Notre Dame Football: Examining the 2021 recruiting class

Notre Dame football continues to add to its 2021 recruiting class that serves as a good complement to the incoming 2020 class.

Whether or not there is college football in 2020, there still is plenty to talk about on the recruiting front for Notre Dame football fans. And while it certainly has been a challenging year on the recruiting front, the Irish coaching staff has put together a solid 2021 class that complements the incoming 2020 class.

Initially, I was a little underwhelmed with the 2021 recruiting class, but must admit that those feelings have mostly been resolved.

With 12 commitments under their belt, the Irish currently have the 16th-ranked recruiting class in the country. But don’t let the numbers fool you — this 2021 class is one that addresses needs on both sides of the ball.

The incoming 2020 class was heavy on the skill positions, landing the likes of quarterback Drew Pyne, wide receiver Jordan Johnson, running back Chris Tyree, tight end Michael Mayer, and wide receiver Xavier Watts, among others. Defensively, the Irish class is highlighted by linebacker Jordan Botelho, defensive end Rylie Mills, and cornerbacks Caleb Offord and Clarence Lewis.

Offensively, the 2021 class, fills in the blanks, focusing on the offensive line with tackle Blake Fisher, guard Pat Coogan, and tackle Joe Alt. If Rocco Spindler chooses the Irish on August 8th, the Irish could find the missing piece to their 2021 class on the offensive side of the ball. That’s even before mentioning the super-talented wide receiver Lorenzo Styles, Jr.

Defensively, the Irish have had success in finding the shutdown corners of the future in Phillip Riley and Ryan Barnes. They’ve added the likes of safety commit Justin Walters to the fold, and of course, the Irish are very excited about defensive tackle commit Gabriel Rubio.

As the Irish look to add to this class, it would be nice to find linebacker and safety prospects to add depth to what they have in the roster.

In short, however, the Irish have made adept, quality additions to the roster over the past few seasons. Those additions in recruiting have also been supplemented by adding transfers, which may become the way of the future for the Irish.