blake Fisher, he was pegged as the No. 55 overall player in his class. From center all the way out to Fisher, each of Zeke Correll, Rocco Spindler and Fisher ranked inside of the top 100.

If sophomore Billy Schrauth mixes in, that would be another former four-star to add to the list.

The running backs for the Irish is an embarrassment of riches. The top five runners were all former four-star recruits. That includes freshman standout Jeremiyah Love, who ranked as the No. 79 overall player in the 2023 class.

Notre Dame will be opposed by a physical front seven for the Panthers, who typically play at a very dependable level. They have two four-stars in that group, including defensive end Dayon Hayes and Notre Dame transfer linebacker Shayne Simon, who ranked as the No. 90 overall player in his class. The rest of that group is made up of a bunch of tough gritty three-star overachievers.

Pittsburgh does boast a pretty talented, although under recruited secondary. It is made up of former three-star players, the expectation being former Florida transfer Donovan McMillon. Despite what appears to be a massive talent gap, the Notre Dame pass catchers will be tested.

Each of Notre Dame's top five pass catchers at wide receiver were ranked as four-star players. The highest was Chris Tyree, who ranked as the No. 70 overall player coming out as a running back. That group will need to start playing up to their talent level down the stretch of the season.

Notre Dame Defense vs Pittsburgh Offense

The Panther offense has been an extremely underwhelming group so far this season. Injuries on the offensive line have zapped what was projecting to be a solid unit. Instead, they are relying on some younger players, including starting right tackle Ryan Baer. He is the lone four-star up front for Pittsburgh, ranking as the No. 356 overall player in the class.

Notre Dame must once again have a big game from their defensive line. The Irish boast eight players on the defensive line who were ranked as four-star players coming out of high school. They have four players who ranked as top 200 players overall, including defensive ends Jordan Botelho, Joshua Burnham and Junior Tuihalamaka, as well as defensive tackle Rylie Mills.

The highest ranked player on the Pittsburgh offense is actually former Notre Dame quarterback Phil Jurkovec, who has been relegated to a backup over the last few weeks. There have been rumors of Jurkovec giving the tight end position a shot, which might be the deepest position that the Panthers have on offense. That includes former three-star Gavin Bartholemew, who has far outplayed his 1,324 overall ranking coming out of high school.

Bartholomew will have to deal with a deep group of linebackers for the Irish, including Jaylen Sneed, who was ranked as a five-star and the No. 34 overall player in his class. The sophomore is Notre Dame’s top ranked overall recruit on the defensive side of the football.

CLASS RANKINGS

Here are the class rankings of the two programs from the last five seasons. (247 Composite Ranking)

NOTRE DAME

2023 - 12
2022 - 7
2021 - 9
2020 - 18
2019 - 14

PITTSBURGH

2023 - 51
2022 - 76
2021 - 28
2020 - 45
2019 - 54

Advantage: Notre Dame

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Irish Breakdown Content

2023 Scholarship Chart
2023 Football Schedule

Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers

2024 Commit Rankings - Offense
2024 Commit Rankings - Defense

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

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