Notre Dame Recruiting Mailbag - May 16
With coaches making their rounds on the recruiting trail, the school visits might be on hold briefly but there is a lot to talk about. With several commitments on the horizon, Notre Dame is quietly filling up the 2023 class quickly.
We are back for another mailbag to continue to keep you updated on all the inner workings of the recruiting world. From Dante Moore, the wide receivers and evaluating offensive linemen, there is a lot to get to. Sit back, relax and let the recruiting juices flowing.
The questions come from Irish Breakdown subscribers on the message board.
@tyelong10: How many pages will the “Ultimate Dante Moore” thread get too before he commits?
You’re asking me to predict when Dante Moore will make his commitment? Oh, you are good! This may be the optimist in me but I don’t think it strays past the end of June. With that in mind, I’ll say the over-under should be set at 101.5. With that in mind, I’ll probably still take the over.
Moore will continue to be a hot topic until he does make his decision, and I totally get it. Here at Irish Breakdown, we have made it very well known our opinions on Moore as a quarterback recruit. The young man can be special. If developed properly, he may even be a program changer.
Of course, Moore also plays the most important position in all of sports. Quarterbacks are always going to be held intently under the microscope so I don’t imagine the conversation will lighten any time soon. If he does end up with the Irish, however, I believe he is definitely worth the wait.
bplence1189: Who is your four-man realistic wide receiver class? Are guys like Ronan Hanafin and Micah Tease going to be considered as wide receivers or athletes in this class? Could Notre Dame possibly have six players from the 2023 class playing at wide receiver?
With the Carnell Tate ship sailing, there are still a couple no brainers for me. Rodney Gallagher and Jaden Greathouse would join Braylon James in this ideal/realistic world without question. They also would have whether they could have gotten Tate or not. I’m still very high on Ronan Hanafin and would be more than okay with him being the fourth receiver in the class.
Of course, his versatility also gives a big bonus for having him in the class. Hanafin would technically be considered an athlete in this class but it appears his first stop positionally would be at wide receiver. Micah Tease would also be considered an athlete but the staff definitely prefers him in the secondary.
Another player to keep an eye on is Rico Flores, a highly productive player with a high floor. Notre Dame is working hard to make him part of the 2023 class.
Could all six play wide receiver in their college careers? Absolutely, the talent is surely there. I, however, think that they will never all play wide receiver at the same time if they all end up at Notre Dame.
@skranzam: With the soon commitment of Rico Flores, can we still take Jaden Greathouse, Rodney Gallagher, and Ronan Hanafin? How do the wide receivers remaining factor into his decision if he comes to Notre Dame?
I know the crystal balls are flying in for Flores to land with Notre Dame but I think we need to slow that roll a little bit. It’s just hard for me to buy into him being the favorite when he has never visited campus before.
Still, the team will have a chance to put it in their favor when he visits next month. Even if the team is able to land Flores, both Greathouse and Gallagher are clear takes for the program. I also believe that Hanafin would be an absolute take and they would push it to five in that regard.
Hanafin bringing versatility as an athlete to playing a couple of different spots potentially gives the coaching staff some extreme flexibility.
@michael_morris: How good is Adarius Hayes? Compared to the linebackers Notre Dame already has and includes the 2023 recruits. Do you think we can get him?
Athletically, Hayes is a rare player on the second level. Despite being just a sophomore (2024 class), he brings an outstanding frame at 6-4 and 210 pounds. His length immediately pops on film and he can run for days. There are plays in pursuit that are simply rare.
As a blitzer, Hayes’s closing speed is pretty outrageous. Strictly as an athlete, Hayes is on par with anyone on the roster and in the 2023 cycle. The upside is immense but he is still a younger player. Physical development will be paramount over the next few years, as well as the maturation from a playing time perspective. There’s no reason to believe he won’t get there but it is just unreasonable to believe that he can compete against players two (or more years) older than him currently.
By all accounts, Hayes really enjoyed his visit to South Bend. How realistic is it? It’s still pretty early to tell. Being a Florida kid, it would be a massive history out of the Southeast. The fact that they got him on campus, however, was pretty big time. Hayes looks like he’s going to be a massive priority for the Notre Dame staff.
