Notre Dame Recruiting Mailbag

The month of May promises to be another jam-packed period in recruiting. Coaches are on the road, new rumors will rise, several players are expected to make decisions and of course in early June official visits start.

As Notre Dame continues to continue their tremendous momentum in the 2023 recruiting cycle, the staff has no plans to slow down anytime soon. That means the recruiting questions continue to mount.

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

@christopher-crosby: Ryan, you recently posted that a couple of new recruits have received offers from Notre Dame in the 2023 class. Are these kids takes or is it a matter of keeping them invested?

It’s tough to say initially. I believe that the best recruiting staffs are always continuing to evaluate and identify talent. Judging by the talent that recruits like offensive lineman Joe Otting and wide receiver Joshua Manning have, I think there is legitimate interest there. Whether they are takes or not, we simply don't have an answer on that yet.

Whether they get to campus in the future will be a huge indicator of how serious each situation is. They may also be a bit of a push for some top recruits on the board to consider how serious their interest is but that is purely speculation.

@irishsooner: I know we can choose to be selective with already having one running back in the class and sitting pretty good with Jayden Limar right now. There was talk of bringing Jeremiyah Love on board and finding a position for him once here. Have any of our recent trends (sitting well with Jaden Greathouse and Rodney Gallagher and opening the board up a bit on cornerback) changed our recruitment with him? Thanks!

That’s a fascinating question. Ultimately, I think Notre Dame would like to get Love in the class if possible. As you stated, however, the numbers could get tricky. I don’t think that the wide receiver board is going to change the situation much. I have a feeling his fit will come down to how the defensive back board shakes out.

The staff would like to add at least two cornerbacks to the class and potentially a third safety if the right one (Caleb Downs) wanted in the class. If the class sticks at four, I believe that Love would be a take with his versatility. If it is pushed to five defensive backs then that’s where things could get very tricky.

Regardless, I’m a big fan of Love’s talent. I’d be thrilled if he was in the class if possible.

@ptarsneynd: With Devan Houston committed, and Sullivan Absher potentially committing this week, how much can that help/push the case with Jason Moore and Monroe Freeling? Especially since both of them seem to want to take their time with their recruitments.

If Notre Dame was able to get a commitment from Absher, that would be a huge momentum boost in Freeling’s recruitment. As the Irish Breakdown staff has said in the past, they are friends who have spent a lot of time together on campus in the past and come from the same region.

Freeling has maintained that he wants to take all of his official visits but we’d be lying if we said that the team’s chances wouldn't be improved if Absher was a part of the Notre Dame class. It isn’t a package deal at all, but it would certainly be a big bonus for Notre Dame, a program Freeling is already high on.

As for the Houstan commitment, I believe it helps with Jason Moore in a couple of ways. For starters, great players want to play with other great players. Having Houstan a part of an incredible four-man class already will help with that. It also is pushing the class to its endpoint. They want to take a fifth defensive lineman and it’s no secret who the ideal last spot would go to. That means that all the energy can be put into closing on Moore. The full-court press is on.

@daniwilster: Dante Moore not included, who would be the top five recruits, in terms of need, left for the Irish to get in the 2023 class?

Wait, you don’t want to talk about Dante Moore? I’m appalled (I kid, I kid).

For me, it’d be the positions that haven’t been filled yet. Monroe Freeling at left tackle is a big one. They were able to land a really good interior offensive line prospect in Sam Pendleton but they are still waiting for that first true offensive tackle to come off of the board.

Cornerback is another huge need that took a hit when Justyn Rhett de-commited. I’d personally love both Micah Tease and Micah Bell to be a part of this class. Some would even say Christian Gray is the top target on the board. I’m good with any of the options. It’s a big cycle for the position and the Irish need to land two out of three to feel better about the Rhett departure.

Despite there being a wide receiver already on the board in Braylon James, I’d still argue that Rodney Gallagher is right near the priority list. He brings a dynamic element working in space that is very scarce on the roster. His uniqueness brings a lot to the table. From there, it’s about preference.

Some would argue offensive lineman Charles Jagusah and some would say defensive lineman Jason Moore to push the defensive line class from very good to elite. I’m good with either to be completely honest but getting both would be ideal.

@colin-mccan: Can you share your general thoughts as to why the recruiting for 2023 is so defensive-heavy right now and if/when we can expect the offensive recruiting to catch up? Do you think it will happen after the June 10th-12th visits? I’m assuming there is a slight delay due to Notre Dame pushing hard for both the quarterback and wide receiver groups and those recruits probably waiting to see how things pan out a little bit before feeling comfortable committing anywhere?

It’s a combination of a few factors.

First of all, you nailed an important element of it. Wide receivers tend to take their time making decisions on commitments, especially when Notre Dame is still trying to close on Dante Moore at quarterback.

Aside from that, coaching changes had the biggest impact on that early. While Al Washington and Al Golden were new additions to the coaching staff, you have to remember that Marcus Freeman has remained in the equation during all the transition, as has Mike Mickens and Chris O'Leary. With his defensive background, that is a huge boost for that side of the recruiting. Plus, Chad Bowden began the cycle working primarily with defensive recruits before transitioning into a role over top of the entire recruiting efforts. That was a big factor as well.

On the offensive side of the ball, there was a complete turnover outside of offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. I would expect the offensive numbers to begin building this month and then really closing the gap during June.

@charlieweislastbeltloop: Should we give up hope Notre Dame closes on Samuel M’Pemba?

Nope, absolutely not. It doesn’t feel like Notre Dame is in as good of a position with the IMG Academy star as they once were but recruiting is all about momentum. The staff just needs to flip the momentum back into their favor.

M’Pemba is obviously an incredibly talented athlete and the Irish should exhaust all efforts to land him in the class. If it doesn’t work then it doesn’t work out. The best programs in the country, however, don’t defer because things are trending away. Freeman has built a staff of relentless recruiters.

I don’t think they will shy away from a challenge.

@michaelcupero: I also am curious about the latest and greatest on M’Pemba.

Do we have an idea of what the recruit itinerary was for the Blue Gold game? I am curious what the recruits got to see. Same question for upcoming June 10 weekend.

(For thoughts on Samuel M’Pemba, see above.)

The exact schedule isn’t completely known but speaking with several recruits after the visit, there are obviously some common activities that each mentioned following the trip. There are the usual things, touring the facilities, meeting with players and coaches, and visiting with academic advisors to discuss the academic side of the university.

Of course, this event is centered around the Blue-Gold scrimmage so the game day atmosphere is a huge element for the recruits. Many of them spent time walking around campus and absorbing that environment.

Perhaps the most unique element of the experience was the alumni's presence during and before the actual game. There were presentations from several alumni, in which the recruits were able to spend some time with them and ask questions. That was an outstanding use of resources by the coaching staff.

@jeromes_busdriver: I’ve been seeing some buzz on twitter regarding the relationship Drayk Bowen has made with Jaiden Ausberry. At this point what do you feel is the likelihood of pulling him out of Brian Kelly’s backyard (literally, considering his dad is the assistant athletic director at LSU)?

After Ausberry visited South Bend in late March, the pulse of this recruitment seems much different than it had previously. I was extremely pessimistic about Notre Dame’s chances to potentially snag Ausberry out of Louisiana, or just the south for that matter.

While I’m not ready to predict that he ends up with the Irish, although I certainly feel more optimistic than previously, I have a sneaky suspicion that he won’t end up with LSU either.

Still, there is plenty of competition for Ausberry’s services. Notre Dame will need to capture the momentum again when he returns to campus for the June 10th weekend.

@aftd2007: What’s a day in the life of Ryan Roberts trying to hunt down recruiting intel?

I like to get started early. I wake up at 5:30 every day, sometimes earlier depending on my daughter’s sleeping schedule (or lack thereof). From that early start, I like to get some miscellaneous work done or start to set my day for what I want to get accomplished.

The morning is filled with text messages or calls mostly, depending on if I’m trying to get in touch with a recruit directly, coach or parent. Relationship building is huge so a lot of times, I will just check in briefly more informally. There is no secret to getting intel. The trust and development of a relationship is the biggest thing. Also reading between the lines is huge. Just like there is coach talk, “recruit talk” also exists. T

hat’s why having a pulse on what you’re hearing and tangibly seeing is big time. At the end of the day, I try to go through my to-do list and see what I accomplished. If you finish everything, that probably means that you didn’t push yourself hard enough.

Oh and some coffee is mixed in at points.

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

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