What's Next: Notre Dame Needs A Strong Defensive Line Finish

Defensive line recruiting has been an up and down affair for Notre Dame in recent seasons, but the Irish put a quality group together in 2023. If the Irish want to build a championship caliber defense it needs another dominant year in 2024.

The Irish staff is off to a good start after landing Georgia end Cole Mullins and North Carolina edge Bryce Young, but the difference between a really good unit and a championship unit will be determined by how the staff closes the class off.

2024 COMMITS

Notre Dame kicked off its 2024 class last May when defensive tackle Owen Wafle pledged to the Irish. I questioned how big of a pickup that was at the time, but after a dominant junior season Wafle has become one of the top commits in the class, and a vitally important player in the defensive line class.

Wafle was the only commit in the class for almost 11 months, but that changed in a hurry. Mullins made his commitment public on April 22nd, and Young made his commitment public on April 29th.

Wafle gives Notre Dame a pure interior player, Young projects as a field end with a power profile and Mullins has Vyper skills, but part of what I love about his game is that he can play both end positions.

REMAINING NEEDS

Notre Dame came into this cycle looking for at least five total linemen in the class. If the right players want to join that could raise to as high as six, but it would require that sixth lineman to be a truly elite prospect, or at least have elite upside.

Inside, Notre Dame really only needs one more prospect in the class, but if the right players want to jump in the class it could possibly add a third interior player.

Outside, Notre Dame needs one more edge player in the class, and the ideal scenario is a pure Vyper type of player. Mullins is being recruited as a Vyper, but as I mentioned he can play all over. Even if Mullins sticks as a true Vyper, the position needs an infusion of talent and numbers.

BREAKING DOWN THE BOARD

With three of the five spots now filled the Notre Dame staff can narrow its board. There are a number of edge prospects that are now likely to be put on the back burner as the staff focuses on a smaller group of high-level talents. The same is true inside, as Notre Dame is zeroed in on a very, very small group of prospects.

I've been very critical of the recruiting for position coach Al Washington, but if he can finish this class off the right way it will go a very long way towards shutting up critics like me.

JUSTIN SCOTT, DEFENSIVE TACKLE - The Chicago (Ill.) St. Ignatius five-star defensive tackle is a must get, and he's arguably the most important player on the board, regardless of position. Scott is a rare combination of size (6-5, 310), power and athleticism. He is built like a nose tackle, but Scott is more of a three-technique from a style of play standpoint. His ability to win with quickness combines with his exceptional natural power to make him very hard to block inside. The scary part is he's not even close to reaching his full potential.

Notre Dame cannot afford to allow an elite prospect from Chicago to get away from both a depth chart standpoint and a perception standpoint. The primary reason He's the kind of player that Notre Dame rarely lands, but he's also the exact kind of player Notre Dame needs if it's going to build a truly elite defense. Notre Dame is in a battle for Scott with Georgia, Miami (Fla.), Ohio State, Michigan and others, but when it's all said and done this is a battle the Irish cannot afford to lose.

Miss out on Scott and this will be a pretty good defensive line class. Land Scott and this will likely be an elite defensive line class. From a rankings standpoint, Scott earned a 5.0-star grade on the Irish Breakdown board and he's ranked as a five-star by both Rivals and On3.

ELIJAH RUSHING, DEFENSIVE END - Notre Dame has been involved with the Tucson (Ariz.) Salpointe Catholic edge for a very long time. After being in a strong position early, the Irish appeared to fade with Rushing over time. He has an official visit planned for June, but right now Notre Dame is playing catch up. The good news is he is making that visit, and Rushing is very much a "Notre Dame kid" and he's a great fit for what Notre Dame is all about, so the Irish have a puncher's chance.

Rushing is an intriguing player that has elite length (6-6, 225) for the edge. He's a smooth and explosive athlete with a good feel for how to get to the quarterback. He could be a Vyper in the Isaiah Foskey mold thanks to his speed-to-power ability, his range and his natural pass rushing skills. His 225-pound frame has plenty of room to add strength and size, and it's not out of the question that Rushing could grow into an elite pass rushing field end.

If Notre Dame fans want to talk about a "dream class" along the defensive line it must include both Scott and Rushing. Both are also the kind of players that Notre Dame would recruit no matter where they are from a numbers standpoint. From a rankings standpoint, Rushing earned a 5.0-star grade on the Irish Breakdown board and he's also ranked as a five-star recruit by 247Sports.

LOGHAN THOMAS, DEFENSIVE END - Thomas is a very unique prospect, especially compared to the other edge players on the board. At 6-3 and 210 pounds he's much thinner than most of the edge players on the board, and he brings a lot of hybrid skills to the table. Thomas has an outstanding first step, he's a smooth athlete and his closing speed is excellent. As he fills out and adds more strength you'll see his ability to win on the edge really take off. Thomas is a pure Vyper that can also drop into coverage and move around in sub packages.

From a recruiting standpoint, Notre Dame has been making a hard charge with Thomas. The Irish hosted Thomas back in March and things went quite well, which helped Notre Dame become a major player in his recruitment. Thomas is expected back for an official visit in June, and that will ultimately be the visit that determines if the Irish can be a legitimate player for Thomas when it comes decision making time.

Thomas is ranked as a 4.0-star player and a Top 150 caliber prospect on the Irish Breakdown board, but he has an enormous upside. He's ranked as the No. 100 overall player in the country by On3, and is also a Top 200 recruit according to 247Sports and Rivals.

MYLACHI WILLIAMS, DEFENSIVE END - Williams is one of the most intriguing players on the board for Notre Dame, and he's one of my favorite recruits. He's not on the same level as some other players due to his youth and developing frame, but Williams has an upside that can match just about any edge in the country, Notre Dame prospects or not.

This is a young prospect with exceptional length and athletic potential. His first step is as good as any prospect on the board and he shows the closing speed need to be a big time pass rusher. Williams plays with an impressive motor and as his game evolves he should be a dominant two-way player. Williams also shows a great feel for winning on the edge, but also the instincts to know when the ball is coming out before he can get there, which allows him to get his hands on a lot of passes.

Right now Penn State is considered the team to beat, but a recent visit to Notre Dame has made the Irish a player. There is still a lot of work to be done, but Notre Dame is in the mix with Williams, who earned a 5.0-star upside grade on the Irish Breakdown board.

BENEDICT UMEH, DEFENSIVE END/TACKLE - This is one prospect that I'm not sure where Notre Dame stands. Full disclosure, we've had a hard time getting in touch with Umeh, so I cannot really tell you where Notre Dame stands with him.

Umeh is a well-built edge player that I believe projects best inside. He has a really impressive first step off the line and good natural power, but Umeh isn't the most flexible athlete and there is some lateral stiffness. That is why I think he projects best inside, where his explosiveness and power could really shine.

Umeh is ranked as the nation's No. 29 overall player by On3 and as the No. 81 overall player by ESPN. He earned a 4.0-star grade and a Top 250 caliber prospect ranking on the Irish Breakdown board.

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Irish Breakdown Content

2023 Scholarship Chart
2023 Football Schedule

Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers

2024 Commit Rankings - Offense
2024 Commit Rankings - Defense

2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense

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