Two-Year Recruiting Grades For The Notre Dame Defense

My favorite way to evaluate recruiting is to add more context to a class, and the best way to do that is with a two-year look. With the Notre Dame class close to done it’s a good chance to look at the 2020 and 2021 classes together.

Grades are a combination of landing top-end talent, depth, meeting needs and scheme fit. The grades and analysis are based on what each recruit was when he signed, and what they’ve done at Notre Dame in 2020 has no bearing.

We already broke down the 2020 and 2021 recruiting grades on offense.

DEFENSIVE END

Grade: B
Signees: Jordan Botelho (2020), Jason Onye (2021), Devin Aupiu (2021), Will Schweitzer (2021), Alexander Ehrensberger (2020)

Notre Dame has met its numbers needs in the last two class, landing two pure strong side ends (Jason Onye, Alexander Ehrensberger), two pure drop players (Jordan Botelho, Will Schweitzer) and one end (Devin Aupiu) that projects as a drop but also has enough of a frame to eventually grow into a defender capable of playing both spots.

The upside grade for this group is much higher than a B. All five of these ends have the upside of a multi-year starter, and if even just three of the five ends taps into his full potential this will be an excellent haul. Notre Dame has certainly restocked its depth chart well from a numbers and upside standpoint.

Notre Dame gets a B for this group because there are also a lot of low-floors in the group. Botelho is the one high-ranked player in the group, and he’s the most ready to contribute in his first two seasons. The rest of the group are players that will need time to develop, either by needed a lot of technique work because they are still new to the game (Onye, Ehrensberger), or they need extra time in the weight room (Schweitzer, Aupiu).

Getting a higher grade would require the same level of upside, but it would also need to have more high-floor players that can earn early playing time and are more certain to develop into rotation players at the very least.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

Grade: B+
Signees: Rylie Mills (2020), Gabriel Rubio (2021), Aidan Keanaaina (2020)

The defensive tackle class is on the opposite end of the spectrum compared to the ends. Notre Dame came up a player short of meeting its numbers need. I prefer adding two interior players per class, and with Notre Dame losing Ja’mion Franklin from the 2018 class to transfer and with Hunter Spears transferring to the offensive line, the depth chart inside isn’t looking as deep as it was a year ago.

What Mike Elston has done with the interior group is add a major boost in size and talent to the interior of the line. Rylie Mills was one of the top players in the 2020 class for the Irish and was one of the top interior defenders in the entire country. His combination of powerful hands and athleticism is unique, and his upside is as a good - if not better - than any interior player on the roster.

For most of the Brian Kelly tenure, nose tackle Aidan Keanaaina would have played as a freshman, and the fact he didn’t play much this season speaks volumes about the depth of the interior. The redshirt should do him well, and Keanaaina brings the depth chart a much-needed boost in size. Keanaaina is currently the only 300+ pounder on the Irish defensive line.

Incoming freshman Gabriel Rubio is the perfect complement to Mills and Keanaaina. Mills is a pure three-technique and Keanaaina is more of a nose tackle, but Rubio has the skills to be an impact player at both positions. SI All-American ranked him as the nation’s No. 66 overall player, and he could be a high-volume disruptor at nose tackle or a power player at the three-technique.

LINEBACKER

Grade: C+
Signees: Prince Kollie (2021), Kahanu Kia (2021)

Notre Dame took a huge gamble not bringing in a linebacker in the 2020 class, which came after landing seven backers in the 2018 and 2019 classes. There are likely going to be some departures from those classes after this season, and the Irish followed up the zero class with two linebackers in 2021. The problem, however, is that one of those linebackers (Kahanu Kia) is likely to take a two-year Mormon mission before enrolling at Notre Dame.

It won’t take more than an injury and a transfer or two from the 2018-19 classes to put the depth chart in serious jeopardy, and that doesn’t include the possibility of a player or two not panning out. The was a questionable recruiting strategy, and that drags down the grade.

The good news, however, is that the one linebacker Notre Dame did sign in the last two years who does plan on showing up next season s arguably the best defensive signee from the 2021 class. Prince Kollie is my highest graded defensive signee in the 2021 class, and 247Sports ranked him as the nation’s No. 91 overall player.

Kollie is scheduled to play rover to begin his career, but he has the length, frame, power and instincts to also transition inside should the need or opportunity arise. He’s an outstanding talent, which is needed for anyone that Notre Dame signed in this class.

This grade is dragged down by the lack of numbers.

SAFETY

Grade: C+
Signees: Khari Gee (2021), Justin Walters (2021)

Like the linebacker grade, this grade reflects the lack of signees in the 2020 class. Going through any recruiting cycle where you fail to sign a player at two different positions is a big mistake. Notre Dame didn’t sign a single safety in the 2020 class, but landing two talented players in the 2021 class bumps up the grade.

Justin Walters committed to Notre Dame early and he’s a good fit for what the Irish like to do. He is a thumper that likes to run the alleys, but he’s athletic enough to thrive in coverage once he improves his technique and gains more experience against the pass game. I fully expect Walters to at least develop into one of the team’s better special teams players early in his career, and he’ll have a chance to eventually make a push for a starting spot at safety in time.

Landing Khari Gee late in the cycle was huge for Notre Dame. He’s a long, rangy and physical safety that shows a high football IQ. Yes, he has the frame to eventually grow into a rover, but he’s needed first and foremost at safety, and his skillset is much better suited there. To be a great defense in the modern area you need safeties that run like defensive backs but tackle like linebackers, and that is Gee.

If Notre Dame can sign a comparable or even better safety class in 2022 it will get the position fully back on track.

CORNERBACK

Grade: B+
Signees: Ryan Barnes (2021), Philip Riley (2021), Clarence Lewis (2020), JoJo Johnson (2021), Chance Tucker (2021), Ramon Henderson (2020), Caleb Offord (2020)

Notre Dame struck gold in the last two classes from a numbers and length standpoint. Notre Dame signed seven cornerbacks in the last two classes, and all but one (JoJo Johnson) is listed at 6-0 or taller.

The 2020 class was shaky, falling short in numbers after losing the top signee Landen Bartleson after signing day. Ramon Henderson was a high-upside late signee that has a low floor. He has great size and speed, but he’s very raw when it comes to technique and instincts. Fellow 2020 signee Caleb Offord is incredibly raw and might need to move to safety at some point.

Here’s what I wrote last signing day about Clarence Lewis, who was one of the most underrated players from the 2020 class.

“While he lacks the athletic tools that Henderson and Bartleson possess, I love the game of Clarence Lewis, who has starting caliber tools.”

Notre Dame made up for the low-floor nature of the 2020 class with a deep and talented 2021 class. Ryan Barnes is the most underrated player from the 2021 class, and he’s one of the most underrated secondary players in the country. Philip Riley is a physical and smart player that could also project to safety, and Johnson has slot corner written all over him. Chance Tucker reminds me a lot of Lewis in that he lacks the elite size or athleticism of other signees, but the kid just knows how to play football.

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