Notre Dame Recruiting: Two-Year Grades For The Irish Defense

Breaking down and grading recruiting for the Notre Dame defense over the last two seasons

The best way to evaluate a program's recruiting is to look at it with a more broad focus, which means looking at back-to-back classes. Teams that recruit the best build complementary classes, and they had top talent on a year-by-year basis.

Grades are a combination of landing top-end talent, depth, meeting needs and scheme fit. The grades and analysis are based on how each player was evaluated as a recruit, not what they've done in college.

Notre Dame has landed a number of talented defensive players the last two seasons, and there are a number of high-ceiling defenders from the 2020 and 2021 classes. What drags the overall grades down and keeps the defensive grades from matching the offense is completing whiffing at two positions in 2020 and coming up just a bit short at a number of spots.

Here's a look at the two-year grades for the Notre Dame offense:

DEFENSIVE END

Grade: B
Signees (5): Jordan Botelho (2020), Jason Onye (2021), Will Schweitzer (2021), Devin Aupiu (2021), Alexander Ehrensberger (2020)

Notre Dame certainly met its numbers needs the last two seasons, and there is plenty of length in the two hauls. Size certainly won't be an issue for Notre Dame at defensive end in future seasons.

This grade is closer to a B- than it is a B+ due mainly to the low floor nature of all but one of the signees. There is a lot of projection with this group, and any time you have a position filled with projection prospects it increases the odds that the unit doesn't pan out as hoped for.

The good news, however, is there is a lot of upside in this group, and Notre Dame has proven it can take long, athletic, low-floor/high-ceiling players and develop them into really good defensive linemen. All five of the defensive end signees earned a 4.5 upside grade on my board, which means they have the upside of a Top 50 national player. The odds of all five getting to that level is extremely low, but the upside is certainly there.

Botelho is the player with the highest floor, but he also lacks the length of other ends. He's just 6-2, but Botelho is extremely talented, he's a quality athlete and he plays with an intense motor. The Hawaii native brings positional flexibility as well, but wherever he plays the staff needs to let him attack the quarterback.

Onye played just two seasons of high school football, and he has the elite length and frame that position coach Mike Elston loves. He's 6-5 with extremely long arms, and Elston said on signing day he's already up to 270 pounds. That means Onye has already started to tap into his elite frame, and he's a hungry player that wants to prove himself. A case could be made that he has the highest ceiling of any end in the last two classes.

Schweitzer and Aupiu are long and rangy edge players with higher ceilings, especially Schweitzer. Ehrensberger is the wildcard. He has the lowest floor in the group after playing high school ball in Germany, but he also has a massive frame and a unique size + power + athleticism combination.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

Grade: B+
Signees (3): Rylie Mills (2020), Gabriel Rubio (2021), Aidan Keanaaina (2020)

The only reason this grade isn't higher is that in my view Notre Dame came up just a player short from a numbers standpoint. What I love about this group is the combination of skills that Elston added inside, and two of the best recruits in the two classes are both defensive tackles (Mills, Rubio).

Mills is a pure three-technique that could also play on the edge in a three-down defense. He's a powerful penetrator whose game reminds me a great deal of Jerry Tillery, although I'd argue Mills has a better motor. If Mills taps into his full potential I could see him playing at an All-American level at some point. Mills was my highest graded defensive signee in the 2020 class.

Keanaaina is a pure nose tackle that brings much-needed beef to the interior. He's a quality athlete for his size, and although he'll need some time to develop, there's a lot of power potential there.

Rubio is a combination player that could thrive at three-technique or nose tackle. That versatility is important, but it is his power and playmaking potential that makes him arguably the best defensive signee in the 2021 class. SI All-American ranked him as the nation's No. 49 overall player and the top player in the Notre Dame class.

LINEBACKER

Grade: C
Signees (2): Prince Kollie (2021), Kahanu Kia (2021)

The fact Notre Dame's best defensive signee the last two seasons (on my board) is also at the position that received the lowest grade. Yes, Kollie is an outstanding talent and landing him was significant. The issue, however, is that Notre Dame completely whiffed at the position in 2020 and one of its two 2021 signees (Kia) is expected to go on a two-year Mormon mission.

Even if Kia chooses to go on a mission down the road he's still a prospect that needs time to develop, and his ceiling isn't high enough to overcome the lack of numbers in the class.

Of course, the good news is Kollie has true five-star athleticism and tools. He can play rover or Will linebacker, and his instincts, athleticism and playmaking ability is special. SI All-American ranked him as the nation's No. 50 overall player and 247Sports ranked him No. 91.

CORNERBACK

Grade: B+
Signees (7): Ryan Barnes (2021), Philip Riley (2021), Clarence Lewis (2020), Chance Tucker (2021), JoJo Johnson (2021), Ramon Henderson (2020), Caleb Offord (2020)

Notre Dame certainly has met its numbers needs the last two seasons, with the staff signing seven cornerbacks in the two classes. Of course, part of the reason for the high numbers needs is the lack of proven players, especially in the 2020 class.

Lewis was the most sure thing in the 2020 class, with Henderson and Offord being projects on the outside. Henderson has outstanding speed, but he's still raw as a cornerback. Offord has a long way to go, but he does possess outstanding length. Lewis is the key to this class. While he lacks Offord's length and Henderson's speed, he is the most instinctive and physical player of the group.

The 2021 class was outstanding and ranked as one of the nation's best cornerback classes. There aren't any sure things in the class, but it's deep, long, athletic and filled with high upside and versatile defenders. Tucker graded out as the fourth corner in the 2021 cornerback haul, but he would have been just behind Lewis as the second cornerback in the 2020 class.

Barnes and Riley are high upside players, and Riley has the tools to play at least three different positions in the secondary. Barnes panning out as being as good as I believe him to be is the key to this group playing to the level of the grade I handed out.

SAFETY

Grade: C+
Signees (2): Khari Gee (2021), Justin Walters (2021)

Safety is another position where Notre Dame whiffed in the 2020 class. There was no justification for striking out at safety in the 2020 class, and while the 2021 class adds much-needed length and skill, it's not enough to overcome the substandard recruiting at the position in recent seasons outside of Kyle Hamilton.

Gee is a long and rangy safety that could play either safety spot and could also possibly play the nickel safety role in this defense. He's still a developing athlete, but I love his upside and instincts as a safety. Walters is more of an alley safety at this point, but he shows good route recognition and upside as a cover player.

Notre Dame must get at least two high-ceiling safeties in the 2022 class if it is going to get this position back on track.

Related Content

2021 Class Grades: Defense
2020 Class Grades: Defense

Player Rankings: 2021 Defense
Player Rankings: 2020 Defense

Podcast: Breaking Down The 2021 Defensive Class

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