Notre Dame Recruiting Hot Board: Defense

Notre Dame has six players committed prospects on defense in the 2022 class. The Irish staff is off to a great start, but the difference between a strong defensive haul and an elite one is how they finish.

With visits set to start next week it is crunch time for the Notre Dame coaching staff.

Prospects will be broken into five different categories (categories will be explained below), and we'll talk about what direction the Irish are trending with each prospect in those categories.

NOTRE DAME COMMITS

DE Tyson Ford - 6-5, 250, St. Louis (Mo.) Burroughs
DE Aiden Gobaira - 6-6, 230, Chantilly (Va.) High School
DE Darren Agu - 6-6, 230, Rabun Gap (Ga.) Nacoochee
LB Nolan Ziegler - 6-4, 205, Grand Rapids (Mich.) Catholic Central
LB Josh Burnham - 6-4, 215, Traverse City (Mich.) Central
CB Jaden Mickey - 5-11, 175, Corona (Calif.) Centennial

CHANGES

The big change to the list below is that linebacker Sebastian Cheeks is no longer in the top list. In the first installment I had him, Jaylen Sneed and Niuafe Tuihalamaka all listed in the hot category, but also wrote that Notre Dame couldn't take all three. Right now I view Sneed and Tuihalamaka as the best options, especially since they are scheduled to visit before Cheeks makes it to campus for his official.

I have also dropped Ohio State cornerback commit Jyaire Brown into the next-in-line category. There are other targets ahead of him right now and I don't see the staff being able to flip him from the Buckeyes even if they wanted do. I have also dropped New Jersey cornerback Jaeden Gould from the list.

HOT

Jaylen Sneed, Linebacker — Sneed has a final five of Notre Dame, Oregon, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas A&M, but the Fighting Irish have been trending hard with this one for quite some time. Sneed is being recruited as a bit of a hybrid linebacker that can play rover, can rush the passer and eventually could end up inside as he fills out. Sneed visits Notre Dame officially beginning June 14, which will be a little over a week after he heads to Oregon. Notre Dame has put itself in position to wrap this one up during or after his official visit, and if that happens it would be a HUGE pickup for the Irish staff. Trending: Way Up

Niuafe Tuihalamaka, Linebacker — Sneed is Notre Dame's top outside linebacker target and Tuihalamaka is its best inside linebacker target left on the board. Sneed and Tuihalamaka joining a class that already has standouts Joshua Burnham and Nolan Ziegler would give the Irish the nation's best linebacker haul. I wrote in the last hot board that Texas had made a hard run at Tuihalamaka, but Notre Dame continues to be the front runner. He visits Notre Dame the weekend of June 11-13, and I wouldn't be surprised if the linebacker class is wrapped up about a week later. Trending: Way Up

Devin Moore, Cornerback — Notre Dame has been trending in a good direction with Moore for some time, but Alabama and Florida are continuing to make a push for him. Both programs were initially trying to get him on campus in the fall, which was likely an attempt to get him to prolong his recruitment. Instead, Moore announced his intention to visit Florida unofficially on June 1st and Alabama on June 5th, which means he'll be on both campuses before he visits Notre Dame officially on June 11-13. The Gators and Tide both know that Notre Dame sits in pole position, so the Irish will likely have to overcome their pitches to get him to carry his recruitment into the fall, but as of right now I feel really good about where Notre Dame stands prior to his official visit. Trending: Way Up

Benjamin Morrison, Cornerback — Notre Dame and Morrison have been on a bit of a roller coaster, especially during the period when the Irish were still trying to figure out their cornerback board. Morrison has been a prime target for some time, but once the Irish started to narrow their focus a bit, which meant a push for Morrison, the staff was able to make a major move with him. Michigan, Oklahoma, Washington, Oregon and Alabama are still pushing, but Notre Dame welcomes him officially on June 11-13, and barring a major change from what my sources are telling me about where things stand right now I feel quite good about Notre Dame's standing and ability to add him to the class this summer with a strong visit. Trending: Up

GROWING CONFIDENCE

Anthony Lucas, Defensive Tackle — Lucas is scheduled to be on campus the same weekend as Tuihalamaka, Moore and Morrison, which can't hurt Notre Dame's chances at all. He visits Texas A&M the weekend prior and Alabama, Oregon and Texas are still major contenders, and Miami is lurking. Right now I don't see Lucas popping this summer, but a knock out visit could change things. Either way, Notre Dame is in good position, but there's still a lot more work to do. Trending: Up

