Notre Dame Signees Drop In Final 247 Sports Rankings For 2020
Six of Notre Dame’s 17 signees from the 2020 recruiting class finished their career ranked in the Top 247 from 247Sports. Fourteen of Notre Dame’s 16 position players in the class saw their rankings drop, but four still finished in the Top 100 and all six were ranked among the Top 150 players in the country.
You can see my final rankings for the Notre Dame signees HERE, but let’s take a look at where the Irish signees finished in the 247Sports list.
TE Michael Mayer
The good news for Notre Dame’s signees was the rise of Mayer as a five-star on the 247Sports rankings. Mayer’s dominant senior season and strong performance at the All-American Bowl resulted in him jumping up and finishing his career as the No. 23 player in the country. Mayer had previous been ranked No. 69 in the previous ranking. No outlet ranked Mayer higher than 247Sports.
Mayer graded out as my No. 1 player in the Irish class.
OT Tosh Baker
Baker dropped 12 spots, finishing his prep career as the No. 56 player in the country and the No. 4 offensive tackle. Baker is a long, athletic edge blocker with a tremendous frame. His foot quickness for a player his size is outstanding, and as he spends more time in the Matt Balis strength program his game will explode. Despite his drop, 247Sports still ranks Baker higher than any other outlet.
Baker graded out as the No. 4 player on my overall board but No. 1 on the upside ranking.
WR Jordan Johnson
Johnson was the other Irish signee who saw his ranking climb, with the St. Louis (Mo.) DeSmet standout climbing up two spots to finish his prep career as the No. 61 overall player and the No. 11 wide receiver in the nation. Johnson participated in the All-American Bowl after helping lead DeSmet to a state championship. Johnson was ranked as a five-star recruit and the No. 28 player in the country, while ESPN ranked him No. 54 overall.
Johnson graded out as the No. 3 player on my board, earning a five-star upside grade.
DE Jordan Botelho
Botelho dropped 21 spots in the rankings but still checks in as the No. 64 player in the country. List as an inside linebacker by 247Sports, Botelho is ranked as the fourth best player at his position. Notre Dame is recruiting Botelho to play the drop end position, but the fact he’s ranked as a Top 100 recruit as an inside linebacker shows his versatility. Despite the drop, Botelho was ranked 100 spots higher by 247Sports than ESPN or Rivals.
Botelho ranked as the No. 7 player on my board, possessing the upside of a Top 50 player.
RB Chris Tyree
No player saw a bigger drop than Tyree, who dropped 76 spots, falling out of the Top 100 and finishing No. 137 overall. Tyree ranked as the second best all-purpose back in the country. Struggling to stay healthy as a senior is likely a reason for Tyree’s drop in both the Rivals and 247Sports rankings. He did finish No. 30 on the ESPN rankings.
Tyree ranked as the No. 2 player on my board and earning a five-star upside grade.
OT Michael Carmody
Carmody participated in both the All-American Bowl and the Polynesian Bowl. He finished his prep career as the No. 148 player in the country according to 247Sports, falling 39 spots. Carmody was ranked as the 12th-best offensive tackle in the country. Carmody was ranked No. 128 overall by ESPN and No. 230 by Rivals.
Carmody ranked 10th in my final rankings but earned a five-star upside grade.
Other Rankings:
Wide receiver Xavier Watts fell 20 spots, finishing as the No. 272 player in the country. Watts was a four-star recruit by 247Sports and ESPN. I ranked him as the No. 5 player in the class, giving him a Top 100 player nationally grade with five-star upside.
Cornerback Ramon Henderson fell 17 spots to No. 280 nationally, but 247Sports ranked him as a four-star recruit. Both ESPN and Rivals graded him as a three-star recruit.
Defensive end Rylie Mills remained a four-star recruit but dropped 40 spots, falling to No. 322. Mills was ranked as the No. 6 player on my board, earning a Top 50 upside grade. ESPN ranked him No. 141 nationally while Rivals ranked him No. 154.
Defensive tackle Aidan Keanaaina dropped 14 spots and finished as the No. 558 player in the country and a three-star recruit. I graded Keanaaina out as a four-star recruit, but all three services ranked him as a three-star player.
Tight end Kevin Bauman finished as a three-star recruit and fell 14 spots in the final rankings, finishing No. 579 overall. I graded Bauman out as a four-star recruit, as did Rivals and ESPN, who ranked him No. 129 and No. 269 in the country.
Cornerback/safety Caleb Offord dropped 17 spots, finishing as the No. 587 player in the country, earning a three-star grade. All three services graded him as a three-star recruit, as did I.
Wide receiver Jay Brunelle fell 12 spots, finishing No. 599 overall in the country. After a strong senior season I gave Brunelle a four-star grade thanks to his combination of ball skills and athleticism. All three services graded him as a three-star recruit.
Cornerback Clarence Lewis fell just nine spots from No. 679 to No. 688. All three services grade him out as a three-star recruit. My final grade for him was a bit higher on Lewis, who I view as a borderline four-star recruit, earning a 3.5-star grade.
Quarterback Drew Pyne finished as a three-star recruit and the No. 764 player in the country, dropping four spots. Pyne graded out as a four-star recruit and the No. 9 player in the class on my board. Rivals ranked him No. 117 in the country and ESPN ranked him No. 221.
Defensive end Alexander Ehrensberger dropped just one spot, finishing as the No. 2337 player in the land. That is not a misprint, he’s the No. 2337 player in the 247Sports rankings.
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