Notre Dame Recruiting Mailbag - Part I
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 will be dealing with a little bit of background information, and recent rumors. Think of this as the intel edition. Covering everything from 2023 quarterbacks, Richard Young and some 2024 recruitment, let's dive into this week's mailbag.
The questions come from Irish Breakdown subscribers on the message board.
@clearscreen25: Some people thought Notre Dame took Cooper Flanagan a little early as there were better tight ends available. What are your thoughts on him now as he seems to have improved his perception since his commitment and garnered some significant offers? Thanks!
I never thought that the staff took Flanagan too early. He is a really good football player with a fantastic frame, blocking prowess, and upside as a pass catcher. The baseline is fantastic as a valuable contributor.
The only issue I had was that the previous Notre Dame staff basically cut communication with Duce Robinson after the commitment. They had the space where they could have made room for a potentially elite talent.
It wasn’t the player that most did not like. It was the process.
@wykle1: Is Notre Dame in contact with any 2023 quarterbacks?
Notre Dame is, and will continue to recruit Dante Moore. The latest IB heard is the staff would still love him to be a part of the 2023 class, even despite people’s pessimism regarding their chances.
Notre Dame has some other 2023 quarterbacks in mind should it seem that they are out with him, and with this being such a deep class there will be other options.
@christopher-crosby: I know we are loading up at defensive linemen for 2023. There are some real elite guys out there for 2024 we have a real chance at. How many can we realistically take in 2024?
With the board potentially carrying five defensive linemen in the 2023 cycle, I anticipate that the 2024 board will be slightly smaller but not by much. The Irish have already pulled in an impressive baseline, getting commitments from defensive end Brandon Davis-Swain and defensive tackle Owen Wafle.
Both bring high floors as contributors on the next level. With them both on board, this allows the Irish staff to focus on potential elite recruits in the cycle. Names such as Elijah Rushing, Jayshawn Ross, Nigel Smith and Justin Scott should be a few that Notre Dame fans keep close tabs on.
@sean-scarborough: Thoughts on the Richard Young recruitment? Do we think his visit moved the needle at all to make Notre Dame a legit contender or is prying him from the South going to be an impossible task on this one?
Additionally, is Tyler Williams a target at all still or is that in the rear view? (if he ever was a target in the first place)
I do believe that Notre Dame moved the needle with Young last week. The question is how much. If he gets back to South Bend this fall for a game then that will change things a bit. For now, it is still a pipe dream. The next steps will be extremely telling to what interest actually is.
I have zero confidence in Williams. He is a high academic kid who does fit the profile of a Notre Dame player but he still hasn’t gotten up to campus yet. We have been told that there is interest but until that changes, I am not buying it.
@4irishgroupchat: Happy Friday guys! It’s sounding like Notre Dame knocked Richard Young’s visit out of the park with rumblings of him wanting to come back this fall for a game. Are you hearing the same and what does Notre Dame have to do to pull this off? 1-10 how are you feeling on where Notre Dame stands today?
It is a really good starting point for this recruitment. It doesn’t appear that Young is in any type of rush so that does give the Irish staff time. If they do indeed get a follow up visit from Young then I will start to feel a little differently about their chances.
For now, I believe it is still a bit of a pipe dream. I would still put my money on either Alabama or Ohio State currently but Notre Dame has clearly made an impact. Young’s next step will show a lot in regards to legitimate interest.
Right now, I’ll leave it at about three. There’s interest but it is still highly unlikely.
@ryno1134: Is this a realistic finish to the 2023 class?
RB – Jeremiyah Love
WR – Rico Flores, Jaden Greathouse, Ronan Hanafin
OL – Charles Jagusah, Monroe Freeling
DL – Jason Moore
LB – Jaiden Ausberry
CB – Micah Bell, Christian Gray
Yes, this is a very realtor finish for Notre Dame in 2023.
Right now, my only hesitation would be how the offensive line board finishes out. As we’ve stated in the past, the staff does want to get to six if it means getting both Freeling and Jagusah. They are too good to pass up.
Closing is going to be the thing to watch. Otherwise, things are trending very well with the rest of the board listed.
@dj: Can you put to rest this CJ Carr reclassifying talk? Seems CJ, family, staff, and the university haven’t said a word. All the talk is from fans.
conversation has happened but it remains highly unlikely. I don’t think it personally makes much sense from either side, and those we've talked to on the Carr side of things have said his plan right now is to play his next two seasons at Saline.
Carr is a very talented quarterback but I wouldn’t rush it. Let him have his time to develop and come along slowly. The long term is going to be the huge selling point.
Notre Dame fans should appreciate the fact that the staff just managed to sign a five star caliber signal caller for the 2024 cycle. Instead, people are panicking because of the Dante Moore situation. Let things play out.
@99problems-but-bk-aint-1: Each position coach has his recruiting board, and I know that Marcus Freeman strives to be the lead recruiter for each prospect. That said, does Coach Freeman have his own board – not necessarily limited to a singular position group, ie. linebacker since he used to coach that position group – that he specifically targets and recruits? I don’t mean necessarily recruits on his own, but is there a board that hypothetically is made up of players such as Richard Young, Samuel M’Pemba, Jaiden Ausberry, Caleb Downs – where Freeman himself takes upon himself another level of recruiting commitment?
Marcus Freeman’s board definitely isn’t limited to one position. His board is the entire board and he works off of it in its entirety to prioritize his presence. It is incredibly impressive how Freeman always seems to be involved heavily but even he can’t be everywhere.
Programs prioritize where his time is best served but it does appear that Freeman does cover even more recruits than what is the consensus, at least from a constant contact perspective such as phone calls. You would be hard pressed to find a recruit who Coach Freeman does not contact pretty regularly.
For the biggest of priority recruits, who will assist at an even higher level as the need presents itself. To sum it up, Freeman is relentless.
@hesburgh_mafia: Is it easy for you guys to get in touch with recruits and their parents? How easy is it to get interviews with them?
Wanted a little insight into the process behind the scenes. Really enjoyed having parents on the podcast and seeing the recruiting process from their perspective.
It’s a great question, and it varies heavily. There are some players that are incredibly easy to talk to and are pretty open to their process. That, however, is not always the case. Either way, I like to get in touch with either the parents or coaches on their side for added context. They each have something to put on the table as far as perspective.
Getting in touch with each can also vary. Twitter and other social media are usually the easiest way. Outside of that, emails and connections can sometimes connect those dots for you.
I believe more than anything, knowing what to ask and how to reach people is the biggest thing. Recruits are always going to say the right things about each school but actions speak a lot louder than words. Observation is the key.
Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge
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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
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