Notre Dame Will Work Quickly To Fill Its 2023 Needs At Running Back
With Miami (Fla.) Columbus ball carrier Sedrick Irvin Jr. de-committing from Notre Dame, the vaunted 2023 class no longer has a running back. The Fighting Irish staff plans to work quickly to change that, and while the board is small there are some very talented prospects on the list.
Notre Dame is certainly looking to shoot their shot with backs in this class now that things have moved on without Irvin. Running backs coach Deland McCullough now gets an opportunity to really show off his recruiting chops with the 2023 class.
Let's take a look at the players Notre Dame continues to push for at running back in the 2023 class.
JAYDEN LIMAR
The first player on the board that will make a decision is Limar, who is set to make his commitment on May 26th. Once Limar makes his decision it will give Notre Dame some clarity. This recruitment has been trending toward the Irish for some time and Notre Dame is perceived as the favorite heading into his announcement.
Limar brings a profile reminiscent of former Irish star Kyren Williams, although possessing a little better straight-line speed. The 5-11, 190-pound runner is an all-around weapon who can make plays in the run and pass game. That baseline brings a variety of possibilities to the offense if he ultimately did choose the Irish later this month.
Getting Limar in the class on the 26th would give the Irish a player whose game and style of play is very similar to Irvin's, but in a bigger, faster and more productive package. Limar is coming off a junior campaign in which he rushed for 1,549 yards (7.4 YPC) and 20 touchdowns.
Limar is ranked as the nation's No. 241 overall player according to Rivals.
JEREMIYAH LOVE
Notre Dame offered Love in late February and have seemingly been in a good position ever since. The question, however, was where would he play. With Irvin in the class and Notre Dame in strong position with Limar the question was would Love be recruited as a running back or more of an athlete. With the running back board restarting a bit it would seem the Irish can now push for Love as more of a pure running back.
Love is the most explosive running back on the board, with the. 6-1, 195-pound back possessing 10.76 speed in the 100-meter dash. Love, a standout from St. Louis (Mo.) Christian Brothers, racked up 996 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns last season on just 95 carries (10.5 YPC).
Love also boasts the type of raw athleticism that could potentially project to several positions on the next level. His game is similar to former Irish standouts Josh Adams and CJ Prosise. He is set to visit Notre Dame the weekend of June 17, and it presents the Notre Dame staff with a chance to put itself in position be standing on top when Love makes his final decision.
Love is ranked as the nation's No. 90 overall player and the No. 5 running back according to ESPN.
RICHARD YOUNG
Young is the new player on the board, at least in regard to mutual public interest. After not including Notre Dame in his Top 7 back in April, Young announced this past week that he would be making an official visit to South Bend in June.
A five-star back and the No. 19 player in the country according to 247Sports. Right now Notre Dame must be considered on the bottom of his final group, but getting him on campus for an official visit at least gives Notre Dame a fighting chance.
With Irvin no longer in the class there is actually room in the class to land all three of the backs remaining on the board. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the staff continue to look around for other backs that fit the offense, but right now the focus will be on the three standouts on this board.
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