Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Ranking the Class of 2021
By Andrew Hall
The 2021 Notre Dame football recruiting class officially joined the Irish on Wednesday, as they inked their National Letter of Intent.
Notre Dame football inked 24 players to their national letters of intent on Wednesday, with one committed recruit unsigned at the time this article was published, Logan Diggs. He and another recruit may join the class before the end of the early signing period.
Piecing this class together was difficult considering the circumstances, especially for Notre Dame. Most programs that recruit locally had a distinct advantage over programs like Notre Dame who recruit nationally. Despite these challenges, the Irish coaching staff managed to put together one of the best classes in the nation.
According to 247Sports, the class currently ranks as the ninth-best in the country.
Will the class of 2021 have more transfers than the typical recruiting class? It is a valid question considering many of these recruits were not allowed to officially visit campus. Notre Dame suffered de-commitments that morphed back into commitments over time.
On Senior Day in 2024, how many of these prospects will still be donning the Blue and Gold?
Brian Kelly and his Notre Dame football recruiting staff put together a well-rounded class, as the class is extremely balanced with every position represented. The wide receivers, offensive line, and cornerbacks are the most impressive part of this year’s haul, and the trio of Deion Colzie, Lorenzo Styles, and Jayden Thomas is one of the best in the nation.
They are a great combination of size and speed, and all three players have an opportunity to play early in 2021.
The offensive line is a complete group with five signees, and it is a great mixture of elite and high-ceiling developmental prospects. This group could compete for the Joe Moore Award in 2024 if all goes well.
New cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens added three excellent cornerback prospects, as all three players possess an ability to play early and often for the Fighting Irish defense.
Here is a definitive ranking of the class of 2021 including Logan Diggs who remains unsigned.
Multiple Slap the Sign writers contributed to the ranking of these players by voting for each player individually. Each prospect’s highest and lowest ranking is indicated.