Unique Athletes Could Boost Notre Dame's 2023 Class Numbers And Needs
Among the more prevalent Notre Dame recruiting questions thrown out there is what the class numbers will be in the 2023 class. Trying to balance meeting all the positional needs while also working against the 85 scholarship limit is always a challenge.
Notre Dame is working on a strategy that makes that even easier .... recruit athletes that can play at a high level at multiple positions, including playing on both sides of the ball.
There are four athletes in particular that the Fighting Irish staff is targeting who display the versatility and flexibility to project to multiple positions on the next level.
That opens an interesting conversation for what the numbers could look like long term. It isn’t as simple as this position has x amount of players. That total could very well change. This offers an opportunity: don’t over analyze raw numbers too much. These athletes add in a new wrinkle.
Ronan Hanafin
Perhaps the most interesting athlete on the board, Cambridge (Mass.) Buckingham Browne and Nichols standout Ronan Hanafin has been a must-get target by the Notre Dame staff for months. Immediately after head coach Marcus Freeman visited his high school this winter the Irish staff put him at the top of their "need to get" list.
The only thing that has wavered since then is what position Notre Dame wanted him to play and what Hanafin has preferred to play. After back-and-forth from safety to rover to wide receiver and back again, both sides have comfortably settled in at wide receiver. Notre Dame sees Hanafin as a tall, explosive, smooth pass catcher that could move all around the field.
There is, however, is a lot of upside at either safety or rover on the defensive side of the football, which is where Alabama is recruiting him to play.
Samuel M'Pemba
The positionless player mantra may not hold more true for any player in the entire country than it does with Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy standout Samuel M’Pemba.
At 6-4 and 230 pounds, M’Pemba could potentially work as a MIKE, WILL linebacker or even as a defensive end. On the offensive side of the ball he has even worked some as a wide receiver and tight end in the past, and he could certainly play tight end at the next level.
To continue to boast about his versatility, Notre Dame is even recruiting him as a rover. M’Pemba’s upside is through the roof. A designated position doesn’t matter here. He is a take regardless of his classification. He's just too athletic, too talented and too versatile to not view as a must-get player no matter when he decides to commit, or where you stand at whatever position he wants to play.
Micah Tease
One of the more obvious cases of this position quandary is Tease, a standout from Tulsa (Okla.) Booker T. Washington. His recruitment has been a little bit all over the place. Tease has been to South Bend numerous times and has routinely spoken highly of the Irish.
There has been news that Tease wants an opportunity to play wide receiver on the next level. That was said to put Oklahoma behind several contenders up top briefly while they were not budging off of him playing strictly defense.
Notre Dame, on the other hand, has been recruiting Tease as an athlete, offering the 5-11, 170-pound athlete the opportunity to play either wide receiver or cornerback. Long term, cornerback seems like the best fit but the staff would be more than willing to figure that out down the road if they were able to land him.
He would technically count as a part of the cornerback numbers but that could ultimately change if wide receiver was the long term fit and if the Irish loaded up at cornerback.
Jeremiyah Love
Similarly on the offensive side of the ball, St. Louis (Mo.) Christian Brothers running back Jeremiyah Love is an impressive looking athlete at 6-1 and 195 pounds with 10.76 100 meter speed on his resume. Love is a player who has been adamant to the Irish Breakdown staff in the past that he believes he could fit anywhere from running back, wide receiver or at safety.
With the recent decommitment of Sedrick Irvin Jr., selling Love as a pure running back became much easier. The next question is whether the team would take three “running backs” if the team was able to close on five-star runner Richard Young. Even if they are, Love gives you flexibility to play multiple spots down the line. He can be a take without worrying about overpopulating the running back position in the class.
While the numbers do absolutely matter, it is important to understand that those numbers position to position can change quickly. Remember to not overanalyze and enjoy the ride. The coaches will figure out how everything is going to shake out numbers wise.
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.
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