Notre Dame Recruiting Class Grades: Defense
Notre Dame could still add one player to the secondary, but the Irish are at a place where handing out grades for each position is doable. If the Irish do in fact add to the class it will only strengthen where they stand.
Grades are based on a combination of meeting numbers needs, impact talent, scheme fit and how well players at each position complement each other.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Grade: B-
Signees: Jason Onye, Will Schweitzer, Devin Aupiu, Gabriel Rubio (DT)
Notre Dame continued its recent trend of landing long, rangy and high-ceiling defensive ends that will need some time to develop their game. It has worked out pretty well so far, and the upside of the current group is outstanding.
The grade reflects the fact this is a low-floor/high-ceiling situation, and the fact that outside of Rubio, most of the players in this class will need time to develop before they can help. That drags the grade down, but the upside of this group is impressive and it’s a class Irish fans should be excited to watch develop.
North Providence (R.I.) Bishop Hendricken defensive end Jason Onye is a highly intriguing player. Onye has played football for just two years, and he didn’t get to play as a senior due to its cancelation. He is incredibly raw from a technique standpoint, but he has a tremendous frame, powerful hands and the potential to be a top-notch power end in the Irish defense in time.
Notre Dame flipped Los Gatos (Calif.) High School edge player Will Schweitzer from Nebraska, and I love his upside. He’s got an impressive burst off the edge, he has experience in coverage and his overall skillset fits the drop position quite well. The issue, however, is he is barely over 200 pounds right now and will need time to add necessary size/strength. With that kind of player there is always the concern about whether or not he can maintain his athleticism and explosiveness with added size.
The Irish flipped Oxnard (Calif.) Pacifica end Devin Aupiu from UCLA, and much of what I just said about Schweitzer is true for him. He will need time to fill out, but his frame is even better than Schweitzer’s. He’s long, athletic and the frame he has is such that there’s a chance he could add enough size and strength to play either end spot in the Irish defense.
There are no such concerns with St. Louis (Mo.) Lutheran defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio. The Top 100 defensive tackle has the size/strength combination to play early, and his overall technique is college ready. He’s one of the top signees in the class, and Notre Dame really only needed one interior player in the class, and Rubio filled that need nicely.
LINEBACKER
Grade: B-
Signees: Prince Kollie, Kahanu Kia
Notre Dame needed at least two linebackers in the class, and if the offseason goes how I think it will go this might not be enough. I can live with just two linebackers in this class, but the Irish needed better with the second player, and right now the plan for Honolulu (Haw.) Punahou linebacker Kahanu Kia is that he’ll go on a Mormon mission, which means technically he’s more like a 2023 signee.
My highest graded defensive recruit in the 2021 class is Jonesborough (Tenn.) David Crockett linebacker Prince Kollie. I liked Kollie when he committed, but he got even better as a senior. Landing him gives the Irish a Top 100 caliber player at linebacker, which boosts the grade.
Kia is a smart, instinctive player that brings toughness to the position. He isn’t the athlete Notre Dame is used to signing at the position, he doesn’t have great size and as I mentioned, he plans on going on a Mormon mission. He’s a quality player, but for a program like Notre Dame it can, and should, be able to get higher-level players at linebacker.
This also comes a year after Notre Dame skipped the position completely.
SECONDARY
Grade: A-
Signees: Ryan Barnes, Philip Riley, JoJo Johnson, Chance Tucker, Justin Walters (S), Khari Gee (S)
On day one of the early signing period I said that Notre Dame was another safety away from the grade of B going up even higher, and by day three the Irish had added that safety. Landing Georgia safety Khari Gee gives Notre Dame a long, rangy, athletic and talented safety that is a great fit in the Irish defense.
The addition of Gee gives Notre Dame one of the nation's best secondary hauls, and it gives Notre Dame a deep and talented group of six defensive backs that can not only fill out the depth chart, but push players already on the roster.
Landing Gee and Bolingbrook (Ill.) High School safety Justin Walters met the team's depth needs, and both add a talent and length upgrade to the roster. Landing both Walters and Gee also means that Notre Dame doesn't have to move one of its corners to safety, which would have been a must without two safeties. Could one of those corner commits end up at safety? Sure, but now that move would be based on that player fitting better at safety and not be a situation where he was moving to fill a roster need.
Notre Dame's cornerback class is outstanding.
Gaithersburg (Md.) Quince Orchard cornerback Ryan Barnes was graded as a three-star recruit by the services, but I graded him as a four-star and the third best defensive player in the class. Barnes has the size, athleticism and instincts to thrive in the Notre Dame defense, and there’s a reason programs like Notre Dame, Clemson, LSU, Georgia, Florida, and Oklahoma offered him.
Getting Valrico (Fla.) Bloomingdale cornerback Philip Riley back in the class was important for Notre Dame, and it boosted the cornerback grade. Riley is a physically advanced and tough cornerback that also has the skills to move to and become a multi-year starter at safety.
Merrillville (Ind.) High School athlete JoJo Johnson and Encino (Calif) Crespi cornerback Chance Tucker are quality players. Johnson is athletic, versatile and has the tools to eventually develop into a quality player in the secondary. Tucker lacks the length, size or speed of other players in the class, but he’s extremely intelligent and has the traits needed to outplay his ranking.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Grade: B+
Signees: PK Joshua Bryan
Landing Bryan gives the Irish one of the best place-kickers in the class. On top of that, Notre Dame added a player in receiver Lorenzo Styles Jr. that could develop into a strong punt returner for the Irish. The secondary haul and the two linebackers give the coverage units a huge boost. I don’t love Kia as a linebacker, but I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t develop into a multi-year starter on special teams.
GRADE KEY
A — Elite / College Football Playoff caliber
B — Outstanding / Top 15 caliber
C — Solid / Borderline Top 25 caliber
D — Subpar / Not good enough
F — Disaster
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