Notre Dame football: 2022 recruiting class needs to make a Year 1 impact
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football program should get great play from their 2022 recruiting class, which needs to make an impact in Year 1.
We are officially over three months away from the start of the 2022 college football season, a season that should bring plenty of wins for this Notre Dame football team. Coming off a crushing loss in the Fiesta Bowl, the Irish will be looking to get off to a fast start under first-year head coach Marcus Freeman, and some tough battles greet them within the 2022 schedule.
For the Irish, they have to get contributions up and down the roster, as they have a veteran-laded group infused with some key younger players. Most of the starting jobs are already filled by guys who have been on campus for multiple years or are transferring in, but that does not mean that the 2022 recruiting class is not going to make an impact in Year 1.
If the Irish are to do anything special, they need the 2022 recruiting class to step up, just like the 2021 recruiting class did a year ago. During the 2021 season, we saw the emergence of Lorenzo Styles Jr., Tyler Buchner, Joe Alt, Blake Fisher, and Prince Kollie to name a few, and the 2022 class will be expected to follow suit.
Notre Dame football needs true freshmen to step up
The wide receiver group is thin this season, so the hope is that Tobias Merriweather can step onto campus this summer and turn some heads. If he can have an impact like Styles Jr. did in 2021, then the Irish are in great shape heading into the Ohio State matchup.
Looking at the 2022 class, Jaylen Sneed was the top recruit, and despite depth at linebacker, he has to find the field. Cornerback Jaden Mickey has been outstanding since stepping onto campus, and we could see a bit of quarterback Steve Angeli in Year 1, especially with how good he looked during the Blue-Gold Game.
Overall, the Irish were able to put together the No. 9 overall class in the country for 2022 per 247Sports.com, and it is a group loaded with four-star talent. If the program is to continue to move in the right direction, the younger players have to get experience and prove they belong, and this class should be able to do just that in 2022.