2022 Notre Dame Recruiting Needs: Defense

A look at the needs and numbers for the Notre Dame defense in the 2022 recruiting class

Notre Dame's defensive recruiting in the last two seasons has been a bit up-and-down. There have been some strong areas and times when the Irish staff came up way short of its needs, or even whiffed at a position.

The 2022 class is one that needs to get Notre Dame back on track. Notre Dame needs to replenish its depth chart in some areas and add impact talent to others. 

Here's a look at the needs for the Notre Dame defensive staff as the 2022 class becomes the primary focus.

2022 Notre Dame Scholarship Offers

DEFENSIVE END

2022 Commits: Tyson Ford, Aiden Gobaira
2022 Needs: 3-4

The numbers needed in this class are higher than you might think, but there are a number of reasons why the staff should shoot for a bigger class. Notre Dame signed just one end in the 2018 class (Justin Ademilola) and there's no guarantee he'll be back in 2022. An injury to NaNa Osafo-Mensah and the low-floor nature of some of the 2020 and 2021 signees means the numbers at the position are a bit shakier than you'd expect.

If Isaiah Foskey has the kind of breakout I expect there's no guarantee he returns in 2022, but even if he does he'll be gone after the 2022 season.

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Three is the ideal number at defensive end, but I could envision a scenario in which Notre Dame lands a fourth end, but that player would be a bigger guy that could eventually either grow into a three-technique (DT) or be more of a swing player.

The Irish staff is already off to a great start thanks to recent commitments from Tyson Ford and Aiden Gobaira. That means the staff can and must focus on high-end talent to fill out the class. It can be either a proven prospect now or a down-the-road high-upside player.

Notre Dame's entire staff must put the full court press on Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman edge defender Cyrus Moss. Landing Moss in a class with Ford and Gobaira would give the Irish arguably its best end class since the 2011 group that brought in Stephon Tuitt, Aaron Lynch and Ishaq Williams.

An intriguing prospect for me is Isaac Hamm. At 6-5 and 260 pounds he has the body of that swing prospect I mentioned above, and he's really, really good. 

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

2022 Needs: 1-2

Notre Dame's defensive tackle position is interesting. The Irish return six players to the depth chart with eligibility into 2022, and five with eligibility beyond. On top of that, the talent on the depth chart is truly outstanding, as all seven players currently on the roster have legit starting talent. 

Making it even more interesting is the hiring of Marcus Freeman as the defensive coordinator. Will we see the Irish move to more of a three-down look? Will we see enough of a balance between three and four-down looks that normal four-down numbers aren't needed? Those decisions must be made quickly, and they will factor into the numbers in this class.

If Notre Dame decides to take a bigger end (like Hamm) that could be a swing player or grow into a three-technique it would also impact the numbers at defensive tackle.

Greenwood (Ind.) Center Grove end Caden Curry is the top prospect on the board. He ranks as the nation's No. 19 overall player according to Rivals, but despite him being an in-state player the Irish staff has some work to do with Curry after getting in on him late.

Pittsburgh (Pa.) Central Catholic defensive tackle Donovan Hinish is another name to know. Hinish, of course, is the younger brother of current Irish nose tackle Kurt Hinish.

Other names to know are Anthony Lucas, Kaleb Artis and KJ Miles. We'll have a better idea of the pecking order in the coming weeks.

LINEBACKER

2022 Commit: Nolan Ziegler
2022 Needs: 3

Linebacker and safety are the two positions that absolutely must be home runs for Notre Dame in the 2022 recruiting cycle. Notre Dame whiffed completely in the 2020 class and landed just two linebackers in 2021, with one of those signees (Kahanu Kia) possibly going on a Mormon mission that could keep him away from the program for two years.

Notre Dame needs at least three linebackers in the class, and if there's a way to make the numbers work for four I would look at that as well.

Current commit Nolan Ziegler is a great fit for Freeman's defense. He's long, rangy, athletic and capable of playing the rover spot or moving to the Will linebacker position. Having an athletic player with his versatility is a great way to start the class.

Notre Dame is also in strong position with Evanston (Ill.) High School standout Sebastian Cheeks and Mission Hills (Calif.) Bishop Alemany star Niuafe Tuihalamaka. There is work left to do with both, but should Notre Dame add those two prospects to a class that already has Ziegler it would meet Notre Dame's numbers and impact talent needs in the class.

It would also give the Irish a trio that works well together. Ziegler can play the Rover and the Will, Cheeks is ideally suited for the Will and Tuihalamaka is a perfect Mike linebacker for Freeman's defense.

There are a lot of new big names on the board, and you can read about that HERE.

SAFETY

2022 Needs: 2

Notre Dame is likely going to lose Kyle Hamilton after the 2021 season, which is bad news for an already thin depth chart that has no proven players beyond him. Fellow safeties Houston Griffith and DJ Brown are also both done no later than 2022.

Behind them there's Litchfield Ajavon, who has yet to play a defensive snap in two seasons, and incoming freshmen Khari Gee and Justin Walters.

This is an absolutely huge year for Notre Dame at safety, and stepping into that recruiting role is first-year safeties coach Chris O'Leary, whose last full-time on-field coaching role was at Florida Tech. The good news is I've heard a lot of good things about O'Leary, but a strong safety class will need to be a group effort.

The safety board is still a work in progress, but there are a number of top early targets. 

Notre Dame is making a hard push for Altoona (Iowa) Southeast Polk star Xavier Nwankpa, the nation's No. 37 player in the country according to 247Sports. Buford (Ga.) High School athlete Jake Pope and Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei two-way standout Cooper Barkate are two more names to keep an eye on.

Barkate is ranked as a mid three-star prospect by Rivals, but his athleticism and film is waaaaaay better than that. He's a name you'll want to know.

CORNERBACK

2022 Needs: 1-2

Notre Dame signed good numbers in the 2020 class, and one prospect from that group (Clarence Lewis) is already starting. The 2021 class is absolutely loaded, and the four-man haul solved Notre Dame's numbers needs. That puts Notre Dame in position with the 2022 class to focus on impact talent over numbers.

The cornerback board is incredibly deep and growing, but there are some early names standing out. St. Louis (Mo.) Lutheran North athlete Toriano Pride is a top target of the Irish staff, and he's an athletic and fast cover player. Pride ranks as the nation's No. 160 overall player according to Rivals, but I wouldn't be surprised to see that continue to go up and up.

One of my favorite corners in the class is Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic big man Jaeden Gould. At 6-2 and 190 pounds, Gould has the body of a safety, and his sophomore film looked more like a safety, but his junior film was truly outstanding, and now I see a pure big corner.

Apopka (Fla.) High School speedster Nikai Martinez is a name to know, and Notre Dame is making a hard push for Ohio State commit Jyaire Brown. Two-way Texas standout Jarred Kerr is another prospect the Irish staff is high on, and making a push for.

SPECIALISTS

2022 Needs: 0

Notre Dame has the players it needs at kicker, punter and snapper for multiple years. Barring an injury or a transfer there isn't a need for specialists in the 2022 class.

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