Notre Dame Recruiting Mailbag

The June visit chaos is right on the horizon. Heading closer to the month, recruiting excitement has hit extremely high levels.

In this week's mailbag, we discuss some heat check on players, June expectations, cornerbacks, running backs and the changing pulse around Notre Dame recruiting. Buckle up and enjoy the ride!

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

@gdavis7575: I love to hear your level of confidence (1-10) for recruits selecting ND. Thanks!

Funny that you should ask! We actually just did a confidence check on a few of the top recruits left on the board for Notre Dame. Here it is!

Just for an updated view, there are a number of recruits I feel very good about. The following list are recruits that I’d say Notre Dame either leads for, or they are clearly in the top group:

QB Dante Moore
RB Jeremiyah Love
WR Jaden Greathouse
WR Ronan Hanafin
WR Rico Flores
OT Monroe Freeling
OT Charles Jagusah
DL Jason Moore
LB Jaiden Ausberry
CB Christian Gray
CB Micah Bell
ATH Samuel M’Pemba

Obviously it’s quite impressive to think that Notre Dame is legitimately in a good position for that many notable recruits. Their fight for the potential top class in 2023 is legitimate.

The key will be the close.

@dj: On upcoming visits- Adon Shuler will be here for the Christian Gray and Caleb Downs visits. With the way (Shuler’s) dad talked about recruiting I’m sure Adon will be a huge plus for Notre Dame. Could you see a commitment from Gray at that time? I’m thinking Downs will take his commitment farther out.

After that Micah Bell will be visiting. Could you see a commitment coming immediately after that visit? June seems to be prime time to close on secondary recruiting, agree?

I think we will get a lot more clarity on cornerback recruiting during the month, yes. To your point, I think it’s huge having the Shulers back on campus during the visit. They are among the strongest recruiters of the committed recruits in the 2023 class. It certainly won’t hurt.

Gray won't be committing anywhere in June, at least not publicly. Barring a change of plans, he is set to announce his commitment on July 4th. From everything we have heard recently, Notre Dame has really flipped the script for where we thought the momentum was. I’d say that the Irish are the leader there and Notre Dame could be very, very hard to beat if they knock his visit out of the park.

As for Bell, things are also definitely trending well. If they aren’t the top school then they are right in the top group. My only hesitation is that there isn’t a tangible timeline on Bell’s recruitment and he has yet to be on campus. Could it end with a great visit? It’s possible, but it’s just not something that I am sure about currently. They can, however, at worst leave the visit as the unquestioned top school.

@ndquebec: Why has it usually been hard, and seems to remain hard for Notre Dame to recruit elite cornerbacks?

I think historically speaking, most top cornerback recruits come from areas that Notre Dame has struggled to tap into consistently. That’s the only true explanation I can come up with. On the other side, however, cornerback recruiting hasn’t been nearly as bad as it’s perceived. The Irish staff landed a very good two-man haul in the 2022 class when it signed Benjamin Morrison and Jaden Mickey.

There’s also something to be said about recruiting talented athletes who may be viewed more as high upside projects than sure things early on. Doesn’t the staff get credit for identifying a talented athlete like Cam Hart? I’d say a 6-2 cornerback with long arms and 4.4 speed isn’t too shabby. Still, I accept the premise of the question. Things can always get better. There is just always context to consider.

Another thought is that Notre Dame hasn't produced a first round pick at cornerback since 1993 (Tom Carter). Not producing a first round pick in such a long time makes it even harder to recruit elite corners.

@robosgood: Ryan in your opinion, what will the outcome of the June visits bring? I know some recruits said they want to take their time, but how many do you think will commit in June? Thanks!

It’s a great question. I think there will be a lot more clarity on the class after the month of June, but July will also stand as a huge month. I will predict, as far as commitments, there will be five commitments (public or private) for the staff by the end of the month. There seem to be a few recruitments that are trending that way as it stands.

@eawichman: If you had to take a guess at where ND will finish in the 2023 class rankings on 247, what would it be? My prediction is #4.

I’m mostly an optimist so I’m going to go higher than four. To be safe, I’ll say they finish as the No. 2 team for 247Sports. I do believe they have a legitimate shot at the top class, but it won't be easy. We know that teams like Alabama, Georgia and even Texas A&M load up their classes later typically. Regardless, Notre Dame is poised to sign a gap closing class in 2023.

@irishnation: It is pretty obvious that we aren’t in the running for Carnell Tate anymore unless a miracle appears. Did the two parties just come to an understanding that it wouldn’t work out or is ND still actively recruiting him?

