Notre Dame football becoming a linebacker factory

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Nov 13, 2021; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; A view of a Notre Dame Fighting Irish player’s helmet on the sidelines against the Virginia Cavaliers at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Notre Dame football becoming a linebacker factory

2023 season and class

On Friday, the Irish got a commitment from Preston Zinter, a four-star linebacker from Massachusetts, and they already have a hard commitment from Drayk Bowen, a five-star talent who is considered the second-best linebacker in the 2023 class. That is some serious talent coming to South Bend in 2023, and based on the nine players the program has gotten commitments from already, the Irish have the No. 1 class in the country.

In 2023, most of the vets will be gone, and by then, Sneed and Burnham will have established themselves as starters, and Kollie should be a big-time contributor by then as well. The 2022 linebackers are all going to play big roles for Freeman and will pave the way for the linebackers coming in via the 2023 class.

Sep 18, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman leaves the field after Notre Dame defeated the Purdue Boilermakers at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Notre Dame football: 10 Key targets in the 2023 class

Notre Dame football needs to have a dominant recruiting class in 2023 if they want to take a step forward and compete for championships.

The truth is, this is a position group that is going to be elite for years to come, and it will be interesting to see how many NFL linebackers Freeman can produce at the helm of this program. The defense is going to be elite in 2022 and beyond, and as long as Freeman is in South Bend, you can expect the incoming classes to remain elite.

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