Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Five Players Most Likely to Impact Irish in 2018
By Andrew Hall
With the 2018 Notre Dame football recruiting class almost complete, starting to project if the prospects play as Freshman seems reasonable. Who are the five players most likely to play in their first year at Notre Dame?
Jack Lamb
The Fighting Irish lose Linebackers Nyles Morgan, Greer Martini and possibly Te’von Coney. Most likely, Drue Tranquill and Coney start at the Rover and Mike positions respectively. The competition for the Buck spot may be fierce. If the 2018 season started today, Asmar Bilal likely moves over from Rover to play the position. However, Lamb projects as a Buck. He enters the spring with a chance to land a starting spot.
Houston Griffith
Houston Griffith’s combination of talent and opportunity means he is most likely to play. As of today, Griffith ranks as the 64th best player in the 2018 class. The top four Cornerbacks should return for the 2018 season.
His development might alter Notre Dame’s plans in the secondary. If Griffith, along with Nick Watkins, Troy Pride, Shaun Crawford and Donte Vaughn, progress, playmaker Julian Love could move from Cornerback to Safety, which would solidify a weakness for the Irish.
Derrik Allen
If Griffith is the highest ranked recruit, Allen is the most important. He enters South Bend as the 70th overall prospect in the class.
There is no secret that Notre Dame’s play in the back end is poor. The Strong Safety position was definitely the weakest. Allen could factor into the mix immediately. The biggest issue is that Defensive Coordinator Mike Elko demands a lot out of the position. It might take time for Allen to play at Safety.
Jayson Ademilola
The Defensive Line is not always the easiest place for young players to find their spot. However, Kurt Hinsh and Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa played as Freshman. Expect Jayson Ademilola to add to the depth of the interior Defensive Line.
All of a sudden, the Notre Dame Defensive Line is being to get crowded.
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Braden Lenzy
Lenzy’s long road to Notre Dame went to Tigard to South Bend to Eugene to Tigard to South Bend. However, in the end, he joined the Irish.
Fellow Freshman Wide Receiver, Kevin Austin, is more of a complete player. But, Lenzy possesses elite speed. With Stepherson likely on the way out, Notre Dame needs to replace this. Lenzy is the perfect fit.