Notre Dame Already Establishing A Strong Bond With Elite 2024 Defensive Lineman

Notre Dame and elite 2024 defensive lineman Nigel Smith II is already building a strong bond

With basketball season now in the rear view mirror, talented 2024 Melissa (Texas) High School defensive lineman Nigel Smith II is setting his attention back on the recruiting trail, gearing up for several school visits over the next few months. 

Smith already got a crash course prior to the dead period, when Melissa High School became quite a popular destination for recruiters.

“It was crazy for a couple weeks,” Smith remembered. ”I was getting pulled out of class everyday. There were something like 30 programs that came through during those couple of weeks. It was just a great experience.”

Up to this point Smith has been a hot commodity in the recruiting world, already boasting 16 reported offers despite being just a sophomore. Schools like Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas and LSU are notable early offers for the 6-5 260 pound defensive lineman.

With that early attention, Notre Dame has made a strong effort to get ahead of the wave, building a strong connection early. The Irish Breakdown staff wondered how often those conversations were taking place. Smith brought an interesting answer with a slight chuckle.

“Many, many times,” Smith said. “Notre Dame has been staying with me and continuing to build up the relationship. It seems to have increased even more since they hired Coach (Al) Washington. He has talked to me each of the last two days and tells me that he thinks I would be a perfect fit into their defense.”

The staff has made an effort to educate Smith on everything that makes the Irish program special. Most of which, he already had a sense of early.

“I am definitely learning,” Smith explained. “Everyone should know about Notre Dame but just continuing to learn even more. I have heard nothing but great things about life on campus and I look forward to continuing to look at them.”

Smith boasts the values and profile that Notre Dame values heavily, and he has already become a clear priority in the 2024 recruiting class. His high marks are not limited to just his impact on the field. The dynamic defensive lineman is also a standout student in the classroom. His values extend to his work in the classroom.

“Grades are a big deal with me,” said Smith. “I am thinking I want to definitely minor in business but I have also begun to really start digging into kinesiology as well. There are options for me.”

As mentioned, the next few months will be exceptionally busy for Smith. He is wasting no time, starting the visit process today across the Texas-Oklahoma border.

“I will be at Oklahoma today and I plan to visit Notre Dame in the spring,” Smith explained. “I really want to start to get to the schools I haven’t been to yet like Ohio State but plan on keeping it mostly local during the springtime. During the season, I want to go check out schools like Alabama, Oregon, USC and LSU.”

Smith mentioned his excitement for getting on campus in South Bend and being able to sit down with Defensive Line Coach Al Washington. Sitting down watching film, talking fit schematically and culturally offers huge upside for the team.

He currently ranks as the No. 19 player on 247Sports nationally and the No. 2 defensive lineman. Smith is a potentially elite defensive line recruit and Notre Dame is hot on the trail early.

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Ranking The 2022 Signees - Offense
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Notre Dame 2023 Class Big Board

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Ryan Roberts
RYAN ROBERTS

Ryan Roberts is the Director of Recruiting at Irish Breakdown, where he covers all aspects of the Notre Dame recruiting efforts. A former college football player and high school football coach, Roberts is also the owner of Rise N Draft, which covers the NFL Draft. Ryan was a key contributor to Irish Breakdown before taking over Fighting Irish recruiting and NFL Draft coverage. You can email Ryan at risendraft@gmail.com Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more. BECOME A MEMBER Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time! Follow Ryan on Twitter: @RiseNDraftLike and follow Irish Breakdown on FacebookSubscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channelSubscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter