Notre Dame Recruiting Mailbag - April 18 Edition

Irish Breakdown recruiting director Ryan Roberts answers subscriber questions about Notre Dame football recruiting

It’s here folks. Blue-Gold week is upon us! The excitement for spring football coming to a close is at an all-time high. Recruiting is also on the forefront of people’s minds.

Notre Dame is ready to welcome several talented recruits from the 2023 and 2024 cycles. With so many headlines ready to write themselves, we are back to talk about wide receiver recruiting, the Carnell Tate saga, position switches and some head checks on 2024 prospects.

As always, Irish Breakdown has you covered for all of your recruiting needs! The questions come from Irish Breakdown subscribers on the message board.

Let’s dig in.

@kamikazefullback: Not trying to sound alarm bells over Dante Moore, but if the worst should come to pass what would the options be for the staff after that? Realistic options of flipping a commit, getting in on another prospect late, or passing on a QB and focusing on 2024?

Trust me, I get it. Until the commitment happens, it’s very easy to be pessimistic about it. To start, I’d just let it play out. Until there is a legit second contender for Moore that has some substantial momentum, I’m just not going to start to feel negative about Notre Dame’s chances.

If the worst were to happen, revising quarterbacks that Notre Dame had already laid the groundwork for would be my first option. Both Jackson Arnold and Christopher Vizzina really liked Notre Dame before they turned down the heat to focus on Dante Moore. In fact, we believe Arnold wanted to come to Notre Dame.

Even though the players are committed to Oklahoma and Clemson respectively, programs will keep recruiting them. I’d expect Notre Dame to do the same if they lost out on Dante Moore. Avery Johnson out of Kansas is also still out there uncommitted and already had a scholarship offer from the Irish. I’d expect them to continue to kick the tires on him as well.

I’m sure the board may also expand a bit but it’s almost impossible to predict who it would be at this point. They have put all of their efforts into Moore’s recruitment up until this point. The good news is if that worst-case scenario were to come to fruition the 2023 class is one of the deepest quarterback classes in several years. There will be plenty of talented quarterbacks to focus on, but of course Notre Dame will continue to work hard to get the quarterback they want, which is clearly Moore.

@grifweidler: What would it take for the Irish to push for Boubacar Traore?

@mattygman: If we get Jason Moore and Devan Houstan do we still push for Boubacar Traore?

Two questions on Traore! We believe the staff really likes Traore. The issue they are running into is from a numbers perspective. They seemed to be settled on four defensive linemen in the cycle. The struggle is whether they will be able to take five instead. If they are, then I expect Traore to be in the class. It isn’t about whether they like the 6-4, 254 pounder enough, it’s whether they have enough room. The staff likes him a lot, just like it likes Jason Moore and Devan Houstan a lot. It's a great problem to have.

We believe there are plenty of folks at Notre Dame who would love to figure out a way to land all three of those talented defensive linemen, but again, the numbers are the issue. Notre Dame is faced with a situation where other positions just need the numbers in this c lass.

It’s the middle of April … we set the O/U for commits this month at 5.5. Is it time to be concerned?

There were a couple of players who I expected to pop in April who seem to want to carry their recruitment into at least May to take some official visits. With that in mind, it is time to take the under. I wouldn’t necessarily say concerned because Notre Dame is still in the driver’s seat for a few players but it’s going to be extremely hard to get anywhere near six players in April. I’d say the new over-under should be set at 3.5. Three or four commitments this month seem like a safe number. It should be noted that our view of where Notre Dame stands with all the prospects we thought they would land in April hasn't changed, just the timing.

@cole4269: Tell me if I’m overthinking this on the Carnell Tate situation. Brian Hartline is practically guaranteed to be gone after this season. Tennessee has a new staff but if we’re being honest, they’re getting rolled in the SEC. LSU has Brian Kelly….(I don’t need to say anything else). Tate's mother is not a fan of Kelly. I think Carnell tries to make this the biggest spectacle he can, and then slides on the Irish hat on National Signing Day. What say you?