@bluechip: Hey, Ryan, after reading your piece about the offensive line competition between Notre Dame and Clemson, I was shocked to learn that Clemson’s offensive line personnel have historically been so ignored by the NFL. With that in mind, is it possible that the “Offensive Line U” moniker may be a bit overrated? While winning two national championships, is it possible that the rest of Clemson’s offense and its defense were so elite that they could overcome what was clearly a lack of elite talent on the offensive line?
I don’t think that there’s a one size fits all approach to building a championship-level team. In the Clemson example, you are absolutely correct. They had their best moments with dynamic quarterbacks (Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence) and talented skill position players (Tee Higgins, Mike Williams, Travis Etienne, Justyn Ross, etc.) manufacturing and manipulating space. It worked for them. The problem is, however, those types of quarterbacks don’t come around every year.
They now have a completely different type of quarterback and the negatives upfront have been a detriment to their success. On the flip side, it can never hurt to recruit offensive linemen at a high level. Does Notre Dame need to do a better job consistently recruiting and developing talent at the skill positions? Of course but that still doesn’t undervalue the importance of having a great offensive line. It can hide some limitations, just like Clemson hid its offensive line’s.
It should also be noted that the moniker of "Offensive Line U" and those for other positions are meant to be specific to how teams perform and produce talent at those specific positions. It's not really about winning championships as much as its a reflection on just one position.
@pairishmen: When it comes to evaluating offensive line recruits, what are good qualities and abilities are coaches looking for?
To start, the biggest difference between evaluating a player to whether they are a better fit at offensive tackle and on the interior is a combination of unteachables and temperament they play with.
Keeping it as broad as possible, offensive tackles are tasked with working a ton more in space and in one-on-one situations against what tends to be one of the more athletic guy on the defense. Athletic ability and length become paramount in those situations. Guards and centers work in more condensed space with help, making a power profile and physicality a huge selling point and that length and foot quickness less critical.
From a recruiting level, coaches are less worried about technique. Molding the players is their job. When evaluating offensive tackles, you’re looking for those unteachables, length, foot quickness, and size. From there, the two biggest things that are important for me at offensive tackle is flexibility and core strength. Not every rep is going to be perfect so you need the body flexibility to fight back to good posture and positioning. Core strength is essential when working in the run game or sitting down against power as a pass protector.
Guards and centers have some of the same qualities but in general, core strength is even more essential for offensive guards. The ability to create power in tight spaces is incredibly important, especially when they are usually covered by very powerful defensive tackles. Centers can get by without great power. There are going to be times where they are uncovered so quickness is a bigger need. They must have the ability to work laterally and up to the second level.
Different schemes will have certain tweaks on criteria but for the most part, those traits align across the board.
@seazie: Can you explain the big end position? What is the importance of the position and why does Notre Dame not just use two vypers?
This is a great question. So much so that I wanted to make sure I answered it even though it isn’t a recruiting question! The big end position is an edge spot but there is a necessity to have the characteristics of an interior player for a couple of reasons. The easiest way to explain it is a big end is playing to the string side so they are not always in an outside shade of a tackle or tight end.
There will be a lot of times that they are in techniques that call for them to defeat down blocks or maintain outside leverage working through outside pressure. That calls for a bigger body, in both the length and size departments. Notre Dame is also a versatile front so there will be moments where they are lined up in a three-man front or the vyper is dropping, leading to that odd front. That changes a lot of the parameters of the big end position.
In many instances, you are going to play in head-up techniques in an odd front, leaving that size again a huge factor. If you used a vyper body type in that role, most likely his power profile wouldn’t be up to par to properly hold up.
@michael_morris: Hey guys. If you could only have one between Calvin Simpson-Hunt or Christian Gray. Who would you pick and why?
This is an interesting conversation of floor versus ceiling. I feel really comfortable about what Gray brings to the table. He is technically sound, intelligent, and boasts a solid blend of length and athleticism. I’m just not sure his upside is immense. Gray might be closer to his ceiling, which is fine because he’s a really good player.
