Notre Dame Recruiting Mailbag: Part Two
Back for round two of this week’s recruitment mailbag, we are talking quarterbacks heavily, including various five stars in both the 2023 and 2024 recruiting classes. Add in some “my guy talk” on one of my favorite recruits for the 2024 class and we have some exciting topics to end us with.
The recruiting world never sleeps, especially with Marcus Freeman and staff leading the Notre Dame program. It has been exciting to see.
Get ready for Part One of this week’s recruiting mailbag! In case you haven’t been following along with the mailbag series, questions were submitted on our premium message board by our members!
@zarembar: Any update on Peyton Woodyard’s recruitment?
There hasn’t been anything extensive. Woodyard has been making his rounds on the visit trail and is now focused on preparing for his junior season. The interest in the Notre Dame program is legitimate and Woodyard has already made multiple trips to South Bend. Besides his obvious family ties (Kyle Hamilton’s cousin), the 6-2, 190-pound defensive back speaks incredibly high on the Irish staff.
Of course, he is a national recruit so this one is going to go the distance and have a lot of interest from virtually every premier program in college football. Woodyard doesn’t seem to be in much of a rush to make a decision but either way, the Irish are making an impact early. I would even probably call them his leader but it is still very early in this recruitment.
@irishman7114: Obviously Notre Dame would take Caleb Downs if he wanted to commit. Seeing as that is still:
A. A long time off and … B. Nowhere near a guarantee
Would Notre Dame be good sticking with a four-man defensive back class and if they want a fifth guy, who could that guy be?
That fifth guy would be Caleb Downs. It’s our understanding that Notre Dame would be more than okay with pulling in a four man class in 2023. They would be willing to push it to five if Downs wanted to come. He’s an elite level talent that you always make room for. I doubt they would stress themselves to get to five unless the first made sense.
@miller2865: [Salty Virginia Peanuts] Given the wealth of opinion favoring Dante Moore committing to a school other than Notre Dame, what is the counter-strategy? First, what happens if Mr. Moore surprises the cognoscenti and wishes to commit to Notre Dame after all? Second, when should the staff move definitively to a search for other candidates for 2023 quarterback? I believe on today’s IB show Bryan said that this move is likely to be the case in the near term.
How do the recent commitments, including CJ Carr's commitment, affect (positively or negatively) the decisions of the remaining candidates on Notre Dame’s 2023 board?
If Dante Moore wishes to commit to Notre Dame then the Irish staff would take it. They are still actively recruiting him now despite what some reports to the contrary. They would be foolish not to accept a commitment from a five-star quarterback, especially one as well-known as Moore.
The Irish staff has implemented the “all in” strategy and should follow it through until Moore makes a decision. It should be decided sometime this summer. If Notre Dame isn’t the pick then the staff can start formulating an alternate plan, or at least setting it into motion. They have undoubtedly had conversations about it and formulated alternative options but need to be wise with them to implement it fully.
I think it’s going to affect both the 2023 and 2024 classes significantly. Players want to play with great quarterbacks and CJ Carr has that type of reputation. You also can easily sell a trajectory from Tyler Buchner to Carr down the road with ease. The fact that Carr has already been so active on the recruiting side of things is paramount. His personality is already shining through.
@bigeofnd: Who is your guy in the 2024 cycle? For context, who gets you excited the way Jaiden Ausberry does Bryan?
It would have to be Sunbury (Ohio) Big Walnut athlete Garrett Stover, who Notre Dame offered after his performance at the Irish Invasion a few weekends ago. The 6-2, 200-pound defender is the cousin of current Ohio State tight end Cade Stover.
He profiles best as a rover in Notre Dame’s defense but gives me some serious Pete Werner vibes coming out of Cathedral High School. Stover plays a ton of mid hole safety for Big Walnut and boasts premier short area explosiveness and physicality. He is an exciting football player who may even grow into an inside linebacker long term.
@jclampett: What is the feeling on Jason Moore and has a date been set. Also in a national perspective where does this defensive line class rank pending Moore is Irish.
Last week I reported that Jason Moore and his family were hoping to have a decision ready to announce this week. That wasn’t completely cemented but that was the plan at the time.
There has been no recent update on that commitment but we should hear more about it soon. We are still confident about Notre Dame’s chances here. Moore has kept everything really close to the vest, but there is clear indication that the Irish will have heavy consideration until the end.
Without Moore, it is an elite group. With him, it quickly becomes historic. I’d find it hard to believe that there could be a program that competes at the top in the 2023 recruiting cycle, especially from a depth perspective.
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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
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