Notre Dame Recruiting Mailbag

It is finally here, the month of June is bound to bring a high level of craziness on the recruiting side of things. There are a ton of visits already planned, including this past weekend that brought several notable visitors and the Irish Invasion.

With that, we were swarmed with a ton of fantastic mailbag questions for the week. From quarterbacks, recruiting strategies, tight end recruiting and the long-term outlook of the 2023 class, there is a lot to discuss this week.

The questions come from Irish Breakdown subscribers on the message board.

@king-of-the-leprechauns: Could you please refresh us on the next players expected to make a commitment? Also, any players that we were trying to get that have committed elsewhere recently?

As of right now, cornerback Micah Bell is the next player to make a scheduled commitment on July 1st. Two more commitments are happening shortly after, with wide receiver Rico Flores scheduled to make his announcement on July 3rd and cornerback Christian Gray set for July 4th. It’s very possible that some commitment dates get finalized soon and some would precede those announcements. If nothing changes, those are the next couple that we should expect in the somewhat near future.

@christopher-crosby: I know a lot of people are really high on Christopher Vizzina. I think he is good but I wouldn’t put him in the top five of the 2023 quarterbacks, but he’s still really talented. My question is if you were a Division 1 recruiter, would the fact he is right down the street from Alabama and they never offered him concern you?

That really depends on the situation and program that I am recruiting for. If it’s a lower tier program than Alabama then no, not at all. It’s a talent rich 2023 recruiting class with loads of talent throughout. If I was a program in a similar tier with Alabama, however, it’s at least something to ponder for a second. Again, the class is fantastic but it definitely isn’t a great sign that a player in “Alabama’s backyard” didn’t receive an offer. It’s just some more context to consider.

@donjeezle: What is your floor for this 2023 recruiting class? Would a slow start to the season result in any decommits or are we essentially locked into a top 8ish class?

Top eight is far too low. Even with some halt in momentum early on in the season, it’s still hard for me to believe that Notre Dame falls out of the top five in the 2023 cycle. With that in mind, No. 4 or No. 5 seems like the floor. It would take something catastrophic for it to fall anything lower than that. I think the majority of current commits for Notre Dame are very strong. It’s always possible that there is a decommitment or two along the way but I don’t anticipate it ever being to that high of a level.

@colin-park: With Jordan Hall having all five of his official visits scheduled and seeming like he’ll make a decision in the summer, how will the staff handle Jaiden Ausberry if his recruitment goes into the season? It seems pretty likely Hall will commit before Ausberry to me.

The push for Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy linebacker Jordan Hall seems to have a lot more to do with how things were moving with Derion Gullette than Jaiden Ausberry. To keep it as easy as possible, Ausberry is always going to be a take for Notre Dame. Even if Hall and Samuel M’Pemba end up in the class, the Irish will still make room for Ausberry. They think that highly of the Bayou star.

@hambone3441: Interested in the recruiting/offer process with 2025 Westerville (Ohio) North offensive lineman Jake Cook. With him holding six scholarship offers from Non-Power Five schools, how are the Non-Power Five schools “ahead” on offers compared to other schools? Akron and the like can’t be that far ahead in evaluations … are they just shotgunning offers out?

Recruiting is not always cut and dry. There are a lot of high school football players who need to be evaluated, and with this case being a 2025 recruit, it is still very early on in the evaluation process. Also when you are Notre Dame, you have the fortune to do your due diligence. In this case, an offer may never come for Jake Cook.

It’s possible that he is a MAC level offensive lineman. If he is a Notre Dame caliber player then they will offer when the time is right. It doesn’t make them behind in the process. It makes their process different from some other schools. If schools like Ohio State, Alabama and other elite programs are way earlier for an academically oriented player then that’s when there is a flaw in their evaluation process.

@reid16: How interested or motivated do you think Notre Dame is in taking a second tight end in the 2023 class? Any players that you’d be happy to see them go after as that second tight end? Thanks!

It feels like that ship has probably sailed for Notre Dame. For a while, they were kicking the tires with Phoenix (Ariz.) Pinnacle tight end Duce Robinson but it doesn’t seem like a huge impact was made. They were in a solid standing early on but an absence after the Cooper Flanagan commitment put a steady halt to that momentum.

The staff attempted to try and get back into it but it looks like that isn’t in the cards. Aside from Robinson, Jaxon Howard was really the only other tight end that Notre Dane was linked to at all so it looks more and more that they will be comfortable leaving the 2023 cycle with just one tight end in the class.

