NFL Draft Results Show Notre Dame's Recruiting Strategy Is On Target

A look at the NFL Draft results the last five years shows that Notre Dame is on the right track from a recruiting emphasis standpoint

There is no doubt that Marcus Freeman has upped the recruiting success for Notre Dame since he was initially hired, but there are a lot of levels to this. Obviously Freeman's personal prowess as a recruiter has played a role, and him bringing Chad Bowden with him from Cincinnati was a master stroke.

That duo has played a major role in Notre Dame's recruiting success, with Freeman has defensive coordinator and now head coach, and Bowden as the director of recruiting. 

According to the 247Sports composite rankings, Notre Dame's 2022 and 2023 recruiting classes were the 2nd and 3rd highest points totals in over a decade. It's not a coincidence that Notre Dame has made such a jump in recruiting success - in the NIL era - since Freeman and Bowden arrived.

Yes, they are great individual recruiters, but their success goes well beyond that. Freeman and Bowden have also shifted the program's recruiting strategy, which is vitally important. We have seen the current staff focus on states the previous staff either ignored, or paid little attention to. They are also competing hard in bigger states where success is vital to success.

A look at the NFL Draft over the last five years shows the shift in policy is incredibly wise.

Let's take a look at the adjusted recruiting strategy, and the success we've seen under Freeman

TEXAS AND GEORGIA ARE PRIORITIES

Georgia has been an off and on priority for years, and the 2024 class is evidence that Freeman wants to make it a priority as well. Notre Dame has landed three commits from the Peach State. The Irish landed offensive lineman Anthonie Knapp on March 29th, defensive end Cole Mullins on April 22nd, and wide receiver Isiah Canion on April 27th.

The Irish coaches have been out on the road the last two weeks and have already made multiple stops in the state of Georgia in hopes of attracting more attention from 2024 players, but even more importantly to get involved with the 2025 prospects.

Texas is the state where we've seen arguably the biggest shift in emphasis. While Florida gets much of the attention for producing NFL players - understandably - it is actually Texas that has produced more NFL Draft picks than any other state over the last five years. Texas was largely an afterthought during the Brian Kelly tenure, but Freeman and Bowden have worked hard to change that.

After landing running back Jadarian Price in the 2022 class, Notre Dame has ramped things up in Texas in the two classes that are fully part of Freeman's tenure as head coach. The Irish landed four players from the state of Texas in Freeman's first full class, landing wide receivers Braylon James, Jaden Greathouse and Kaleb Smith, as well as signing speedy cornerback Micah Bell.

Notre Dame already has a 2024 commitment from Round Rock (Texas) High School cornerback Leonard Moore. The Irish are still pursuing several standouts from the Longhorn State in the 2024 class, including Katy (Texas) Paetow defensive end Loghan Thomas, Lufkin (Texas) High School running back Kedren Young, Schertz (Texas) Clemens safety Paul Mencke Jr. and El Campo (Texas) High School athlete Oliver Miles III.

Notre Dame has also already offered 12 players from Texas in the 2025 class.

ATLANTIC STATES ARE CRUCIAL

Notre Dame is also putting a much greater emphasis on the Atlantic Coast states that have ACC schools, with Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina being the main emphasis. 

In the five classes prior to Freeman being hired (2017-21) the Irish landed just 8 players from those three states. With the third of the classes since Freeman arrived still in progress, Notre Dame has already landed 9 players from those states.

North Carolina has been especially important to Notre Dame under Freeman's watch. The NFL Draft results from the last five years show how much talent is coming out of that state, and Freeman and his staff quickly recognized that. In the five years prior to his arrival, Notre Dame landed just three players from North Carolina, a number that Notre Dame has already landed in the 2024 class alone. The Irish already have commitments from Charlotte Catholic tight end Jack Larsen, Charlotte Christian defensive end Bryce Young and Charlotte Christian wide receiver Micah Gilbert in the 2024 class.

Notre Dame signed Tar Heel offensive linemen Sullivan Absher and Sam Pendleton in the 2023 class. South Carolina star linebacker Jaylen Sneed was a top signee in the 2022 class, and Freeman was the primary reason for him coming to Notre Dame.

Notre Dame didn't land a player from Virginia in the 2023 class and has yet to get on the board in 2024, but the Irish are hot on the trail for a pair of talented linebackers - Salem (Va.) High School star Chris Cole and Roanoke (Va.) Patrick Henry athlete Bodie Kahoun.

Based on early 2025 offers expect the Irish to continue making a hard push in these states in next year's class as well.

MIDWEST IMPROVEMENT

The previous staff obviously emphasized the base states, but the current staff has had more success. This is especially true in the state of Illinois.

From 2017-21 the Irish signed 19 players from Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Illinois. That made up 17.1% of the players signed during that stretch.

In Freeman's three classes (22-24) the Irish have landed 14 players from those states. That makes up 23.7% of the players signed under Freeman.

Freeman and his staff are starting to make Illinois a much, much more important priority. The Irish landed a pair of linemen in the 2023 class (Charles Jagusah, Christopher Terek) and landed a commitment from Illinois wideout Cam Williams in the 2024 class. The numbers are a huge jump, but the quality is a major upgrade. Jagusah was my No. 1 ranked player in the 2023 class and Williams grades out as a Top 50 national recruit in the 2024 class, and he's a five-star on the 247Sports composite rankings.

An argument could be made that Chicago St. Ignatius five-star defensive tackle Justin Scott is the most important player left on the board for Notre Dame in the 2024 class. 

Notre Dame is also pushing hard for elite 2025 wide receiver Talyn Taylor from Geneva (Ill.) High School and is also making a major push for Chicago defensive linemen Nate Marshall and Christopher Burgess in the 2025 class.

Notre Dame also has a commitment from five-star quarterback CJ Carr from the state of Michigan, and they landed a pair of impact linebackers from Michigan in the 2022 class (Josh Burnham, Nolan Ziegler). The Irish are also making a hard run at 2025 offensive tackle Avery Gach of Beverly Hills (Mich.) Groves. The Irish also landed three players from Ohio in the 2023-24 classes (Karson Hobbs, Brenan Vernon, Ben Minich).

This is all important to point out, because it shows that while the staff is clearly ramping up their efforts in important areas like Texas, Georgia, the Atlantic States (Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina), they are doing so while still making their backyard every bit as important, if not more so.

MISSOURI IS IMPORTANT

Missouri ranks just 18th in NFL Draft picks in the last five years, but don't be surprised to see that state make a jump over the next five years. Notre Dame has identified Missouri - especially the St. Louis area - as a base area it must pay more attention to.

From 2017-21 the Irish staff landed three players from the state of Missouri, but they've already landed four players from the state in the 2022-24 classes. Notre Dame landed big time running back Jeremiyah Love and star cornerback Christian Gray - a pair of Top 100 players - in the 2023 class. Notre Dame also has a commitment in the 2024 class from running back Aneyas Williams.

Expect to see them continue to look for the top players from Missouri moving forward.

There are other states Notre Dame is trying to get better results in, like Pennsylvania and Maryland, which is very smart and needed. So far the results haven't been improved, but expect to see the staff continue to make these two states - and New Jersey - continued priority moving forward.

There is a clear shift, and the result has been Notre Dame recruiting at a higher level under Freeman and Bowden than it has in a very long time. It's a great strategy, and if they can continue to have success in these areas you can expect Notre Dame to continue putting a much more talented roster under Freeman.

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Irish Breakdown Content

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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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