Class Impact: Adon Shuler Commits To Notre Dame
Notre Dame picked up another talented defender today when 2023 safety Adon Shuler committed to Notre Dame. The Irvington (N.J.) High School safety picked Notre Dame over Penn State and Maryland.
Let's take a look at how the commitment of Shuler impacts the Notre Dame recruiting class and depth chart.
NOTRE DAME CLASS IMPACT
Shuler is the third player to commit to Notre Dame in the 2023 class, and all three have been defensive players. He joins a class that already has standout defensive ends Keon Keeley and Brenan Vernon.
Shuler is ranked as the nation's No. 200 overall player by 247Sports and No. 213 by Rivals, so his commitment gives the Irish a third highly ranked defensive player to start the class, which adds value from a recruiting rankings standpoint if that is something you evaluate.
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More practically, this is a significant commitment because it addresses a major position of need for Notre Dame. The Irish staff is focused on landing just one true safety in the 2022 class, with Iowa star Xavier Nwankpa being a must-get for the Irish staff. Even if Notre Dame is able to pull off the upset and land Nwankpa the safety position remains a major need in 2023.
By the time Shuler arrives on campus the Notre Dame safety depth chart will be without Kyle Hamilton, Houston Griffith, DJ Brown and Litchfield Ajavon and possibly KJ Wallace. Consider that Notre Dame completely struck out at the position in 2020 and you can see the need for safeties in the class, and landing Shuler is a very strong start.
NOTRE DAME FIT
Shuler is a very intriguing prospect, and one whose grade right now needs some nuance. That can often be the case with players whose film we evaluate during their sophomore seasons, as those prospects tend to fill out their frames and add more athleticism to their game.
With Shuler the first thing that stood out to me on film is how mature is game is from a technical and playmaking standpoint. He's an assignment correct, instinctive and high IQ safety that already shows an advanced feel for the game.
Shuler comes down hill aggressively and plays with very good angles in both the run game and pass game. His feel for beating receivers to the spot is quite nuanced for such a young player, and he takes very good run game angles from depth, which makes him an impact defender against the run.
You see his football IQ on offense as well, and his experience playing wide receiver is only going to help him develop into an even better safety.
Shuler has the kind of frame you want at safety. He's at least 6-0, he has some length to him and he's got an athletic build. He already has good listed size but he'll continue to fill out and add even more strength.
Athletically, Shuler is very light on his feet and he packs a punch when he arrives at the ball. His agility and balance grade out very high, and he shows the ability to change direction with ease.
What I don't see on film yet isn't surprising considering his age, and that is speed and explosiveness you prefer at the position. Shuler is by no means slow, but his speed right now is just above average and while he shows impressive overall athleticism, he doesn't explode downhill the way top safeties do when they are older.
Here's where things get intriguing. Those "criticisms" of Shuler aren't surprising considering his age, and the fact we only saw sophomore film of him so far. The rising junior attended a Notre Dame camp this summer and sources told Irish Breakdown that he impressed the Irish staff with the two things that remain questions about his game, speed and explosiveness.
We often see players with Shuler's overall athleticism and build make a jump in speed in explosiveness as they get into their junior and senior seasons. If Shuler made a similar jump, and if we see it on film during his junior season, you can expect his grade and ranking to take a very big jump.
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Irish Breakdown Content
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Notre Dame 2021 Schedule
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
Notre Dame 2023 Class Big Board
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