Notre Dame Football: 2022 recruiting class ranked No. 2 in the nation

Notre Dame Football is trying to bridge the gap between them and the elite in college football, and they are certainly doing that in 2022.

The Notre Dame football team has generated a ton of momentum on the recruiting trail this year. A handful of recent commitments in the 2022 class have propelled the Irish towards the top of the recruiting class rankings. Notre Dame football’s 2022 recruiting class is currently ranked as the second-best class in the country according to 247 Sports.

Only Ohio State has a higher-rated class at the moment.

In the month of March alone, the Irish have added four commitments to their 2022 class. First was three-star quarterback Steve Angeli from New Jersey. A three-star quarterback might not impress many Irish fans, but Angeli was regarded as offensive coordinator Tommy Rees‘ top choice at quarterback for this recruiting cycle.

Next was three-star wide receiver Amorion Walker out of Ponchatoula, Louisiana. The Notre Dame staff views Walker as an underrated player with plenty of upside.

Then four-star cornerback Jaden Mickey from Corona, California joined the class. Mickey trains with former Notre Dame defensive back Terrail Lambert during the off-season, and Lambert probably deserves some credit for swaying Mickey towards Notre Dame.

Most recently, four-star linebacker Joshua Burnham committed to Notre Dame on St. Patrick’s Day, which also happens to be his birthday. You could not have written a better storyline than that.

Burnham attends Central High School in Traverse City, Michigan. Not too long ago, some recruiting analysts thought he would end up in Ann Arbor. Once defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman joined the staff, Notre Dame was able to take the lead in Burnham’s recruitment.

St. Patrick’s Day this year was a memorable day for Irish fans. In addition to Burnham’s commitment, the Notre Dame staff also sent out a bunch of offers to recruits in the 2023 class.

The coaching staff posted coordinated messages on social media leading up to and on St. Patrick’s Day. They also got in front of the camera and did their own version of the #junebugchallenge, which is a dance that originated on TikTok.

Former Notre Dame captain Shaun Crawford noted that Brian Kelly was not in that video and asked the Irish head coach to show us his moves. Coach Kelly obliged and gave Irish fans the most meme-able moment since the #BKHomeboy picture during the 2018 season.

It is unlikely that Notre Dame will finish with the second-best recruiting class in the 2022 cycle. However, the Irish have a ton of momentum. A top-five class is not outside the realm of possibility, and a top ten class is feeling like a sure bet.