Notre Dame Recruiting: Where Things Stand With The Defensive Line Class
Notre Dame landed back-to-back quality defensive line classes, but the Irish want and need another outstanding class. Head coach Marcus Freeman knows the Fighting Irish need an elite defensive line if the defense is going to play championship caliber football. That means the 2024 class must add another big boost in talent.
There is a quality board right now, but closing will be the key. It's a big year for position coach Al Washington, who needs to silence his critics (of which I have been one) with a strong haul.
2024 COMMITS
Notre Dame kicked off the defensive line class with Princeton (N.J.) The Hun School standout Owen Wafle. When the 6-3, 290-pound Wafle initially committed to Notre Dame I view it as a solid pickup, but I wasn't blown away with his play. Wafle's production as a sophomore was also subpar.
His production, his Irish Breakdown grade, and my view of him changed dramatically after his junior campaign. Wafle racked up 64 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, 7 quarterback hurries and 3 forced fumbles in just nine games as a junior. On top of the production, he was bigger and even more explosive.
Wafle projects as an interior player in the Irish defense, having the tools to play either three technique or nose guard. Just where he ends up could be partly determined by who else the Irish land in the 2024 class. Either way, Wafle has turned into one of the top prospects in the 2024 Irish recruiting class and is a strong foundation upon which to build the rest of the defensive line class.
REMAINING NEEDS
Right now the target number is five, with the staff needing at least two interior players and two edge players. Whether the fifth player is an inside or outside player should depend on landing the best player available, but right now my view is that a third defensive tackle is preferred thanks to the staff landing three ends and just one interior player in the 2023 class.
A case could also be made that three ends is needed, with two Vypers being the preference in that case. But at the end of the day the focus should be about adding the best player.
If there are any departures or injuries on the current roster I could see the staff expanding the board to six linemen in this class. Of course, there are a couple of players on the board that Notre Dame would need to take no matter when they want to commit or how many players are in the class. That's not something you should do at all positions, but it certainly is with where Notre Dame is right now.
TOP TARGETS
Here are the top targets on the defensive line board for the Fighting Irish:
Justin Scott, Defensive Tackle - A case could be made that his position, where he's from and his talent make Scott the top uncommitted target on the 2024 board for Notre Dame regardless of position. The Chicago (Ill.) St. Ignatius big man has a rare combination of size, power and athleticism. Notre Dame's standing with Scott has been a bit up-and-down. Ohio State, Georgia and Miami are three programs making a hard push for the talented tackle. Right now Notre Dame remains in a good position, but the staff will need to continue building the connection with Scott and doing whatever it takes to ultimately get him in the class.
Notre Dame cannot afford to miss on Scott in this class. He plays a premium position and he's in their backyard. It's hard to think of a more must-get player in the class, and landing Scott is the kind of move that helps Notre Dame close the gap in a big way. IB Grade: 5.0 star - Upside Grade: 5.0 star
Elijah Rushing, Defensive End - Rushing has been on top of the defensive board for quite some time, and for good reason. He has exceptional size (6-5, 240) and length, possessing the skills to be an impact player at Vyper or field end. Rushing is a smooth and fluid athlete that shows an impressive burst off the line. Notre Dame was once in strong position with Rushing, who took an unofficial visit to South Bend last September. The Irish seemed to fade in recent months, but the staff continue push hard for Rushing and they were able to secure an official visit (June 9-11). Rushing also had officials set up to Tennessee, Arizona and Oregon. There are more contenders on the board for Rushing.
At this point the Irish have a puncher's chance, but they still have a lot of ground to make up with the Tucson (Ariz.) Salpointe Catholic star. Getting an official certainly helps, but Washington and the staff will need to work overtime over the next few months to pull off this upset. IB Grade: 4.5 star - Upside Grade: 5.0 star
Cole Mullins, Defensive End - Mullins has flown under the radar since getting his offer from the Irish back in January. On3 has him ranked as 3-star recruit and 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals haven't even gotten around to giving him a grade. I'm not quite sure how this is true for a kid who is 6-4 and 240 pounds, is athletic, shows impressive power and is very productive for one of the top programs in Georgia. Mullins has 18 tackles for loss, 11 sacks and 14 more hurries the last two seasons. The film is way, way more impressive than his recruiting grades, which is why he earned the grade he did on the Irish Breakdown board. There is a lot to like about the Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek standout.
