Notre Dame Signs Linebacker Jaylen Sneed

Notre Dame signs 2022 South Carolina linebacker Jaylen Sneed

Notre Dame signs 2022 South Carolina linebacker Jaylen Sneed.

JAYLEN SNEED PROFILE

Hometown: Hilton Head, S.C.
High School: Hilton Head

Height: 6-2
Weight: 210

2021 Stats: 76 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 4 sacks / 815 rush yards, 11 TD

IB Grade: 4.5 (Top 50 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 5.0

Offers: Notre Dame, Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma, USC, Florida State, Michigan, Texas, Oregon, Auburn, Tennessee, Michigan State, Ole Miss, North Carolina, Arkansas, Virginia, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Kentucky, Iowa State, Louisville, Kansas State, Wake Forest, Indiana, West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Duke, Syracuse

Recruited By: Marcus Freeman

Player Comp: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame

RECRUITING RANKINGS

On3: 5-star - No. 26 overall - No. 2 linebacker
247Sports: 4-star - No. 41 overall - No. 5 linebacker
Rivals: 4-star - No. 45 overall - No. 4 outside linebacker
ESPN: 4-star - No. 47 overall - No. 6 outside linebacker
SI99: No. 51 overall - No. 4 linebacker
Composite: 5-star - No 33 overall - No. 3 linebacker

FILM ANALYSIS

Sneed isn’t the biggest linebacker, checking in at 6-2 and 215 pounds, but his length is impressive and he has plenty of room to fill out that frame. He shows a strong lower body and the potential to add a good 10-15 more pounds, which will only enhance his power and explosiveness.

What makes him a top prospect at this point is his athleticism and upside. Sneed is an extremely explosive athlete, one with elite burst, impressive lateral quickness and good speed. His initial burst, short-area quickness, change of direction and flexibility makes him play with exceptional speed. He showed even better closing speed as a senior, and his game took off because of hit, helping him earn South Carolina Mr. Football honors.

Sneed has the kind of foot quickness and downhill explosiveness that should allow him to eventually develop into an impactful inside linebacker. His range, length and instincts also lend to him being an effective player in space. Sneed is also an outstanding edge rusher thanks to the aforementioned initial burst I talked about and ability to chew up a lot of ground in a hurry.

The Hilton Head star shows a good feel for the game, possessing quick reaction skills and the ability to diagnose between run and pass relatively quickly. At times he doesn’t take the best angles, but that can certainly be improved. After playing on the edge as a junior, Sneed moved off the ball as a senior and his game really took off.

Sneed has continued to develop in coverage, so much so that he covers well enough and has enough range to be an impactful cover player at all three linebacker positions in this defense. 

NOTRE DAME FIT

Notre Dame has talked to Sneed about playing just about every linebacker position. He was initially recruited to play rover, but the talk recently has been more about playing inside. Sneed certainly has the tools to be a playmaking Will linebacker thanks to his tremendous range, his coverage skills and his pass rushing potential. He'll get every chance to work himself into the rotation as soon as he arrives in South Bend.

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