Notre Dame Recruiting Mailbag

If you haven’t gotten your recruiting fix yet, the month of April sure has you covered. We have school visits every week, making for more than enough talking points. The dead period will be lifted soon and even more clarity will be given on the recruiting landscape.

On this week’s mailbag, we are predicting future commitments, talking evaluation, comparisons and offensive linemen. As always, Irish Breakdown has you covered for all of your recruiting needs! The questions come from Irish Breakdown subscribers on the message board.

@bplence1189: What four man offensive line haul do you realistically see Notre Dame pulling in for the 2023 class? Hoping Samson Okunlola wants to come but right now I’m going with Monroe Freeling, Charles Jagusah, Austin Siereveld and Sullivan Absher.

I agree, any realistic 2023 offensive line group cannot include Brockton (Mass.) Thayer Academy five-star Samson Okunlola right now. Notre Dame will continue to recruit Okunlola hard but until he schedules a visit to campus, it remains a long shot.

It’s hard not to feel great about where the Irish are with Illinois standout Charles Jagusah. If he made his commitment today, I’d feel very strongly that the pick would be Notre Dame. The 6-6, 285-pounder could project favorably either at offensive tackle or inside at guard with his high level of physicality, athleticism and nasty demeanor.

A true offensive tackle recruit, Notre Dame is also in a very good position with Mount Pleasant (S.C.) Oceanside Collegiate Academy standout Monroe Freeling. He is an impressive athlete who projects favorably as a blindside protector on the next level. Freeling is a must-get in the class where there are ideally more interior players long term on the board than true tackles.

Belmont (N.C.) South Point tackle Sullivan Absher is the next ideal pickup in a realistic class for me. I absolutely love his film. Despite coming in at 6-7, Absher plays with some outstanding pad level with a gift to displace defenders out of gaps. His body might say offensive tackle, his play style and disposition may guide him inside down the road.

If I’m taking a fourth, the conversation becomes interesting between Liberty Township (Ohio) Lakota East tackle Austin Siereveld and Pfafftown (N.C.) Reagan power player Sam Pendleton. I believe I would ultimately opt for Pendleton, who I believe could ultimately end up at either guard or center long term. That versatility is a big sell for me. Siereveld has the upside of a good starting guard at the next level but that’s probably the only position he can play. That was the tiebreaker for me.

@domer123: O/U 1.5 commits by the end of April?

Over ... and maybe by a decent margin. I’d say two is a very safe bet. I personally might set it at 3.5 to have a little fun. Irish Breakdown publisher Bryan Driskell thinks the over/under should be set at 5.5.

@dymond23: Who do you think will be our next commit? It has been exciting so far.

I’m unsure who the player will be but I expect we get movement from either quarterback, wide receiver or offensive line very soon. Notre Dame currently doesn’t have a commit from any of those positions and have been trending well with several targets. There could be some notable movement soon.

@burkhartw: When do you expect the first 2024 commit? Who are some possibilities?

After my recent conversation with Malvern (Pa.) Prep offensive tackle Peter Jones after his visit, it’s hard not to feel pretty good about where Notre Dame is situated leaving that trip. He would probably be my pick for the first commit in the class. When remains to be seen. Most 2024 recruits are really still just evaluating schools and trying to work out their timeline.

Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Catholic wide receiver Emmett Mosley is another name to keep an eye on early. He is a double legacy, whose father and mother were both athletes while at Notre Dame. He should certainly have a clearer picture of the Irish than your typical sophomore in high school.

From a timeline perspective, Carlsbad (Calif.) High School quarterback Julian Sayin could be the wildcard. He has made his timeline very well known and plans to commit before the end of summer. Notre Dame is firmly in the conversation there.

@bruno: What potential 2023 recruits do you think have the highest ability to make a day-one impact in a game?

Defensive end Keon Keeley is the easy answer. With Isaiah Foskey and Justin Ademilola on the way out after the 2022 season, the vyper position will be wide open for competition. Keeley brings a rare blend of length and athleticism that should play early.

Depending on how the safety position shakes out, Peyton Bowen could also be due for some early playing time. In theory, Brandon Joseph could be off to the NFL following next season, and DJ Brown and Houston Griffith will also be finishing their Irish careers. There are still talented safeties waiting in the wings but Bowen brings a high mark of athleticism’s that could be hard to keep off of the field.

Outside of those, whoever ends up at wide receiver will have an opportunity to compete with Braden Lenzy, Avery Davis and Joe Wilkins Jr. exhausting eligibility. Whether that is someone like Carnell Tate, Braylon James, Rodney Gallagher or any other big-time talents they might land, opportunities will be out there.