Notre Dame wasn't considered a major player for Mullins, but a recent visit (April 19th) has changed things dramatically. As the staff has started to narrow its board of top targets, Mullins has emerged as a player the staff is making a hard run at. The recent visit has made Notre Dame a major, major player in this recruitment. IB Grade: 4.0 star - Upside Grade: 4.5 star
Bryce Young, Defensive End - Young has blown up in recent months, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down. As a sophomore he was a tall, gangly player that was incredibly raw. Notre Dame was his first offer, and that came last June. His next Power 5 offer didn't come until November, and he had just four Power 5 offers at the turn of the calendar. Since then, Young has earned offers from USC, Penn State, Miami, Wisconsin, Iowa, Stanford and Michigan. Young has started to fill out in impressive fashion in recent months, coming in at over 6-4 and 240 pounds. He's still a bit raw, but teams see enormous potential with Young.
Notre Dame has been considered his leader due to his family connection, but Young has toured the country and seems to like a lot of different schools. He was last on Notre Dame's campus back in January, but he's expected to return for this weekend's spring game. Young has talked about taking official visits this summer, but hopefully Notre Dame can close this recruitment out soon. The longer it goes on the more concerned the Irish should be. IB Grade: 4.0 star - Upside Grade: 4.5 star
TJ Lindsey, Defensive Tackle - Lindsey is a very intriguing player that is another defensive lineman in the 2024 class with film that far surpasses his recruiting grades with the national services. Lindsey measured in this winter at over 6-3 and 290 pounds, but he plays mostly on the edge in high school. He is a high motor player with an impressive burst off the line and he's powerful. Lindsey could play some power end at the next level, but I absolutely love his potential as an interior player. I could see a scenario where Lindsey plays three different line positions on the next level.
Lindsey has already been to Notre Dame, so this weekend's visit for the Blue-Gold Game gives the Irish a chance to get some momentum back in his recruitment. Texas A&M and Arkansas are making hard pushes for Lindsey, and he already has an official visit set up to Texas for this summer. Lindsey doesn't seem to be in a hurry to make a decision, but Notre Dame will look to make a big move this weekend. IB Grade: 4.0 star - Upside Grade: 4.5 star
Mylachi Williams, Defensive End - Williams is one of the most intriguing linemen on the board, and he's certainly one of my favorites. He's still thin and needs a lot of technical work and work in the weight room, but his tools are outstanding. Williams is extremely long and incredibly twitchy. His pass rushing potential is enormous, but he's barely over 200 pounds right now, so he's a low-floor/high-ceiling prospect. He's the kind of guy you bring in, let him develop and hopefully after a couple of years he's filled out and his athleticism starts to take over.
Notre Dame has been on Williams for some time but at this time his interest in them hasn't been as strong as theirs in him. Penn State is the apparent early leader, but Notre Dame will get a shot to make a move this weekend when he makes his first trip to campus. IB Grade: 4.0 star - Upside Grade: 5.0 star
MORE NAMES TO KNOW
Notre Dame's board has evolved quite a bit since the turn of the calendar. Heck, it has changed quite a bit over the last two weeks. A week ago, Notre Dame was looking seriously at trying to add Jacob Smith and Jerod Smith, who were high on the Irish after making multiple trips to campus. Notre Dame's movement with Mullins and continued desire to land Young, Rushing and Scott has caused the staff to pull back with the twins, who are now looking at programs like Michigan and Nebraska.
Notre Dame also recently hosted D.C. big man Darien Mayo, but coming out of that visit the two sides appear to be headed in opposite directions. The same is true with Texas edge Loghan Thomas, who visited in March. Coming out of that visit neither side appears ready to take the next step with each other.
The Irish staff appears to like Tennessee edge Cameron Clark, who visited this winter. I expect the staff to get out to see Clark during the open evaluation period, unless a Vyper the staff likes better jumps on board soon.
Connecticut big man Benedict Umeh is a player that we're still trying to learn more about. A case could be made that Umeh belongs in the top targets category, but we just don't know enough about his recruitment to be able to do that. He was expected to be on campus this weekend for the Blue-Gold Game, but his plans changed and how he's hoping to get on campus the following weekend. We'll have a better idea then if Notre Dame is going to be a player with Umeh, and just where Notre Dame sees him fitting into the defense.
Notre Dame has been connected with ends Marquise Lightfoot, Anelu Lafaele, Kellen Lindstrom and other ends throughout the process, but right now none of those players are priorities for the coaching staff.
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Notre Dame 2023 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense
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