We have talked about this on the board extensively in the past. To sum it up briefly, Carnell Tate is searching for something in his recruitment that Notre Dame is not going to provide. It’s a shame, because as we have stated in the past, if it was just about football fit and education, Tate would probably pick the Irish. Notre Dame hasn't stopped recruiting him but they have placed a greater emphasis on other players.

@bplence1189: Can you provide a breakdown of Ernest Willor Jr and Jordan Thomas? Two other big defensive line offers in the class of 2024.

Of course! These are by far my favorite questions. Obviously both are very different players.

Willor is an edge who projects best to the vyper position in the Notre Dame defense. His film is interesting because his high school also puts him inside a bit and takes advantage of his quickness off of the snap. Willor is a twitched up edge who has notable closing speed to finish plays. He will make a lot of plays as a true outside track pass rusher but also has a developing power profile to work inside counters as he continues to add bulk to his 6-4 220-pound frame.

Thomas, on the other hand, is a true interior player at 6-6 and 295 pounds. The New Jersey product is an incredibly difficult person to move at the point of attack. Thomas consistently locks at the point of attack, showcasing the massive arm length to his advantage. For a bigger defensive lineman, Thomas is a smooth mover who has made a lot of plays in pursuit. For a defense who wants to play multiple fronts, Thomas has the type of size, length, and movement skills to play up and down the line of scrimmage.

@dtrollhunter: I’ll always take an update on the Samuel M’Pemba visit situation. Is he still coming on an unofficial visit? Is his official visit officially being moved to the fall, etc.

Nothing has been changed at this point, but there's a chance Notre Dame and M'Pemba decide to have him shift his official visit to the fall. Barring things changing during his summer visits, the plan is that M'Pemba is going to wait until December to sign, so there's no need to force his official this summer. If it’s going to last longer than originally anticipated then wait out that official closer to the decision date to have one of the last pitches in the recruitment.

He is, of course, a player that you will always make room for so the staff intends to be in this one until the end.

@christopher-crosby: I hate to even ask this because I love all the kids in the running back room. I think there’s a lot of talent there. But it does concern me that they would take three running backs in this cycle and added another to the last cycle. It is a fair question to ask, is this staff maybe not as sold on that room as I and many others are?

Yes, it’s fair in a vacuum. I just believe that there is context to the situation. If the number does get to three, it’s because Notre Dame was able to close on an elite talent (Richard Young) and an athlete who could project to multiple positions (Jeremiyah Love). Although he was signed as a running back, 2022 signee Gi'Bran Payne could also be a Theo Riddick-type slot player. Also, keep in mind that when the 2023 class arrives Chris Tyree will be a senior and both Logan Diggs and Audric Estime will be juniors.

Ultimately, the staff just likes Young and Love enough to push for them even though they aren't a "need." They are that talented.

@lemon-pepper-lou: Hey guys! Sounds like Notre Dame has become “cool” and a place big time recruits want to check out. What do you think Coach Freeman and the staff do best in creating that culture?

You can sum it up as being different from what has been the norm for Notre Dame. It can be quantified by something that 2023 defensive line recruit Devan Houstan told me in a recent interview: “Junior Day was different than the typical. I wasn’t expecting it.” It’s being creative on the staff’s end.

Whether it is different events on campus during events, implementation of alumni, it’s just different. That has captured recruits' attention. I think the staff is more relatable and is also a more collaborative recruiting staff than in the past. We’ll see what the long term of the Marcus Freeman era looks like but one thing is certain, the pulse around the staff is just different. It’s a younger staff, for the most part, and that certainly helps to be more relatable.

Outside of that, it's an effort to sell the full vision. The perception around the program has been constantly sold by Freeman and company.

@gdavis7575: You have a current sophomore player – going to be a junior next year – that has some ability to play at the next level. How would you promote/help this athlete get maximum exposure/opportunities? He is an offensive lineman. Thanks!

This is a great question. There are a few things that can help in terms of exposure. The first one is to put yourself out there. Camps are a huge opportunity to get in front of schools and media members. Whether it is a camp directly at a school or one of the Rivals (or the million others) camps, they offer opportunity for exposure.

Some players are from smaller schools or less plentiful areas can lack exposure. Getting in front of evaluators to force them to go to the film is huge. Another thing is to not be bashful on social media - in the right way. Make sure that your bio on twitter and other social media is easy to read. Include name, school, position, hudl highlight, coach’s contact information, etc. Any pertinent information is important.

Don’t make it hard to decipher. Make it easy for prospective schools. I’d also make sure that your DMs are open and do not be bashful to pass along your information to coaches on social media. That’s how a lot of initial contact is made. It’s important to continue to highlight what you bring to the table. That is your resume.

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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