Defensive Line Class Could Make Or Break The 2023 Notre Dame Recruiting Haul

When we look back years from now, the 2023 defensive line group could be the breaking point for the Notre Dame recruiting class

From a depth perspective, the 2023 Notre Dame recruiting class was about as balanced as you will find in all of college football. They hit everyone of their needs, quite literally checking every box.

At most positions, the program also steadily and significantly upgraded the talent of the roster. There are also several early contributors that can be identified as players who could come in right away and impact the 2023 version of Notre Dame.

Defensive line is especially interesting to monitor for Notre Dame moving forward. There isn’t an absence of talent up front in the class. The issue is that the class, without Keeley, becomes one built much more on upside than known commodities.

Could it end up being one of the best defensive line groups nationally in 2023? Without question, the talent is stellar.

Could it also be a missed opportunity if a couple of the talented group doesn’t pan out? That is the real worry.

In a lot of ways, this defensive line class could end up being the breaking point for just how good the 2023 recruiting class could be for the Irish. If the upside is met, it could transform the biggest worry to one of the bigger strengths in the class. The program is looking for difference makers up front defensively and they are hoping that the members of the 2023 group can be a big part of that formula for success in the future.

There is a narrative out there that four-star defensive end Brenan Vernon is this high floor football player who is close to his ceiling. It comes mostly from the look of Vernon, boasting a college ready frame with the appearance of a NFL veteran. In reality, Vernon has just started to tap into his long term potential.

At 6-5 and potentially south of 275 pounds, the Mentor, Ohio native has gone through quite the physical maturation over the last year. While he may begin his Notre Dame career at the big end position, there may be a good chance that Vernon could find himself inside at three technique in the very near future.

If he is able to harness his rare combination of size, length and first step quickness, Vernon could be the penetrating move piece that the defense desperately needs. The worry, however, is that he gets stuck between two positions and becomes a bit too much of a tweener. It will be up to Al Washington to find his best fit and get the most out of Vernon’s massive upside.

If you want to draw up the ideal defensive end recruit, there is a good chance that it would look exactly like Boubacar Traore. The Massachusetts native has a reported 80+ inch wingspan, possessing some of the best length at the position in the nation.

He combines that length, with his 6-4, 255-pound frame, and stellar explosiveness, to profile as one of the highest upside pass rushers in the class. The issue is that his game is still very raw and there is serious development to occur. Traore can truly be as good as he wants to be.

There is a very good argument that his upside may be the highest in the class. That is an opinion that would be hard to push back on.

Still very new to the game, defensive end Armel Mukam has a physical profile that is eerily similar to Traore. At 6-4 and 250 pounds, it is hard to believe that just a couple of years ago Mukam was hitting around a hockey puck up in Canada. Now he sits as one of the more tantalizing talents at the position in the 2023 recruiting class.

If you pop on Mukam’s film playing for Woodberry Forest High School in Virginia, he looks every bit the type of power ends you find in the SEC on a weekly basis. He is long and explosive, boasting rare power at the position.

He is, however, the rawest of the group currently. Mukam is the ultimate project but if he is developed properly, it would not be shocking if he ends up being the best player of the class long term.

Perhaps the safest of the group, Maryland defensive lineman Devan Houstan was by far the most consistent producer on the high school level out of the four man class. Houston already uses his hands well, playing with a consistent base and under control on a snap to snap basis.

Even he is a bit of a projection when you consider that he will be more than likely playing a brand new position inside. Houston spent the entirety of his career at St. James School on the edge but projects much more favorably inside for Notre Dame. His traits should definitely fit well inside but he should be due for a bit of a transitional period.

Banking on this many high ceiling-low floor players in one class could be incredibly rewarding, or a massive letdown. It puts the emphasis on developing and coaching from here. This class will serve as the ultimate project for Coach Washington over the next couple of years.

If the class hits, it could change the fortune of the defensive line class for Notre Dame and bolster just how impactful the 2023 recruiting class was for getting the program back on top. It is true that football starts up front, and in this case, that is where it could finish as well. 

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