Notre Dame Recruiting Mailbag

Now that we are more than halfway through the season, and only a couple of months until National signing day, some of the chaos on the recruiting trail is beginning to die down a bit. The 2023 recruiting class is gaining tremendous clarity and attention is subtly shifting to the 2024 group.

As usual, we were flooded with a bunch of tremendous questions for this week’s mailbag. The questions were provided from the loyal members of the Irish Breakdown message board.

Let’s dive into some of the best questions of the week!

@bplence1189: How would you like Notre Dame’s 2024 defensive line class to shake out? Who could you see Notre Dame realistically getting commitments from and how many should they take, keeping in mind ND already has two defensive line commits, taking the Smith twins would take up two more spots and also knowing that Vyper looks to be a priority.

I love these types of hypotheticals. I agree that Vyper is a massive need in the 2024 class and should be the main priority. First let’s place the two current commits into their most ideal positions projecting to the next level.

Brandon Davis-Swain, who ranks as the No. 29 overall player in the 2024 class according to Rivals, projects best as a strong-side defensive end on the next level. You could also argue that he has the body type to project inside at three technique as well but defensive end appears to be his ideal spot early on.

When Owen Wafle first committed to the Irish, we talked a lot about his best for being at nose tackle long term but his season as a junior could make a strong case that he may be able to be a three technique with his penetration ability. Regardless, he is a pure interior player.

For the open Vyper spot, there are a bevy of talented players who could fill that spot that are currently on the board. Tucson (Ariz.) Salpointe Catholic standout Elijah Rushing is one of the premier players in the recruiting class overall. At 6-5 and 225 pounds, Rushing has all the tools you could look for at the position, twitch, length and ability to add power to his frame.

Lees Summit (Mo.) North star Williams Nwaneri is another player that I am a big fan of. He’s more of a power based Vyper but his upside is through the roof. Nwaneri could have the highest ceiling of any defensive end in the class if he puts it all together.

I would be ecstatic if Notre Dame is able to land either one of those Vypers.

After that, it really becomes what the staff values. I personally would try to close on Chicago (Ill.) St. Ignatius defensive tackle Justin Scott, who is just an absurd combination of size and athleticism. He is the type of big bodied interior player that Notre Dame needs.

If Windsor (Conn.) The Loomis Chaffee School twins Jacob and Jerod Smith could also be an intriguing pairing. If Notre Dame was able to land both of them, which is believed to be a package deal, then you would fulfill all your needs with one swift move.

@colelewis: If Khalil Barnes were to commit to Notre Dame, would they continue recruiting Taeshaun Lyons or is it a situation where the first to commit has the last spot?

Here’s the thing with Bogart (Ga.) North Oconee athlete Khalil Barnes, the staff obviously likes him. That’s why they offered him in the first place. This offer is, however, much more of an insurance play for the staff.

The staff has been pushing for Taeshaun Lyons for some time, but perhaps things are changing? Check out the latest on the Irish Breakdown premium board.

Barnes can be viewed as insurance for Lyons but the staff also wants Portsmouth (Va.) Churchland athlete Brandyn Hillman in the class. He could conceivably play running back, wide receiver, safety or rover on the next level. That is the athlete that Notre Dame wants.

If the staff misses on either Lyons or Hillman then I believe they would move quickly on to Barnes. As it stands, the former is their ideal pairing.

@bplence1189: Besides Eli Bowen and Omillio Agard, who are the 2024 cornerback targets that the Notre Dame staff has near the top of their board and in communication with? Seems like their main targets seem to be trending elsewhere.

There couldn’t be better timing for this question. A couple of days ago, I released an updated 2024 cornerback board with Kaleb Beasley committing to Tennessee last week. There are still a ton of excellent options on the board.

One of the more interesting players on the board is Waco (Texas) Connally standout Kobe Black. Long and explosive, Black brings the athletic profile to play either to the field or boundary on the next level. In a lot of ways, his game mirrors former Washington defensive back Kyler Gordon athletically. Black has the talent to match stride for stride against even most athletic pass catchers.

Speaking of length, Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra star Dakoda Fields has it in spades. In a lot of ways, Fields brings a similar profile to current Notre Dame standout Cam Hart. His combination of size, length and athleticism immediately jumps off the film. When working against screens, Fields is also a very physical defender coming up in support.

Perhaps my favorite of the 2023 class, Cleveland (Ohio) Glenville defensive back Bryce West is a star. West is the complete package at the cornerback position. Athletically, he has everything that you would want. He is equally as quick as he is twitchy.

Whether playing in man or zone, West does a tremendous job staying in phase consistently. The physicality that West brings to the field is outrageous. He makes his presence felt in the run game and working through contact.

@irish-strong: If the 2023 class rounded out as is, including the addition of Taeshaun Lyons, how much does the lack of a quarterback diminish the impact this class can have?

I believe that we can get slightly hyperbolic when things don’t go right, or everything is going right. It isn’t always the worst possible outcome. The point blank of it is that this class is one of the premier classes that Notre Dame has signed in recent memory, even without a quarterback.

Them not having a signal caller in the class doesn’t make players such as Peyton Bowen, Jeremiyah Love or Jaden Greathouse any less outstanding.

It does, however, make it an incomplete class. Quarterback is a position that Notre Dame hasn’t recruited or developed well enough in recent years. That has to change for the program to take the next step.

Ultimately I do believe that Notre Dame will end up with a quarterback in the 2023 class when all is said and done. I also believe that it could be a signal caller who could be a difference maker when all is said and done.

Let’s see how it all plays out and evaluate it accordingly from there.

@99problems-but-bk-aint-1: Is Notre Dame in it with Tausili Akana? Any clarity on who Notre Dame is in a good position with along both lines for 2024?

The situation with Tausili Akana is a bit of an odd one. Yes, the talented Utah defensive end did have Notre Dame as one of his top ten schools. The strange part is that Akana does not have a reported offer from the Irish.

Could they have offered him and he just didn’t report it? It’s possible but there doesn’t seem to be much clarity on that situation as it stands. It is something worth monitoring it but doesn’t seem like anything to get ahead of yourself about right now.

Offensive line wise for 2024, there seems to be a bit of a wait and see approach to the class. They already have a commitment from Peter Jones, which is big for them. Of the three other offers on the board, there doesn’t seem to be much movement or pushing by the staff so far. The evaluation period may be a big asset for clarity for that side of the football.

On the defensive line, Notre Dame obviously already has two commitments in Brandon Davis-Swain and Owen Wafle. Two more defensive lineman seems like it could be the magic number to round out that unit.

The Irish staff seems to be in a good spot with several talented defensive lineman but it remains uncertain which will be the priority move for the team. With the board as it stands, Notre Dame seems to be in a decent spot with the following players:

DE Elijah Rushing
DE Jacob Smith
DE TJ Lindsey
DE Williams Nwaneri
DT Justin Scott
DT Jerod Smith

Which combination of the players is anyone’s guess right now. It’ll be interesting to monitor.

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Irish Breakdown Content

Notre Dame 2022 Roster
Notre Dame 2022 Schedule

Notre Dame 2023 Class Big Board
Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board - Offense
Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board - Defense

Notre Dame 2023 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers

Ranking The 2022 Signees - Offense
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Defense

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