I wish I could completely buy that outlook. Unfortunately, I just think that the NIL piece does matter very much to Carnell, clearly. It’s very possible that Notre Dame could be in it until the end. I would even venture to say that I believe Tate likes Notre Dame more than any other school fundamentally. Unfortunately, it is just a different time. It might just not be a reasonable pull, but I’ll hold out hope.

@bksburner: Can we get a comparison of the respective tape of 2024 target Elijah Rushing with 2023 commit Keon Keeley? Would be interested in both the long-term projections for the players Notre Dame/NFL, as well as an analysis of the tape going into their Junior season which is when Keon committed, albeit as a much lower-ranked player at the time.

Going back to the sophomore film for Keeley, the tools were all there. He’s an incredibly twitchy player with rare movement skills for his size and length. Of course, he was skinny, which is expected for a sophomore in high school. The things that took a huge step for Keeley were his overall play strength and plan of attack. He was attacking with a purpose.

If we are comparing just sophomore film between Rushing and Keeley, there is a fair argument that Rushing is right on par as a recruit. At 6-5 and 225 pounds, the Arizona product boasts a long frame similar to Keeley. The biggest difference is I think that Rushing is a little further along at the same age from a technical perspective, while Keeley is a bit more physically gifted.

With that in mind, Keeley has a bit more upside but Rushing is a special talent in his own right. Now have really nice ceilings.

Irish Breakdown publishing Bryan Driskell has stated he loves the potential of one day having Keeley as the Vyper and a player like Rushing filling out and playing the opposite side as the strongside end.

@tyb: What’s up with Jaden Greathouse, Ryan? He’s the top target on my board at wide receiver. What’s Notre Dame looking like on landing him?

Jaden Greathouse is set to be on campus twice over the next couple of months, one for a visit and the other to compete at a camp. Notre Dame has made the Texas product a priority but they are getting in on his recruitment a bit late.

The positive is that Greathouse already had a pre-existing relationship with Chansi Stuckey while he was a member of the Baylor program. That will give Notre Dame a solid shot of nothing else. His visits will tell a lot about realistic chances. Greathouse has yet to make it on campus in South Bend yet. This one is to be determined.

@bplence1189: Do you see Notre Dame expanding the WR board or any Intel on them picking things up with receivers they’ve already offered?

P.S. ND needs numbers and talent in this class and they aren’t even heavily in the mix with all but a few guys: Ronan Hanafin, Rico Flores, Braylon James, Carnell Tate, Jaden Greathouse, Rodney Gallagher. That doesn’t leave much room for error. I think they should pick things back up with Jalen Brown, Go HARD after Tyler Williams, or look to possibly expand the board. The staff has a lot to sell to wide receivers right now in my opinion, so we’re really going to see what Freeman, Rees, and Stuckey are made of this summer

I don’t think expanding the board is a necessity yet. Even with Tate seeming less and less likely, Notre Dame is still in a great spot for Del Valle (Texas) High School star Braylon James, and we will have clarity on that recruitment here very soon.

Notre Dame also continues to be in a great spot with Ronan Hanafin. The offer list has expanded quickly but the Irish were in on him early, which should prove paramount.

It’s so early in the Rodney Gallagher sweepstakes so I’m just not overly worried about expanding the board. They are going to get the dual-sport star on campus here soon so we will have some clarity on what the momentum looks like.

You are also set to have visits from both Jaden Greathouse and Rico Flores over the next couple of months - including two visits from the former. If Notre Dame ends this string of visits without much momentum then expanding the board may make some sense but I don’t personally think it’s necessary yet.

You also have to see what’s going on with Tyler Williams. It sounds like there is interest but until the Florida standout gets on campus, you can’t make too much of it. Time is still on your side if you’re Notre Dame.

@chasetd: Hypothetical, if we strike out on Christian Gray and Micah Tease but hit paydirt with Caleb Downs, could he play cornerback?

