Notre Dame Recruiting Mailbag - Part I
We have almost made it through June, and what a month it was. On top of several commitments and various notable visits, Notre Dame has several huge targets set to make their decisions in July. Recruiting is just not about to slow down anytime soon.
It should be no surprise that I was again flooded with outstanding questions for this week's mailbag. You know the drill, we ended up breaking up the mailbag into two parts. On this first edition, we discuss 2023 quarterbacks, wide receiver recruiting, commit watch and we even talk about specialists!
The questions come from Irish Breakdown subscribers on the message board.
@jrichshamrock54: Let’s assume for argument's sake that the uncommitted QB prospect from Michigan chooses to head to the Pacific Northwest. If you’re in Notre Dame’s war room, what five 2023 quarterbacks names are on the white board to chase like an unblocked Foskey?
Not to make positive of a negative situation but the 2023 quarterback class is a really good, and deep, group. Notre Dame has to leave the cycle with a talented signal caller. Here are a couple names that are very interesting, some will ring a bell and others won’t:
Avery Johnson
This is a very familiar name to Notre Dame fans. The Kansas athlete is a bit raw as a passer but he has all the tools to work with. He’s also a dynamic runner with the football in his hands. Johnson is so athletic that he could potentially play another position if need demanded down the road. He’s a big upside play long term. This would be my top option if he could rekindle the relationship, even with him set to decide between Kansas State, Washington and Oregon early in July.
Brock Glenn
The arm strength immediately pops off film when you watch Glenn. His arm is extremely live. There is some rawness in terms of ball placement at times but Glenn is a fearless pocket passer with substantial upside as a natural thrower of the football. He is also one of the more underrated quarterbacks in the 2023 recruiting class, although that seems to be changing when you look at his offer list. Notre Dame would have to jump in soon if they want to have a chance to get in the game here.
Rickie Collins
This begins the potential flip candidates who are already committed. Collins is currently committed to Purdue, but plenty of schools are still pushing for him. One thing is certain, Collins isn’t afraid to play in the state of Indiana. The Baton Rouge native is one of the more underrated passers in the class, boasting an intriguing blend of arm strength, athleticism and upside. He is a favorite of Irish Breakdown publisher Bryan Driskell, that's for sure.
Jackson Arnold
This name should be very familiar to Notre Dame fans and faithful. Complete transparency, Arnold wanted to be Irish. Before Notre Dame opted to play the long game with Dante Moore, they were in a very good position to close on Arnold. Since then, he’s committed to Oklahoma but I would be interested to see what his response would be to a call from the staff. Rekindling the fire would be an interesting thing to watch, although right now Arnold seems all in on the Sooners.
Marcus Stokes
Stokes was someone you heard whispers about in Notre Dame circles a while ago as an underrated recruit to keep an eye on. Stokes, however, has become far less underrated nowadays. Currently committed to Penn State, the 6-1, 185-pound signal caller is rated as the No. 173 overall player and No. 10 quarterback in the 2023 class according to 247Sports. This ship has probably sailed but he would still be a player to keep an eye on for a push.
@4irishgroupchat: If you had to guess today, how many top 10 wide receivers does the staff sign in the 2024 class and who are they (247 composite)? This year's class looks like it could be a good one but I feel like next year's class needs to be a GREAT one.
Of the composite top ten wide receivers according to 247Sports, Notre Dame has extended offers to Ryan Wingo, Micah Hudson, Jeremiah Smith, Ryan Pellum, Zion Ragins, Brauntae Johnson and Nick Marsh. Out of those seven wide receivers, Notre Dame is in the best spot with in-stats star Johnson, although Notre Dame prefers him on the defensive side of the football.
The Irish staff just hosted Wingo on a visit and we were told that was an eye opening visit for the Missouri star. Aside from those two, Notre Dame seems to be in an okay spot with Hudson right now. Notre Dame also hosted Marsh for a visit during the winter. Things of course will change but that is what we’re working with right now. With that change in mind, I will say that Notre Dame ends up closing on two top 10 wide receivers in the 2024 cycle.
I agree, it has the chance to be a massive one for the Irish.
@99problems-but-bk-aint-1: I know it’s early but what are Notre Dame’s odds of landing Ryan Wingo in 2024? What 2024 wide receivers do you think ND is best positioned to land (not simply in the mix for)?
It’s just too early to make a guess from a predicting where he ends up standpoint. There is absolutely interest there. Wingo has already been on the campus multiple times, most recently with both parents this past week. Just speaking with sources close to him, Wingo is without question a Notre Dame guy.
Of course, he’s a national recruit who has the attention of every major program across the nation. I like where they are early but there is just too much that is going to happen to put a realistic expectation on it at this point.
I’d say that Glen Ellyn (Ill.) Glenbard South wide receiver Cam Williams is the player that Notre Dame has put themselves in the best position for. They have hit all the right chords with him early on and he’s set to make a decision this Wednesday. Notre Dame is in a good position heading into the choice.
@miller2865: What is the current state of Jaden Greathouse's recruitment, including his commitment timeline? He and his parents seem to have had an excellent visit, after which he canceled his University of Texas official visit and then Arch Manning committed to the Longhorns.
Greathouse has recently made us aware that he plans on extending his decision process into the fall. That may be a reason for the cancelled official visit, but he also played in a 7-on-7 event that weekend, which is the more likely reason. It’s reasonable to believe that he may want to make those game visits. It’s been the same for a long time now but we feel good about where Notre Dame stands with Greathouse right now.
If he was picking today, I believe it would be in favor of Notre Dame. Obviously him keeping it open longer gives other programs a chance to get back into the fight. Ideally Notre Dame would like to have him make his decision before the summer is over.
@albanynd: Maybe I missed something but, Notre Dame just picked up a five-star kicker. With the current problems with the kicking game, I would have thought it would be a pretty big deal.
First and foremost, I’m nothing close to an evaluator of specialists. I have people I trust in that area of evaluation and trust their analysis for the most part.
One thing I do know, “five star” kicker is not the same as the ordinary star ratings. They run on a six star system. Sailor Kicking also has Marcello Diomede as the 11th ranked kicker in the country. Currently, Diomede only holds an offer from the Air Force Academy. Could that mean something? It’s hard to tell.
Regardless, getting a preferred walk on is a no risk proposition. If he turns into a stud then he’ll eventually earn a scholarship, and rightfully so. If he isn’t anything more than depth then that’s also fine. He is 2023, however, so he will not be any immediate help to the unit this season.
@rj0384: How many 2023 commits by fall camp?
I’d much rather set an over under and let the subscribers fight over the semantics but anything for a reader. I’m going to guess that there are 23 total commits by the beginning of fall camp, including the 15 that are already committed at this time. That means that I am predicting eight more commitments from now until the end of the summer.
@irish-by-a-million: Am I wrong in thinking that Notre Dame’s lack of transfer signings (into Notre Dame) is helping them with high school recruiting? High School kids don’t want to be recruited over (especially by unforeseen transfers) and it would seem that schools that are taking less transfers would be a safer bet for the high school kid, and maybe more attractive. Thoughts?
That’s really interesting and honestly something I hadn’t really thought about in depth. I do think that there is some validity to the thought. Even if it is not solely the way the Notre Dame staff wants to do it, it inherently paints a picture as developers who offer their “homegrown talent” the utmost opportunities.
It also does present a clearer past. If a program welcomes less transfers into the program, it is easier to evaluate the past to playing time and create a timeline of sorts. A path to playing time is absolutely s selling point for recruits so not having a ton of roster turnover helps to have a clearer vision.
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Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board - Defense
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Ranking The 2022 Signees - Offense
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Defense
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