@alberto: Braylon James seems like a must get. Any comparisons?

When we broke down his film a while ago, I made the comparison to Dez Bryant from a stylistic perspective. Obviously James is a skinnier guy now, which you should expect from a high school junior, but he has a 6-3 frame to add a substantial amount of mass.

James can do all of the things you’d expect from a taller wide receiver. He can win above the rim, displaying some outstanding play strength through contact. Springy is the best word to describe him, quickly getting up off the ground and finding the football at its highest point.

The part that is reminiscent of Bryant is the explosiveness off of the line. For a longer wide receiver, it really catches you by surprise. I think James has good vertical speed but I really think the explosiveness in short areas is where he is able to stack defensive backs so effortlessly.

His ceiling is extremely high.

@robosgood: What position group do you think is the highest priority in the 2024 class and who are some of the recruits ND are going after? Thanks

This is difficult to say without knowing what the roster is going to look like so far in advance. The transfer portal has made that even more murky nowadays. Just based on things we know, I’ll go with the offensive line. Following the 2023 season, offensive tackles Blake Fisher and Joe Alt may have a professional decision to make with them being draft eligible. It’s reasonable to believe that Andrew Kristofic and Zeke Correll will be off to different ventures. Who knows what else may have happened since then.

@sigismund13: I really liked Eli Bowen’s highlights. If Notre Dame ultimately lands his big brother, do you think a bit of size growth makes him an automatic take in the future? Maybe even no growth, whatever. Does he have that talent down the road in your opinion?

Kid hits incredibly well per tape, I was surprised. I liked everything I saw.

He may be a take whether that growth spurt happens or not. For a sophomore, Bowen’s eyes and overall feel for the position and phenomenal. He has easy ball skills and just has a knack for making big plays. Bowen is a little small right now but that isn’t overly worrisome due to his age. I see a more than sufficient athlete with great instincts on film. Eli Bowen can play.

@jfish: What position have you found to be the most difficult to evaluate/project accurately to the college level? Has there been a specific type of player or position that you have consistently been wrong about, and if so, how have you improved the way you evaluate those players? I appreciate your contributions to IB!

This is an interesting question. They all have their own inherent intricacies when you’re dealing with teenagers and need to consider physical development so heavily.

Interior offensive line is probably one that sticks out for me. Highlights tape can just hide a lot of issues on the interior. For the most part, it is recruits mauling opposing defenders but there is context that is mixed with that. Of course you want to dominate but when yI you get to college, that margin for error gets much smaller.

You need to look for foot quickness, balance, core strength and flexibility. Hand placement and technique can be fixed. You often can’t make someone more athletic.

@conjar: When does Notre Dame start widening their field at corner and safety?

I don’t believe that Notre Dame needs to be in a rush to widen the safety board anytime soon. Their two man class of Peyton Bowen and Adon Shuler could end up being arguably one of the top safety tandems in the nation for the 2023 recruiting cycle. If anything, I think that type of start lets you narrow down your board to go after an elite talent to end the class at the position.

Cornerback is a different conversation. If Notre Dame leaves the month of April without much progress being made then you have to expand the board a bit. The Irish believe they are in good shape with St. Louis (Mo.) DeSmet cornerback Christian Gray but the longer this one plays out, the worse it feels for the program. I also believe that Notre Dame is in a better spot with Tulsa (Okla.) Booker T. Washington two-way star Micah Tease than some. Still, getting him out of Oklahoma will be no easy feat. It isn’t quite panic time but other options should at least be talked about in case.

@drdavidesmith: I hear you guys talking about the explosive athletic ability of Peyton Bowen. He plays wide receiver and safety in high school, in large part because of the defensive back talent at his High School. Why are we not discussing recruiting him at cornerback, where his size, athleticism, NFL prospects, and NIL money seem to have a higher ceiling, and class impact?

I would be open to the possibility long term. I even talked a little about it on the last podcast. From a length and athleticism perspective, Bowen does fit the mold of a press man cornerback. Regardless of if he’s at safety, I am using his man coverage skills in the slot at times. Versatility is a huge plus in coverage for the talented Texas product.

The biggest thing for me is I think I can be a lot more creative with Bowen at safety. I would play him a ton from depth, let him use his natural range to make splash plays. He would also be used in some man coverage at times to eliminate some talented slot wide receivers. I would even use his explosiveness as a blitzer at times.

It’s just possible that his upside may be more impactful working at safety because he brings the unique versatility to do so many things very well. It can be easy to avoid great cornerbacks but great safeties is a tougher task.

Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge

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Ranking The 2022 Signees - Offense
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Defense

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