What's Next: Notre Dame Closing In On An Elite Linebacker Haul

If Marcus Freeman can close he'll land an elite group of linebackers in his first season at Notre Dame

With Josh Burnham committed, Notre Dame now has two talented linebackers in the 2022 class, and both hail from the state of Michigan. Burnham, of course, joined Nolan Ziegler in the Irish class. Notre Dame wants and needs a big year on the recruiting trail at linebacker, and those commitments are a great start.

The difference between a good class and a great class, however, depends on what Notre Dame does to finish off this class. There are players currently on the board that would bump this class into the elite category should the Irish finish things off and land them.

Here’s a look at what’s next at linebacker, and what needs to happen to turn this great start into an equally great finish.

CLOSE ON JUNIOR

Notre Dame is one of five finalists for Mission Hills (Calif.) Bishop Alemany linebacker Niuafe “Junior” Tuihalamaka, and right now the Irish are considered the leader. This is a prospect that Notre Dame absolutely must close on, and close on as quickly as possible.

Tuihalamaka is the best pure Mike linebacker in the entire country, possessing the size (6-2, 230), power, short-area quickness, instincts and high football IQ that championship teams want and need patrolling the middle of the front seven. Tuihalamaka projects to be an elite run defender, but he’s also good in zone coverage and he knows a knack for getting to the quarterback as a blitzer.

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A consensus Top 100 recruit, Tuihalamaka would add instant impact talent to this recruiting class, he would give the Irish one of the best run defenders they have on their board and he has the kind of high profile ranking and personality that could make him a ring leader in a truly elite defensive class beyond just the linebacker position.

The question at this point is can Notre Dame close on Tuihalamaka, and how long does he want to stay open. Texas is pushing hard, and they are not alone. Tuihalamaka was once committed to USC, so my guess is he wants to be absolutely certain of his final choice before announcing again.

WHAT IS UP WITH CHEEKS?

Evanston (Ill.) High School linebacker Sebastian Cheeks makes a lot of sense for Notre Dame. He’s right down the road, he’s an outstanding football player, he’s a top-notch athlete and the Irish have been on him for a very long time. Cheeks has been on Notre Dame’s campus before, so why isn’t he already in the class? That’s a good question.

There is no doubt Notre Dame wants him in the class, and he was one of the first players Marcus Freeman reached out to when he was hired, but for whatever reason Cheeks has refused to join the class. There have been moments in the past where he was very, very close to committing, but something kept him from doing so.

It could be as simple as he wants to take his time and make sure that whatever decision he makes is the right one, and the only one. That’s certainly possible, and if I had to bet money that would be my pick as to why he hasn’t committed yet. I can’t, however, shake the feeling that perhaps Cheeks is waiting on an offer from a different program or two, and he’s hoping a big junior season will get those schools to offer.

That’s 100% speculation on my part, but when a player that has been linked to Notre Dame as long as Cheeks has been keeps himself open that is a natural question to ask. Cheeks recently told Irish Breakdown he wants to decide sometime after his junior season, which begins this month and ends late in April.

Should the Irish close on Tuihalamaka and Cheeks that would absolutely be the kind of elite LB haul the program wants and needs. They are not, however, the only players that could make up that kind of class.

Tuihalamaka and Cheeks are part of the "dream class" on defense for Notre Dame.

JACKSON IS INTRIGUING

Omaha (Neb.) Burke athlete Devon Jackson also has Notre Dame in his top group, and he obviously has ties to the program, as he comes from the same high school as rising sophomore receiver Xavier Watts.

Jackson is an intriguing player and a difficult one to evaluate. He played defensive end as a sophomore, and he looks very comfortable doing so. The issue, however, is he’s just 6-2 and barely over 200 pounds, so obviously there isn’t the frame to be an edge player. What we don’t now at this point is can Jackson be as good playing as an off ball linebacker as he does as an edge player.

The staff has evaluated his athleticism - which is outstanding - and his power, so clearly they are comfortable with his projection as a linebacker. Should Notre Dame add Jackson to the class they are getting an incredibly athletic defender with an impressive speed-to-power game, and if they are right and he can stick as an off ball linebacker he could be a difference maker at the next level.

Then you could use his edge rushing skills in nickel packages and on blitzes, which adds value to his projection.

OTHER TOP PROSPECTS ON THE BOARD

The three players discussed above, right now, are the best bets for Notre Dame, and they are all outstanding players. One thing I really like about Freeman’s recruiting stance since he arrived is he’s not going to put all his eggs in one basket (or three), and he’s going to have an expanded list. Even better, that expanded list is filled with the game’s best linebackers.

Notre Dame is also pushing hard for Hilton Head (S.C.) High School star Jaylen Sneed, another Top 100 linebacker. The Irish have also been mentioned as a contender for Cypress (Texas) Cypress Park star linebacker Harold Perkins, yet another Top 100 player that Freeman is going after.

Notre Dame is also in the mix for players like Shawn Murphy, Langston Patterson and others. There are also some highly ranked linebackers committed to other places the Irish are trying to make a push on, but the best bets are the players listed above.

Freeman has shown he can make the Irish a player for the nation’s top defenders, the next step is showing he can be an elite closer. Burnham was step one towards that, now he needs to finish it off and bring in a special group of backers.

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