Notre Dame football: 2022 and 2023 classes could be elite
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football staff have done a tremendous job in recruiting over the past few months, leading to elite classes in 2022 and 2023 so far.
When the Notre Dame football program brought in Marcus Freeman, the hope was that he could bring some of his elite recruiting prowess with him. While it was expected that the team would see a jump in recruiting thanks to Freeman, who helped build Cincinnati up to a national level, nobody could have seen this.
In fact, going into Wednesday, the Irish had the No. 2 recruiting class in the country per 247sports.com, falling only behind Ohio State. For a program that is looking to finally bridge the gap between themselves and the likes of the Buckeyes, Alabama, and Clemson, Freeman is helping them accomplish that right out of the gate.
On the field, Freeman is an elite coordinator, sought after by many high-level programs including LSU this offseason, but he is with the Irish, and the fan base has to be very excited about that.
Notre Dame football bringing in elite talent
With 11 four-star recruits already committed to Notre Dame football for 2022, Freeman is not only getting good talent but great talent. The Irish have a 90.77 average according to 247Sports, and while things will change, as Alabama is currently ranked at No. 16, there is no reason this cannot be a top-5 class when all is said and done.
Looking ahead, the Irish have already nabbed a five-star talent for the 2023 recruiting class, getting a commitment from Brenan Vernon on Tuesday. His commitment comes on the heels of Keon Keeley committing a day earlier, as it seems like every day Freeman and his staff are bringing in elite talent on the defensive side of the ball.
If the Irish continue to trend in this direction, there is reason to believe that not only will they be a mainstay in the College Football Playoff, but there could be some hardware coming back to South Bend. The Irish have looked miserable in big games in recent years, but these are the kind of players that can buck that trend.
Sure, the Notre Dame football program has been very successful in recent years, going to two of the last three College Football Playoffs. However, the classes coming in could be some of the better groups we have seen in a long time, leading to the Irish actually dominating on the biggest stages shortly.