Notre Dame Getting A Visit From Richard Young Is Impactful, No Matter The End Result
When news broke recently that elite 2023 Lehigh Acres (Fla.) Senior running back Richard Young had set up an official visit to Notre Dame, Irish fans and faithful were met with a large level of surprise, disbelief and intrigue. Young had recently named a top seven list, including Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, Texas A&M, Oregon, Florida, and Oklahoma.
A team not on that list .... Notre Dame.
So when the Florida product opted to use one of his five official visits to get up to South Bend, it came as a bit of a shock. With other official visits set up with Oklahoma (June 3rd), Alabama (June 10th) and Georgia (June 17th) already, that leaves just one official visit remaining with Ohio State, Texas A&M, Oregon and Florida still hoping to join that list.
That is a pleasant surprise for the Irish, who may be an extreme long shot for Young, but this is more evidence of the recruiting impact that this Notre Dame staff is having since being put together by head coach Marcus Freeman.
Young is an elite recruit by every measure. The 5-11, 200-pound back is ranked as the No. 19 player overall and the No. 2 running back in the 2023 recruiting class according to the 247Sports composite ranking.
The Lehigh Acres back has arguably the most impressive offer list in the 2023 cycle, hovering around 60 total offers. Some of his more impressive offers include the Irish, Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, Ohio State, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma, USC, Miami, Michigan, Texas, and Texas A&M among many, many others.
In ten games as a junior, Young rushed for 1,755 yards and 19 touchdowns. He eclipsed 100 yards rushing in eight of those ten games and averaged a healthy nine yards per carry. In 27 games as a varsity player, Young has rushed for 3,591 yards and 33 touchdowns on just 407 career carries. That puts his yards per carry average at 8.8 for his career, highlighting his big play ability.
Saying that every elite program in college football is interested in Young would be a massive understatement. Freeman and the staff pulling an official visit seemingly out of nowhere is a huge move for several reasons.
First of all, getting an elite recruit the caliber of Young to visit South Bend is monumental in its own right, especially out of the state of Florida. It shows the impact first-year running backs coach Deland McCullough is making on the trail. It would be a massive upset if Notre Dame was able to ultimately land Young, something we don't see happening at the moment.
But honestly, can anyone that has paid attention to what this staff has done since it was put together truly put anything past them. Counting them out seems ill advised from what we have seen on the trail for the 2023 class.
Regardless, there is a perception that comes with recruiting, even when a program doesn't ultimately land a prospect like Young. It’s a massive win in that regard from an image perspective. This staff is clearly not afraid of competition. They are not going to shy away from courting elite talent, even while being viewed as the underdog to programs such as Alabama and Ohio State. That relentlessness speaks volumes to the long term impact that Coach Freeman seems to be instilling into the culture.
Whether some will want to admit it or not, getting an official visit from Young is going to be a massive eye opener for other recruits in the 2023 class.
“Notre Dame got a visit from Richard Young? Even after they didn’t make his final seven schools?”
They sure did, and you’re kidding yourselves if you don’t think that matters.
The perception of Notre Dame is changing on the recruiting trail. Coach Freeman has woken a sleeping giant. This staff is truly relentless and is up for every challenge. This recent visit announcement from Richard Young is the latest indication of that.
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