Early Look Into 2024 Notre Dame Offensive Recruiting
With the Early Signing Day already behind us, the 2023 recruiting class for Notre Dame has been pretty much solidified for the team barring some late targets materializing before the final signing day. With that, it’s full steam ahead to the 2024 recruiting class for the Irish staff.
As we turn the page, understanding the needs in 2024 is essential. Let’s take a look at how the board is shaping out early and what offensive recruiting may look like over the next year.
The Notre Dame staff hopes to stack impressive offensive classes in consecutive years, building off of an impressive group from this past cycle.
QUARTERBACK
It can’t be understated how much of big boost it is for Notre Dame to have their 2024 quarterback recruit already in the fold, especially when it’s a player the caliber of Saline (Mich.) High School signal caller CJ Carr. The grandson of former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr, CJ is about as impressive of a quarterback to opt for Notre Dame in recent memory.
Despite some odd recruiting ranking drops after he committed to the Irish, the 6-3, 180-pound quarterback still ranks in the top 30 overall recruits nationally by both Rivals (No.15) and ESPN (No. 29). Getting this type of talent at the most important position in sports would move the needle enough.
Add in the fact that Carr is already a premier recruiter for the 2024 class with the goal to put together an elite class, it makes it easy to see why getting a borderline five-star quarterback this early is so vital for recruiting success.
RUNNING BACK
When Notre Dame received a commitment from four-star Hannibal (Mo.) High School star Aneyas Williams, they got a boost from a couple different vantage points. First of all, Williams is one of the more talented all-purpose backs in the class. He is asked to do a little bit of everything for Hannibal, profiling as a player who brings impressive versatility to the Irish backfield moving forward.
Getting 2023 signee Jeremiyah Love and Williams in back-to-back classes is almost an embarrassment of riches for what is already one of the deeper running back units in all of college football.
The 5-10, 195-pound Williams also helps to establish a presence in the St. Louis area that must continue to be a priority moving forward. From every perspective, getting Williams this early was a huge boost in 2024. After signing one back in 2023, it is very possible that the staff prioritizes getting a second running back to go along with Willams.
With the future of Chris Tyree being a bit of a question mark, it’s possible that a spot may come open. Add in the fact that the transfer portal era can shakeup a roster in an instant and continuing to stockpile talent is essential. Who that player is will be an interesting thing to follow.
As of now, the player that the program seems to have the most traction with is Waukesha (Wisc.) Catholic Memorial speedster Corey Smith. The combination of Williams and Smith together brings an extremely interesting complimentary duo potentially.
Florida standouts Davion Gause and Anthony Carrie are a couple of other runners who are worth keeping an eye on moving forward.
WIDE RECEIVER
Notre Dame is off to another tremendous start at wide receiver in the 2024 recruiting class with Glen Ellyn (Ill.) Glenbard South star Cam Williams. The 6-3, 185-pound pass catcher was already a tremendous football player when he committed to the Irish in June.
As a junior, however, Williams took a massive step forward and is now bordering on elite status in a deep and talented wide receiver group nationally in 2024. The Illinois native is considered the No. 20 overall player and No. 5 wide receiver in the 2024 class according to On3.
He is held in high regard by virtually every major recruiting platform. Williams was yet another example of the Irish staff being slightly ahead of the curve with Williams now being bordering on elite five-star status in the class.
Getting impact talent at wide receiver continues to be important for the team, as does depth. The previous staff left the wide receiver room in such a bad spot that it will take a couple of recruiting classes in a row to get it back on track. There are several talented pass catchers on the board that the team would love to pair with Williams.
The board starts with St. Louis (Mo.) University pass catcher Ryan Wingo, who has a legitimate argument as the top pass catcher in the 2024 recruiting class. He brings a smooth and competitive profile to be a potential alpha on the outside for the team.
There is going to be a massive push for Wingo with the Irish presence in St. Louis. Getting him amongst interest from practically every major program in college football would be a massive victory, and one that is a realistic one.
Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Catholic athlete Emmett Mosley is a familiar name to Notre Dame fans.
Mosley is the son of a pair of former Notre Dame student athletes. His father, Emmett IV, played wide receiver for the Irish from 1993-96, hauling in 52 passes for 755 yards and a score during his career. Mosley also rushed for 275 yards and five scores, finishing his career with 1,030 career yards of offense.
His mother, Cindy (Daws) Mosley, was a star soccer player for Notre Dame. She finished her career with 61 career goals, which at the time was a program record. She won the Hermann Trophy in 1996, which the site states is the Heisman Trophy for women's soccer.
The California native is a dynamic athlete who can work on the outside and in the slot in a pinch. With a lot of outside wide receiver types high on the board for Notre Dame, his alignment versatility would be a huge bonus for the team.
The same would be the case for Long Beach (Calif.) Poly standout Jason Robinson, who is currently committed to USC. Despite that commitment, Robinson has been adamant that he is letting his recruiting process play out.
He would also be a tremendous fit in the slot for Notre Dame if he opted for the Irish, with the talent to also threaten on the outside with his combination of speed and route running ability.
The 2023 wide receiver group was a fantastic four man haul for Chansi Stuckey. 2024 could be even better.
TIGHT END
The Irish staff was once again a bit ahead of the curve with Charlotte (N.C.) Catholic standout Jack Larsen, who was without a doubt a very good player when he committed to the team in June. After his junior year, however, the 6-3, 215-pound pass catcher looks like one of the more impressive tight ends in the 2024 recruiting class.
Larsen is currently rated as the No. 47 overall player and No. 3 tight end in the 2024 recruiting class according to 247Sports.
With Notre Dame signing just Cooper Flanagan in the 2023 recruiting class, it is expected that the Irish staff will target a second tight end in the class. When you consider the fact that there are a couple injury question marks at the position already on the roster and this potential becomes even more realistic.
The hot name on the board appears to be Ainsworth (Neb.) High School standout Carter Nelson, who is one of the best athletes in the 2024 recruiting class regardless of position. The 6-5, 210-pound athlete is a potential mismatch weapon on the next level with upside as high as anyone in the tight end group.
There is heavy mutual interest between both sides early on.
It also seems like the Notre Dame staff is interested in expanding the tight end board moving forward. They recently offered Hiram (Ga.) High School standout Walter Matthews and Peculiar (Mo.) Raymore-Peculiar star Jaden Reddell, both of which are incredibly impressive athletes for the position although they come in much different packages.
How the tight end group in 2024 rounds out will be interesting to watch.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Harry Hiestand and the team are fresh off of signing a fantastic five man class in 2023. Over the last two classes, Notre Dame has managed to sign a lot of talent up front but a good portion of it are players who project best inside on the next level.
There is a priority in 2024 for the staff to bring in a couple of pure offensive tackle recruits. The team has managed already to get a commitment from Malvern (Pa.) Prep standout Peter Jones, who is also projected to fit best inside. The 6-6, 295-pound Jones is considered the No. 99 overall player and No. 4 interior offensive lineman in the 2024 recruiting class according to Rivals.
The name worth keeping the closest eye on the board is West Roxbury (Mass.) Catholic Memorial offensive tackle Guerby Lambert, who is the teammate of 2023 defensive line commit Boubacar Traore. The 6-7, 280-pound Lambert has an incredible physical skill set that is still pretty raw. He has the length, foot quickness and upside to profile as a star left tackle on the next level.
Aside from Lambert, there are no clear targets on a very small board for Hiestand right now. They did recently offer Brookline (Mass.) Dexter School standout Liam Andrews but it remains to be seen what the traction will be with him.
Overall, you should expect a smaller offensive line class in 2024 for the Irish. Continuing to develop an already deep and talented offensive line group on campus is the priority moving forward.
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Irish Breakdown Content
Notre Dame 2022 Roster
Notre Dame 2022 Schedule
Notre Dame 2023 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Offense
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Defense
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