@hambone3441: If Notre Dame wanted to take a second tight end, how would M’Pemba compare to Duce Robinson? Assume the ship has sailed on Duce as previously stated. Is Notre Dame looking at M’Pemba strictly on defense or would tight end be an option?

It’s an interesting thought. To my knowledge, defense has been the full extent of the Notre Dame outlook for M’Pemba. He would begin his career as a rover but there is a legitimate possibility that he can project to either WILL, MIKE or defensive end long term. M’Pemba also has spent time as a pass catcher early in his career and very well could fill that role if the opportunity presented itself.

He has the combination of length, explosiveness and growth potential to profile as a tight end long term. When comparing him to Robinson, however, there’s of course the fact that he has a ton more experience at the position. He is the top tight end in the 2023 class for good reason. That combination of length, athleticism and flexibility is pretty rare. While M’Pemba’s upside is immense, Robinson has “best tight end in college football” upside on the next level.

@grizzly0703: Hi Ryan! Purely hypothetical here … In your opinion is there an uncommitted quarterback out there that would fit the bill as a championship level player that would “enhance” the program. If not, do you feel Notre Dame would skip this cycle and dip into the portal for a guy needed on the 2023 roster?

Yes, there is one out there for sure and everyone knows his name. Detroit (Mich.) Martin Luther King Jr. star Dante Moore is the real deal, and that’s no big secret. He has the makings of a program changing player at the position. There’s a reason why the Irish have gone all in on the talented signal caller.

The quarterback board is beginning to thin out very quickly but there are still several talented quarterbacks still on the board. There is an argument to be made that Arch Manning and Jaden Rashada could both be those program changing quarterbacks - and I would absolutely argue it.

For Notre Dame, however, Moore continues to be the one name to know. If they weren’t able to close on him, it’s practical to assume that Notre Dame would try to dip back into some committed quarterbacks in the class to gauge interest, or begin to turn the heat up on Avery Johnson who is already on the board. Either way, the Irish would like a 2023 quarterback. It’s hard to imagine they leaving the cycle without one.

@miller2865: Is Omarion Miller, recently decommitted, a potential fit for ND (just on skills, temperament and goodness-of-fit for need, not any NIL considerations he may be looking to receive)?

From a talent perspective, Miller can absolutely play. He’s long and explosive, with some nice upside as he continues to develop. Unfortunately, there’s a lot more that determines fit besides just the talent level. Without knowing academic standing, it’s tough to speculate. Obviously Notre Dame has not offered at this point and there may be a reason that there are very few offers extended right now.

@chobingo: It seems like some of the best players that Notre Dame are pursuing (Samuel M’Pemba, Monroe Freeling come to mind) have decided to take their recruitments a bit on the slower side. Will Notre Dame be willing to wait around for these guys till later in the Fall or will Notre Dame push them to make a decision sooner so that we know where we stand and can pursue other options.

In an ideal world, Notre Dame would like both to make their decisions known as soon as possible. They are two of the bigger targets on the board and are absolutely takes no matter when they ultimately make their decisions.

The Irish are in good places with both M’Pemba and Freeling but the longer the recruitments remain open, the more unsettling each of their recruitments can become. I believe that the team will continue to do their homework on other options but they will continue to keep those spots open for both M’Pemba and Freeling. They are too good not to take.

@miller2865: Given how tight the scholarship numbers are, how does Notre Dame manage both multi-position recruits (you mentioned four in a recent article) and players who plan a late commitment (e.g. Samuel M’Pemba)?

What is your assessment of potential 2024 safety and recent offer recipient Marcus Goree Jr.?

There are certain recruits, such as Samuel M’Pemba, who the staff will be okay with waiting on. They are considered players who are too good not to pass on. The staff will always make room for players like him. As for multi-position players, their presence will count towards their initial position.

So for instance, M’Pemba would count as a rover in the initial numbers even though he ultimately could end up at another position. So the long term numbers might shake out different but the initial number is what matters most for the 2023 class.

Goree is a really interesting player, whose offer list is starting to really bolster recently. He’s a long athlete who has outstanding body control. Most of his work has come as a wide receiver, where his fluidity and length immediately pop off of the film. Those traits should translate well on the defensive side of the football, where his ball skills and fluidity should allow him to play a variety of coverages on the next level.

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

Irish Breakdown Content

Notre Dame 2022 Roster
Notre Dame 2022 Schedule

Notre Dame 2023 Class Big Board
Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board - Offense
Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board - Defense

Notre Dame 2023 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers

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

———————

Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more.

BECOME A MEMBER

Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!

Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes
Follow me on Twitter: @RiseNDraft
Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook

Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter