Notre Dame Recruiting: Ideal Finish For The Irish 2022 Offensive Class
Notre Dame currently has the No. 2 ranked recruiting class in the country, but for the Fighting Irish to hold down their spot in the top five they will need to finish on a strong note. Notre Dame can't hold steady, it needs to close, and close very well.
The prospects are on the board, and though it will be tough, there's an opportunity to finish with the best class of the last decade.
On offense it's about closing with the right combination of players that not only helps the rankings, but more importantly help improve the roster.
PLAYMAKERS NEEDED ON THE PERIMETER
Notre Dame has one talented back, a pair of tight ends and a sleeper receiver the Irish staff is quite high on already in the class. More playmakers are needed, but the Irish must close on the right prospects.
The number one offensive target on the board for me, regardless of position, is Vancouver (Wash.) Union wide receiver Tobias Merriweather. At 6-4 he has the size Notre Dame covets on the perimeter, but Merriweather is much, much more than just a big player.
Merriweather is a quality route runner, an elite pass catcher and he has deceptive speed. Simply put he has the potential to be an outside receiver that can not only win the one-on-one contested throws but one that can also take the top off the defense. Merriweather is a must get!
Simply adding playmakers isn't enough for Notre Dame, the staff must also add the right kind of playmakers, or better yet the right combination of players. Merriweather has the size/speed combination to dominate, which means the staff must complement him with a player that brings speed, but also one that brings after-the-catch skills. That is vitally important to this class.
The ideal player that fits that category is Bluefield (Va.) Graham athlete Xayvion Turner-Bradshaw. A 6-0, 180-pound athlete that is at his best with the ball in his hands, Turner-Bradshaw thrives as a dynamic after-the-catch player and a legit home run weapon in the return game.
A Merriweather/Turner-Bradshaw combination is just what the doctor ordered for a Notre Dame offense that has lacked playmaking ability when the lights were brightest ever since Will Fuller left campus.
With four players leaving the roster following the 2020 season the Irish could go up to four receivers in this class and feel good about it, which means even with Merriweather and Turner-Bradshaw in the class the Irish could bring in one more outside receiver.
Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei wideout CJ Williams would be the ideal player to land with those other two pass catchers and Walker. Williams is a strong and physical wideout that is more of a volume pass catcher that can move the chains, work the tough parts of the field and handle isolations on the outside.
Williams isn't like Merriweather or Bradshaw, and that trio - along with Walker - would give Notre Dame an incredibly diverse group of pass catchers that would be hard for opponents to prepare for, and there would be a lot of playmaking potential.
If Notre Dame misses on Williams it could bring in Katy (Texas ) High School wideout Nicholas Anderson or Deerfield (Mass.) Academy big man Elic Ayomanor. Anderson is a tall (6-4) and smooth athlete that is one of the better route runners in the class, while Ayomanor brings physicality and vertical speed to the game.
Passing on Bradshaw for one of these two players would leave this wideout class - and the Notre Dame depth chart - lacking the needed diversity to be the kind of explosive and efficient type of pass catching corps needed to play for titles. We'll find out this week just how the staff feels about Bradshaw.
ANOTHER TOP BACK WOULD GIVE A HUGE BOOST
Notre Dame struggled mightily recruiting the running back position in the 2016-18 classes and the staff is still working to rebuild the depth chart. The two man class of 2021 was a great start and adding Jadarian Price in 2022 got the Irish in good shape numbers wise.
At this point Notre Dame is in good shape from a pure depth standpoint, so a second back in the class is a want not a need. That means adding a player that is as good - or ideally better - than what is already in the class or on the roster.
There are two candidates that fit that mold, Reading (Pa.) Governor Mifflin star Nicholas Singleton and Highlands Ranch (Colo.) Valor Christian speedster Gavin Sawchuk.
Both backs would be big pick ups but Singleton is the better all-around player, by far. He's the only back on the board for Notre Dame that I gave a 5.0-star upside grade to, and his combination of size (6-0, 200), production (4200+ career rushing yards) and home run speed are incredibly attractive.
A combination of Price and Singleton would be arguably Notre Dame's best one-two punch at running back in the last decade. Notre Dame running backs coach Lance Taylor needs to close on this one, and if he does he would completely erase the recruiting mistakes made prior to his arrival and would give the Irish a group of ball carriers that would be the envy of almost every program in college football.
MORE TOP LEVEL BIG BOYS NEEDED
Notre Dame already has two talented and highly ranked blockers in the class in Joey Tanona and Ty Chan. Only landing two linemen in 2020 and signing more projects in 2021 than top level talents in 2021 has Notre Dame in position where it needs depth and high upside.
Notre Dame is currently recruiting three very talented and highly ranked offensive linemen from the state of Wisconsin: Billy Schrauth, Carson Hinzman and Joe Brunner. Landing two of those three players is an absolute must for Notre Dame at this point.
The order I listed those names is the order of importance in my board, with Schrauth and Hinzman being the hands down two best of the ground. Brunner is the biggest (6-6, 305) of the ground and he's incredibly physical and fundamentally sound. Schrauth and Hinzman provide much greater athleticism, versatility and upside.
Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne tackle Aamil Wagner is an athletic, strong and talented player with a very high ceiling. The concern is about his frame, and whether or not he can add the weight/girth needed to play at a place like Notre Dame. It's part of the reason Ohio State hasn't made a harder push for him, but if Notre Dame is confident he can build his body to that point he could also be a very intriguing prospect.
Everything I just said about Wagner you could also apply to Lawrenceburg (Ind.) High School tackle Ashton Craig.
Missing out on Jake Taylor and Zach Rice would leave the Irish down a top-ranked tackle but any combination of two Wisconsin blockers with the two players already committed would be a very strong haul of blockers.
A gap closing offensive class is there for the taking. The key for the Notre Dame staff is making sure to focus on the right complement of players (especially at wide receiver) and closing the deal.
Irish Breakdown Content
Notre Dame Summer Roster
Notre Dame Football: 2021 Overview
Notre Dame 2022 Commits Big Board: Offense
Notre Dame 2022 Commits Big Board: Defense
2022 Big Board: Running Back
2022 Big Board: Slot Receivers
Notre Dame 2022 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2022 Class Big Board
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