Notre Dame football: What RB Sedrick Irvin Jr. brings to the Irish
By Carlee North
The Notre Dame football program landed Florida RB Sedrick Irvin Jr. on Wednesday, as they continue to stack talent for their 2021 recruiting class.
Notre Dame football has landed a highly-ranked 2023 running back out of Miami, FL in Sedrick Irvin Jr. Wednesday morning. He last took an unofficial visit back in June to South Bend, and it was a homerun visit for him.
Obviously, that trip seemed to stick with him for quite a while, along with the relationships he built with players and coaches, specifically his position coach Lance Taylor. He wanted to officially make it public on Wednesday morning, and now he’s all in on the Irish.
Fun fact, his dad was a running back at Michigan State in the late ’90s before heading to the NFL, so he comes from a football family. Irvin was focused on four main schools towards the end of his process which were the Irish, Michigan State, Stanford, and Oregon before making his announcement for Notre Dame Wednesday.
At the moment, Sedrick Irvin Jr. holds a whopping 30 offers from some of the top programs in the country.
So what will Sedrick Irvin Jr. bring to the Notre Dame football program?
The 5-foot-10, 185-pound running back is going to bring consistency to every skill set that a running back needs. He has all the tools you look for, as his knowledge is outstanding, and he has excellent vision in the backfield.
He probably won’t outrun you, but he will frustrate the heck out of anyone he’s up against because of how smart he is with the ball in his hands, as he is very patient and takes what’s given. By no means does that mean he’s slow, he has the quickness and a good burst to his game.
His ability as a pass-catcher though is a massive bonus for his already impressive game, as that skill is going to be huge for him in Blue and Gold early in his playing time. He’s also not afraid of making some contact and when it’s necessary, as he will get dirty and pick up the short yards needed.
The benefit of having that running back IQ will go a long way for Irvin, especially picking up blitzes and knowing protections very early on. Once he gains some more strength with Matt Balis, that’ll be a big part of his success as a running back for the Irish.
With Irvin committing to Notre Dame, the 2023 class now has five pledges, with three on the defensive side, and now two on offense. Irvin is a great first back to have in the class, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets paired with another highly-ranked running back down the road.
It’s a really solid early pickup for running back coach Lance Taylor because he was one of the top guys he wanted from the moment he offered. At the end of the day, there’s plenty more to come for this 2023 group that’s already outstanding from top to bottom but Irvin can have a great career in South Bend.