Notre Dame Recruiting Update: September 21, 2012

Oct. 22, 2011; South Bend, IN, USA; A view of the University of Notre Dame campus before the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the USC Trojans played at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-US PRESSWIRE

According to Rivals.com, Notre Dame currently has 20 commitments for the 2013 season. This includes one 5 star player, ten 4 star players, and nine 3 star players. Currently Notre Dame is ranked 4th overall in recruiting for the 2013 season.

Isaac Savaiinaea

A 3 start linebacker that is currently committed to Stanford, but he is still taking official visits to other schools. He is a quick linebacker that fills gaps pretty well. Other than that Savaiinaea doesn’t look too good on tape, but there isn’t much out there of him. He seems to lack the basic techniques every linebacker needs to be successful. There were many plays where his first step was backward and that isn’t acceptable. A linebackers first step is always, always, always forward. He is going to the same high school that Manti Te’o graduated from. I don’t see him getting much playing time, simply because the other linebackers that have already committed look much better on tape. His official visit to Notre Dame is October 13, which happens to be the Stanford game.

Chris Hawkins

A 4 star cornerback currently committed to USC, but plans to take officially visit Notre Dame, Oregon and Arizona State. No dates are set as of now so it doesn’t look like he will leave, but it has happened before. Hawkins is a 6’ 170 pound cornerback with good speed and coverage skills. He recovers well on stop and go routes and doesn’t get beat deep very often. My concerns are his physicality and his weight. I know that he will put on weight in college, but it will take some time to develop those things. It is no secret that we need cornerbacks at Notre Dame and we need them now. He would be a great addition and could add some depth to the cornerback position.

L.J. Moore

A 4 star cornerback that is currently undecided about his college choice. He reminds me a lot of a Jamoris Slaughter. Moore fly’s to the ball making a hard hit each time. Moore has good quickness, but it is his nose for the ball that really makes him the player he is. Reading the quarterback and offensive line to recognize a play is exactly what this guy does. He seems fearless on the field laying his body out to make an impact on the game. This guy would be a great addition for the Irish. Moore is visiting this weekend for the Michigan game and Notre Dame’s sell will be, you are going to have a shot to play your freshman year and just imagine what Notre Dame Stadium is going to be like this Saturday.

Khalfani Muhammad

A 4 star running back that is currently undecided about his college decision. He only stands at 5’8’’ and 174 pounds, but this guy can run. He best two attributes are his speed and cutting ability, on tape he will leave defenders in the dust after making one cut and then using his speed to do the rest. Even though Muhammad is small he is a tough football player not afraid to put his shoulder into a linebacker to get those extra yards for the first. Underrated, because of his size and don’t let that fool you. Notre Dame has Muhammad on an official visit for today and we will see what he thinks. He does go to Notre Dame, for high school…