Simpson-Hunt, however, is not even close to his ceiling. Simpson-Hunt is an explosive athlete who possesses some high-level long speed to turn and run with the fastest wide receivers. He does a nice job staying in phase working down the field. There is some twitchiness to his game, showing plus short-area quickness to close on shorter routes. All the tools are there but they’re raw. Simpson-Hunt needs to play more to his length at times down the field. Too often he can get lost with his back to the football. As is the case for most high schoolers, he must also continue to get stronger.
In this battle, I’m going to opt for the upside. In an ideal world, I’d like to take both but if I have to pick, I’d go with Simpson-Hunt. I’m going to trust the coaching to get the most out of him.
@bksburner: Across the defensive front, can you give us what you think will be Golden/Freeman’s ideal body type/player comp for each position along the front seven to best accommodate their multiple front scheme?
I LOVE these types of questions!
Big end: You need length and size. There are some characteristics of a traditional edge but they also must be able to play multiple alignments and hold up at the point of attack. The best Notre Dame example would be Stephon Tuitt. Ideally you’d want a big end to be the 6-4 to 6-5 range with long arms. Weight can fluctuate but being at around 275 pounds or more is a good spot to be in.
Vyper: This is a spot that can be of all different shapes and sizes. Ideally you want length at this position but you can sacrifice it for twitch. This is your premier pass rusher and will have some responsibilities dropping into space. You’d still want a solid 6-4 or taller, with good arm length. The weight can fluctuate a bit. It really depends on the body type. The key is you want to be flexible and explosive in space.
3 tech: This is another prototype that has been changing a bit. Size and length aren’t as much a sticking point as they have been traditionally. Players like Jayson Ademilola flourish in that role around 6-2 and 280 pounds. I do believe that the staff would like to get a bit longer at that spot but they will not compromise that wish by sacrificing movement skills. This should be a playmaking presence on the interior.
Nose: Throw the behemoth nose tackles out of your mind. In this attack-style defense, the coaching staff prioritizes penetration ability for the position. Still, the staff would like a little more size for the position than what they have currently. Length can again be essential. Imagine 6-3 to 6-4 with adequate arm length. You’d want a good 300 pounds as well, give or take. The key is a sturdy enough interior presence who still has a quick enough first step to create some penetration.
Mike: The era is changing the perception of middle linebackers. They don’t have to be the stumpy downhill thumpers anymore but they still need to have a high level of physicality. Length is also a big bonus for a position that is working through contact and at the point of attack so much. Being 6-1 to 6-2 with solid length is a big help. Packing on 235 or more pounds also helps. Intelligence is the main calling card for the position. You should think of Manti Teo when you’re imagining ideal MIKEs to come through Notre Dame.
Will: They can come long and lean or short and compact. The key is speed and explosiveness to work in pursuit. Jaylon Smith was the ideal WILL with his athleticism. They are going to be unblocked a lot so having well-disciplined WILLs with dynamic burst is essential.
Rover: This is another prototype that can vary a bunch. We have seen very different body types play well here, like Drue Tranquill and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah for instance. Key things you want are explosiveness, comfort working in space, and the ability to still play inside the box as a linebacker as well. So it’s basically half safety and half linebacker. Length can be a big-time help but isn’t necessarily required. Ideally, you are talking between 6-1 and 6-3. The weight can vary a bit but you still want to stay somewhere between 210 and 225 so that they are still a factor in the run game.
@sixtiesdomer: Ryan, I saw on another site that Chad Bowden was on the road recruiting. How is Notre Dame still able to pull that off? Before Al Golden signed, we were a full-time coach short, so it was possible. Have we researched an Alabama or Georgia loophole?
You sort of already answered your question. When the full staff of ten coaches is on the road, that’s the limit as far as numbers. Before Al Golden was a part of the staff, that left one opening so Chad Bowden was allowed to go on the road.
He is still allowed to go on the road but the number can’t exceed ten staff members on the road, so if Bowden is out there, it’s because one of the assistant coaches isn’t.
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