Notre Dame Making Moves With 2023 DL Target Devan Houston

Notre Dame is looking to add even more to its already elite defensive line haul, and one of the top targets is Hagerstown (Md.) St. James standout Devan Houstan. The talented defensive line target was on campus this past weekend for the program's first Junior Day in 2022, and things went quite well.

Houstan's trip marked the first time he and his family had been on the Notre Dame campus, and they left with a very strong impression.

“Notre Dame made a good impact on my Mom and I this weekend,” Houstan told Irish Breakdown. “They set the bar high.”

By all accounts, Irish staff and players did an outstanding job selling the vision of being a student athlete. Houstan could not have spoke more highly of the experience.

“I had a great time in South Bend," he explained. "It was my first Junior Day so I wasn’t sure what to expect but it was great. They had a small group of recruits in for a really personalized experience. I loved the tour of the campus, getting to spend one on one time with the coaches and of course, putting on the Notre Dame jersey for the photo and video shoot was insane.”

The 6-5, 270-pound defensive lineman is an interesting projection on the defensive line. Playing a majority of his snaps at defensive end for St. James, he's had reps working further inside at times. As he continues to develop physically, Houstan has the body type to become a mismatch inside.

“I had some one-on-one time with Coach (Marcus) Freeman and Coach (Al) Washington and they see me as a three technique/strong side end depending on the formation,” Houstan noted. “I think I fit really well into their defense and I am excited to learn more about their schemes and where they want to use me.”

That type of versatility has been something that the Irish Breakdown staff has highlighted as the emphasis for Notre Dame recruiting on the defensive side of the ball. That’s something that Houstan could bring to the Irish.

It’s hard not to feel great about where Notre Dame is with Houstan leaving Junior Day. This one could accelerate quickly. For now, Houstan is trying to do his due diligence with the process, which includes a return to South Bend in the very near future.

“I don’t really have a timeline yet,” Houstan noted. “I am still very early in the process. I want to take my time to get to know the coaches, the culture and more about the schools in general to ensure the best place for me.

“Having said that, my family and I want to keep the process moving forward,” continued Houstan. “I hope to get out to some more visits after the dead period this spring – I believe Notre Dame is having a spring game in April for recruits so I hope to be back for that.”

For a player of Houstan’s talent, it has been chaotic thus far on the recruiting trail. He continues to sort out the various schools, and their potential fits.

“I am not really far enough into the process yet to rank the schools, but the ones that are in touch with me the most in recent weeks are Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Rutgers, South Carolina, Duke and Northwestern,” Houstan said. “As I mentioned, I had a great time this weekend at Notre Dame getting to know Coach Freeman and Coach Washington, and learning more about the school. I also got to meet a few of the recruits that recently committed which was cool.”

Houstan is currently ranked as a four star recruit by both Rivals and On3. He checks in as the No. 242 player nationally on the On3 consensus ranking.

The more eyes people get on Houstan, the quicker he will rise up the rankings.

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Irish Breakdown Content

Notre Dame 2021 Roster
Notre Dame 2021 Schedule

Ranking The 2022 Signees - Offense
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Defense

Notre Dame 2023 Class Big Board

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