Notre Dame Recruiting: Best Bets For The Next Commitment

Notre Dame has had a busy month recruiting, and the Irish aren't done yet, so we break down who is likely the next bets to commit

Notre Dame has landed three commits in less than three weeks, and the Fighting Irish staff isn't done yet. Most of the commits so far have been on offense, but the Notre Dame defensive coaches are closing in on some of the nation's best players.

If I were a betting man I would put money on the defensive staff adding to its class in the near future. Here are four prospects that I view as the best bets to be the next in line for the Notre Dame staff.

JOSHUA BURNHAM, LINEBACKER

Top Contenders: Michigan, Wisconsin

IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 100 caliber player)
Upside Grade: 5.0

Burnham has set a commitment date for March 17th, and he's down to the Irish, Wolverines and Badgers, but ultimately this will be a Notre Dame vs. Michigan battle. Defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman has done a tremendous job putting Notre Dame in great position in this recruitment. Right now my money would be on Notre Dame, and I'd feel really good about that bet paying off. 

Burnham is the nation's No. 85 overall player according toe 247Sports, but he has a five-star upside. The 6-3, 215-pound athlete is long, athletic and he's just now starting to tap into his immense potential. Burnham could play Mike or Will linebacker in the Notre Dame defense, and he brings the kind of range and athleticism needed to dominate in Freeman's defense.

NIUAFE TUIHALAMAKA, LINEBACKER

Top Contenders: Texas, Stanford, Oregon, Arizona State

IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 100 caliber player)
Upside Grade: 5.0

Tuihalamaka recently put out a Top 5 of the Irish and the five programs I listed as top contenders. Freeman made the California linebacker an immediate priority, and that has put Notre Dame in great, great position to ultimately land Tuihalamaka, who is a consensus Top 100 recruit and the No. 68 overall player on the 247Sports composite list. Texas is making a hard charge for Tuihalamaka, but Notre Dame should be hard to beat.

A pure Mike linebacker, it's hard to watch Tuihalamaka play and see his size/frame and not get flashbacks to Manti Te'o when he was a five-star high school linebacker. The scary thing about Tuihalamaka is that his evaluation is based on sophomore film, and he has yet to start his junior season. This is an outstanding inside linebacker that could also be an edge rusher in certain looks.

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DJ WESOLAK, DEFENSIVE END

Top Contenders: Oklahoma, Texas, Clemson, Missouri

IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 250 caliber player)
Upside Grade: 4.5

Notre Dame has been trending in a good direction with Wesolak for a couple of months now. He's good friends with Notre Dame commit Tyson Ford, and both Ford and the Irish staff have pushed hard for him in recent weeks. Wesolak is a rising prospect with an impressive offer list, but Notre Dame getting on him early has them in great position, and Mike Elston and Freeman have put the Irish in a position that will make them very, very hard to beat.

The Irish already have commitments from Ford and Aiden Gobaira at end, and initially I had concerns about whether or not that trio was too similar in style of play. After watching Gobaira's early junior film I feel much, much better about that trio being able to play together, which makes Wesolak even more valuable. The nation's No. 203 overall player according to 247Sports, Wesolak is extremely long, shows an impressive initial burst and his power potential is outstanding. Wesolak is still a bit raw, but he's exactly the kind of body and talent that Elston has thrived with in recent seasons.

JADEN MICKEY, CORNERBACK

Top Contenders: Oregon, California, Northwestern

IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 250 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 4.5

The fact Mickey has Northwestern, Cal and Notre Dame among his four finalists should tell you everything you need to know about what kind of student he is and the fact he's looking for top notch football and academics. Corners coach Mike Mickens and California recruiter Brian Polian are both putting the full court press on Mickey, who hails from the same high school as Javon McKinley. Talking to my sources, right now it seems that Notre Dame is the program that is trending the most for Mickey.

Mickey is ranked as the No. 220 player in the country according to 247Sports, but that is based off sophomore film. The Centennial standout has excellent foot quickness, agility and he's a smooth athlete. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of size and speed gains he's made since his sophomore season. If he makes the leaps I think he will I expect his recruiting profile to see a big jump over the next year.

Check out these highlights of Mickey from his sophomore season:

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