Irish Breakdown

Notre Dame Makes Top 8 For Athletic Edge Rusher

The Fighting Irish made the top eight for one of the best edge rushers in the Mid-Atlantic for 2021

Jack Sullivan

Notre Dame has recruited the defensive line position extremely well in recent seasons, and it has put the program in position to focus on impact talent in the 2021 class.

One player with the overall skillset and big-time upside that position coach Mike Elston covets is Winston Salem (N.C.) Prep edge rusher Zaire Patterson, who listed Notre Dame in his top eight.

Notre Dame offered Patterson in January, adding to an impressive list of ends that Elston targeted in the class. The Fighting Irish made the cut along with Clemson, Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Kentucky and North Carolina.

 is a premium pass rusher with excellent bending ability. His high ceiling and premium length are traits Elston covets.

In twelve games in his junior season, Patterson had 129 tackles, 27 tackles for loss and nine sacks.

Patterson is listed as a four-star by 247Sports and ESPN, coming in as the 191st and 256th player in the country, respectively. On the 247Sports Composite rankings, he is listed as the 322nd overall player in the 2021 class.

When you break down Patterson’s film it’s easy to see similarities to Julian Okwara in terms of length and explosiveness. Okwara was also a native of North Carolina.

Patterson has earned offers from the likes of Notre Dame, Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, Auburn, Texas A&M, South Carolina, Florida, Florida State, North Carolina, Tennessee, Colorado, Duke, Kentucky, Louisville, NC State, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, West Virginia, and others.

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Jack Sullivan
JACK SULLIVAN

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