Donovan Hinish, Defensive Tackle — I'm still not quite sure what to think about this recruitment. I haven't got a straight answer about where things stand with Hinish. By all accounts the staff is in fact pushing for Hinish, but the fact he hasn't jumped in the class gives me pause. BGI is reporting he is scheduled to visit Notre Dame on June 18-20. We'll find out that weekend just how bad Notre Dame wants him in the class Trending: Unsure

WORK TO DO

Cyrus Moss, Defensive End — Moss is down to a final five of Clemson, Florida, Oregon, Arizona State and Notre Dame. The Irish are battling for Moss, but at this point we really won't know what kind of shot they have until he visits. Notre Dame already has three ends committed in the class, but the good news is the Irish staff can tell Moss the last time they signed four defensive ends in a class all four of those players ended up getting drafted. Moss is a great fit at Notre Dame, and his family likes what the program has to offer. Notre Dame will have to overcome his fondness for Oregon and a major push from Clemson and Florida, but the staff will have a shot if it can knock his June 18-20 visit out of the park. Of course, that shot will mean it can stay in it with Moss, who doesn't seem to have any intention of committing during the summer. Trending: Up

Xavier Nwankpa, Safety — This one is simple. Notre Dame is scheduled to get Nwankpa on campus June 18-20 for an official visit. The issue is that he visits Ohio State the weekend of June 4-6, and right now there is a chance he doesn't make it out of that visit uncommitted. If Notre Dame can convince him to not commit that weekend, or if Nwankpa decides himself not to commit, the Irish will have a chance. If Notre Dame gets him on campus I'll feel much, much better about the staff being able to sit Nwankpa down and show him how he could be the Kyle Hamilton of the 2022 class. Trending: Slightly Up

Sherrod Covil, Safety — It took the Notre Dame staff some time to figure out its safety board, but once it did it became obvious that Covil was going to be a top target. Him having a dominant junior season this spring certainly didn't hurt. He also has visits scheduled for Ohio State, Virginia, Clemson, Penn State and Miami. His recruitment doesn't seem to be close to winding down, but Notre Dame getting him on campus late in June should help their cause. Trending: Up

Ernest “RJ” Cooper, Defensive End — Cooper is scheduled to visit Notre Dame officially on June 25-27 according to 247Sports, but how things go with Lucas, Hinish and to a degree Moss could factor into whether or not the Irish continue pushing for Cooper. Trending: Stagnant

Jape Pope, Safety — This is a recruitment I've had a hard time getting a read on. I know that Notre Dame is high on Pope, but until Pope gets on campus we can't really know where the Irish stand with him. The good news is Pope speaks very highly of Notre Dame, but I'm not getting too fired up about this match until he gets on campus. Trending: Stagnant

KJ Winston, Safety — Winston will be on campus the last weekend of June. He'll visit Michigan State (June 4-6), Penn State (June 11-13) and Maryland (June 18-20) prior to that visit. I think Penn State and Maryland will be harder to beat than some believe, but Notre Dame gets his last visit, which should help. Winston not playing much as a junior (Covid related) has somewhat stalled the buzz about him, but the Notre Dame staff is quite high on him. Trending: Stagnant

Jayden Bellamy, Safety/Cornerback — Notre Dame likes Bellamy quite a bit, and if the staff misses on Morrison or Moore it could make a major push for the New Jersey standout when he visits June 18-20. Even still the Buckeyes and Penn State are other programs keep an eye on, especially the Nittany Lions. Bellamy is also a player the staff could shift to being a safety recruit if it does land Moore and Morrison, and I actually like him better on the back end. Trending: Up

NEXT IN LINE

Sebastian Cheeks, Linebacker

Nikai Martinez, Cornerback

Jyaire Brown, Cornerback

Ephesian Prysock, Cornerback

Jaden Mangham, Safety

Trending: Stagnant

Hot - Prospects that Notre Dame is trending in a strong direction with, and prospects the Irish appear to be in best position with.

Growing Confidence - There is still work to be done, but Notre Dame is certainly moving in the right direction.

Work To Do - Prospects that are either a long way away from making a decision or prospects that Notre Dame is behind other programs.

Next In Line - Prospects that Notre Dame is recruiting, but these prospects are not necessarily top of the line players at this point.

Irish Breakdown Content

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

To comment below be sure to sign up for a FREE Disqus account, which you can get HERE.

———————

Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content, our premium message board and gets you a FREE subscription to Sports Illustrated! Click on the link below for more

BECOME A MEMBER

Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!

Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes
Subscribe to our Irish Breakdown Rumble channel
Follow me on Twitter: @CoachD178
Follow me on Parler: @BryanDriskell
Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook

Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter

Add us as a preferred source on Google