I mean … sure, Caleb Downs could play cornerback in a pinch. He is athletic enough to make it work but I don’t think it’s very advantageous to his skill set. The player I’d actually be more intrigued to see is Peyton Bowen. He is long, quick twitch, and is extremely athletic. Bowen actually could be a really good man coverage player as his technique improves.

With this hypothetical, the staff could also give this transition a shot as well. You would have Downs and Adon Shuler at safety still. This is an unlikely but incredibly interesting hypothetical. Bowen has the profile where he could excel at pretty much any position in the secondary on the next level.

@chasetd: I believe the staff is still pushing hard for Jeremiyah Love as an athlete, do you think they want to try him at wide receiver first?

I think the staff really likes Jeremiyah Love at running back but will offer him an opportunity to play transition to other spots if he ends up with Notre Dame. In a past interview with Irish Breakdown, Love explained that he could play anywhere from running back, wide receiver, or even cornerback. The latter may be most interesting to me.

Love is the ideal athlete recruit. The staff has their preference but they won’t limit the possibilities on this type of physical profile.

@chasetd: I understand Austin Siereveld and Sam Pendleton are inside guys and Monroe Freeling is a tackle, but what about Charles Jagusah, Sullivan Absher, and Elijah Paige, could they play inside just as good as tackle, since they're all physical?

I have been firmly on the stance that both Charles Jagusah and Sullivan Absher can both play guard - and well. I actually believe that Jagusah might have even more upside inside. He has the requisite foot quickness and length to play offensive tackle but his demeanor and natural power would be incredibly intriguing working inside at guard theoretically.

I really think Absher is an offensive guard long-term. Again, he has the profile necessary to play outside but his playstyle, explosiveness, and pad level would play very well inside. He has a high upside as a run blocker. But Notre Dame views Absher as a tackle.

I view Elijah Paige as a pure offensive tackle. He has prototype length and foot quickness for the position. Paige also has some of the best techniques as a pass blocker that I have seen in the 2023 class. He is incredibly patient in that area and stays in proper positioning in his kick slide.

Could he play guard? Sure but I don’t see the need to project him there.

@its-all-about-tha-boom-bay-bay: Ryan Wingo & Peyton Woodyard, are we in the lead for these cats? (2024)

I would say that Notre Dame is in a very good spot with Peyton Woodyard currently. Him being cousins with Kyle Hamilton certainly improves your chances. There is clearly interest there. The dynamic safety has already been on campus multiple times and continues to praise everything that Notre Dame stands for. They are going to be hard to beat long-term for the St. John Bosco standout.

Ryan Wingo, on the other hand, is difficult to read currently. While putting in extra work for the 2023 cycle, Notre Dame had put some of their contact with 2024 recruits on hold for a couple of weeks. How frequently he gets on campus over the next few months will be a huge tell. Right now, there is an insane amount of competition for Wingo.

@frogman164: Teams always talk about needing to add speed and athleticism to the roster. With this being a point of emphasis do you feel that Notre Dame starts taking more guys that may be “projects” but have special traits. Like Ramon Henderson and Cam Hart for example. Then coach those guys up. Not saying that Notre Dame would only recruit projects but rather when they don’t get really high-end talent then they go after more raw athletes. Thoughts?

I’m not sure I would say projects as much as I would say recruiting athletes whose position is not as set in stone but have high-end athletic traits. I don’t think “project” fits the description well. It does, however, still show a ton of confidence in their abilities as coaches to develop the talent. There has been a clear emphasis for getting longer and more athletic everywhere but the staff seems more willing to let the development side of things work itself out. 

Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge

Irish Breakdown Content

Notre Dame 2022 Roster
Notre Dame 2022 Schedule

Notre Dame 2023 Class Big Board
Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board - Offense
Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board - Defense

Notre Dame 2023 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers

Ranking The 2022 Signees - Offense
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Defense

———————

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!

Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes
Follow me on Twitter: @RiseNDraft
Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook

Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter