Notre Dame Recruiting Mailbag - Part II
As is the case it seems like every week, this week's Recruiting Mailbag was flooded with a ton of fantastic questions. To answer as many questions as possible, we have once again broken up this week's edition into a two parts.
This first section dealt with a little bit of background information, and recent rumors. This edition will be dealing with hypotheticals and analysis. From potential five stars, 2024 wide receivers and an Isaiah Foskey comparison, there is a lot to get to on the second edition of this week's mailbag.
The questions come from Irish Breakdown subscribers on the message board.
@rambleon: Which players that Notre Dame is recruiting or that are committed have the ability to be a 5-star (that isn’t already)? Who do you think would actually be a 5-star?
As it currently stands, defensive end Keon Keeley is the lone five-star recruit in the 2023 class. Both Brenan Vernon and Peyton Bowen flirted with five-star status but have since faded a bit down the recruiting rankings after committing to Notre Dame.
There is one current commit who has the opportunity to rise to five-star status. There are, also, several uncommitted recruits who have the talent level to also assume those high marks with a dynamite Senior campaign.
S Peyton Bowen (commit) - The Texas native has some outstanding athletic traits, boasting a projectable frame, outstanding range and a propensity to create big plays. If he can improve the finer details of his game from a technical perspective the he has a chance to contend as arguably the most gifted safety in the 2023 recruiting class.
DL Jason Moore - The 6-6 265-pound defensive lineman currently ranks as the No. 46 overall player and No. 5 defensive lineman in the 2023 class according to the On3 consensus ranking. Moore projects favorably as the strong side defensive end in Notre Dame’s system but also has the frame to eventually transition inside as a three technique. His movement skills are not ordinary for a player of Moore’s side.
OT Monroe Freeling - The Irish have a couple of very talented offensive lineman left on the board. There is arguably no higher upside than Freeling, who projects as an outstanding blindside protector. The 6-7 285-pound offensive tackle has outstanding tools, boasting an ideal frame and premier foot quickness.
OT Charles Jagusah - There is some rawness in Jagusah’s game but the tools are incredible. This one is somewhat cheating to a degree, as Jagusah currently ranks as a five-star on the On3 ranking, including sitting as the No. 7 player in the 2023 class and No. 1 offensive tackle. While that ranking may be a little high, there’s no questioning the raw talent.
@ndtommie: Which 2023 player (committed or uncommitted) do you expect will have the biggest jump from their Junior to Senior year High school film?
Funny you ask! I actually used the basis of this question for an article recently. Here is the link to the piece.
@charlieweislastbeltloop: 2024 wide receiver Mylan Graham out of New Haven, I know Notre Dame offered him. This kid is really special! Does Notre Dame have a real shot at him? Especially that he is in Notre Dame’s backyard.
Graham is smooth, fast and explosive. He has the type of smooth style that can lull you to sleep. Once he is able to hit a crease, good luck trying to corral him.
The 6-1, 170-pound pass catcher has shown the ability to win as a three level threat, with substantial ability as an after catch threat. In a lot of ways, he reminds me of former Notre Dame wide receiver Kevin Stepherson stylistically.
Notre Dame will always have a chance with in-state players that it wants. It's very early, but Graham will likely be no different.
@irishbh70: Hypothetical, if Richard Young and Jeremiyah Love both commit, would Notre Dame give Love a shot at slot receiver? He seems open to playing wide receiver or defensive back.
The versatility that Love brings gives a staff a lot of flexibility, specifically the ability to comfortably take three running backs in the cycle. If this hypothetically did happen then I would leave all options on the table, but Love is still beginning his career as a running back.
In terms of slot receiver fit, I actually don’t love the projection for Love. Jayden Limar strikes me as a better potential fit into that role with his combination or short area quickness and comfort catching the football. Love's length, vertical speed and athleticism actually projects more as an outside receiver.
@utahirish237: How would you compare Keon Keeley to Isaiah Foskey? With the production that Foskey had last year would you predict a higher ceiling for Keon in his second and third year at Notre Dame?
The things that most pop out in comparison are the length that both Keeley and Foskey possess and of course, they both project best to the Vyper position in Notre Dame’s defense. Both are long limbed pass rushers who have some legit dudes to threaten the outside track.
Stylistically, however, they win very differently. Foskey isn’t the most flexible rusher of all time. He wins more off of impressive linear speed, with the talent to convert speed to power and use his length to his advantage.
Keeley, on the other hand, is a little twitcher and looser. He has the ability to flip his hips and bend at a higher level. That makes him slightly more finesse than Foskey.
Both players have massive upside. They just get the job done in different ways. They are the kind of players that you do not want to drop into space a ton. Pin their ears back and let them attack the quarterback.
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.
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