Class Impact: TE Holden Staes Commits To Notre Dame

Breaking down how the commitment of 2022 tight end Holden Staes impacts the Notre Dame 2022 recruiting class and depth chart

Notre Dame picked up a big-time commitment with Atlanta (Ga.) Westminster tight end Holden Staes joining the 2022 class. The 6-4, 230-pound tight end was previously committed to Penn State, but he is now a member of the Fighting Irish 2022 recruiting class.

Staes had offers from Alabama, Ohio State, LSU, Georgia, Texas, USC, Florida State, Oregon, Penn State, Auburn, Michigan, Tennessee, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Nebraska, South Carolina, Pittsburgh, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech, Kentucky, Purdue, Michigan State, Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Arizona State, Colorado and UCF.

Let's take a look at how this commitment impacts the Notre Dame 2022 recruiting class and the Fighting Irish depth chart.

CLASS IMPACT

Staes becomes the 13th player to commit to Notre Dame in the 2022 class and the seventh offensive commit. 

With Michael Mayer possibly being just a three-year player and George Takacs out of eligibility following the 2022 season (assuming he even stays at Notre Dame for a fifth season), a case could be made that two tight ends were needed in this class despite the Irish landing two tight ends in 2021 (Cane Berrong, Mitchell Evans).

The Notre Dame staff certainly wanted two tight ends in the class and it has now met that goal, with Staes joining Iowa standout Eli Raridon. Notre Dame previously held a commitment from Jack Nickel, but he de-committed in April due to Notre Dame's continued push for Staes and Raridon. 

Staes is ranked as the nation's No. 268 overall player on the 247Sports composite list. Adding him to the class ups Notre Dame's recruiting ranking, as he was ranked much higher than Nickel by 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN. 

NOTRE DAME FIT

Notre Dame likes tight ends, that is obvious, but the best tight ends to suit it up for the Fighting Irish are players that can do damage in the run game as blockers and as pass catchers. In that regard Staes is an ideal fit for the Notre Dame offense.

What makes Staes such an intriguing prospect is that even though he looks impressive on film he is still quite raw as a prospect. There is a lot of room for him to not only keep growing physically, but more importantly to keep growing his game.

He has the combination of size, athleticism and strength potential to line up and thrive as an attached tight end at Notre Dame, but he also has the athleticism and ball skills to move around in the backfield or to line up and do damage from the slot and on the outside in certain looks.

Here's my film analysis of Staes:

"Staes is listed at 6-4 and 230 pounds, and he looks to be every bit of that. I'm impressed with his length, which helps him as a pass catcher and blocker. Staes has the length and body control to provide his quarterback with a bigger than normal catching zone (catch radius), and his natural power and length combines to help him be effective in the run game.

"Staes is a pretty good high school defensive lineman as well, and I like his willingness to play physical on both sides of the ball, traits that make him a legit weapon as an attached tight end. There's room for him to improve his weight room strength and blocking technique, but Staes has a high ceiling as a run blocker.

"Staes is a smooth athlete that shows the kind of second gear you need to be able to stretch the field on seams and vertical routes, and to outrun linebackers horizontally on crossing routes and drags. Although he needs work on the finer points of route running, Staes has impressive agility and balance, traits that should allow him to develop into a top-notch route runner.

"As his route running improves he'll be an incredibly difficult matchup as an attached or flexed tight end. Linebackers are going to have a hard time matching up with his athleticism, and safeties will have a very difficult time handling his length and ball skills. Staes won't wow you with elite athleticism like a Kyle Pitts (Florida) or a Tommy Tremble (Notre Dame), but his all-around skillset is impressive.

"Staes shows excellent focus in traffic, and he's more than willing to lock in on the field while the defense collapses around him. He shows good feel for finding open spots against zone defenses, and with his catch radius and strong hands he presents his quarterback with to go high in order to get the ball into tight zones.

"Staes shows loose hips for such a big athlete, and when you combine that with his length and ability to track the ball he's able to be a highly effective bad-ball and back shoulder pass catcher, traits that should make him dangerous in the red zone."

Related Content

Top 2022 Tight End Holden Staes Sees Great Opportunity At Notre Dame

Notre Dame 2022 Commits Big Board: Offense
Notre Dame 2022 Commits Big Board: Defense

2022 Big Board: Running Back
2022 Big Board: Slot Receivers

Notre Dame 2022 Scholarship Offers

Notre Dame 2022 Class Big Board

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