With the Irish firmly in the hunt for the top class in 2023 and 2024, here’s an update on where things stand with Notre Dame Football on the recruiting trail.
There are plenty of things to be excited about when it comes to the Notre Dame football program. The 2022 season will be the first with Marcus Freeman at the helm, as he takes over for Brian Kelly in the head coaching role after spending nearly all of last season as the team’s defensive coordinator.
Freeman did make his head coaching debut in the bowl game, a loss to Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl, but that was under tough conditions. Kelly leaving the program was a shock to everybody, as he bolted after the team’s regular-season finale win against Stanford, and Freeman was left to pick up the pieces.
However, since then, he has been attacking the recruiting trail, landing huge prospects on what seems to be a weekly basis. He is setting the stage for this program to go to new heights, putting together absolutely elite classes for the 2023 and 2024 cycles.
Here, we look at what has been going on in terms of recruiting in recent weeks.
Notre Dame football: Recruiting update as the Irish enter July of 2022
Recent Commitments
This June alone, the Irish have had quite a handful of commitments, with the most notable being 5-star Quarterback CJ Carr. Harry Hiestand and company have also picked up commitments from Elijah Paige and Joe Otting along the offensive line for the class of 2023.
Their most recent commitment came from a top 10 Tight-End in the class of 2024, Jack Larsen.
Per 247Sports, Notre Dame currently has the 2nd best-recruiting class in the nation in 2023 and sits at 1st in the class of 2024. While it’s too early to say they’ll stay at the top of the ranks in 2024, they currently have one 5-star commitment to go with three 4-star players.
With QB CJ Carr leading the way, he’ll recruit heavily just like current 2023 linebacker commit Drayk Bowen has been doing for his class.
Cam Williams, one of their top receiver targets for the class of 2024, will be making his announcement tonight (Wednesday the 29th), and things are looking good for Notre Dame. Williams has 4 “Crystal Ball” predictions on 247Sports, all of which currently have the Irish as the landing spot. Of course, things can change, but he seems to have a great connection with CJ Carr, his potential quarterback of the future.
Notre Dame football: Recruiting update as the Irish enter July of 2022
Crystal Ball Forecast
Speaking of the “Crystal Ball” tool, the Irish have a few prospects that are still out there, favored to land in South Bend. The list includes Peyton Woodyard, 5-star safety, and one of the top talents in the entire class of 2024. Other great talents leaning toward the Irish are Christian Gray, Charles Jagusah, Micah Bell, Jaden Greathouse, Rico Flores, Ronan Hanafin, and Jaiden Ausberry.
Choosing your college is a significant decision and minds can change quickly at the high school level. But, for now, Notre Dame seems in a great spot with a lot of these young athletes. All the student-athletes mentioned above are 4-star caliber players, and in my opinion, many could push for 5-star consideration this upcoming high-school season.
That said, a Michigan Insider, Sam Webb, just placed a prediction for Charles Jagusah to land with the Irish. Jagusah, the number 55 ranked player in the nation, now has his 5th insider predicting he ends up with Harry Hiestand and crew.
Again, much can change, but it seems he’s looking for a combination of academics and football; you can’t find many other places better than Notre Dame.
Tune in to CBS Sports HQ this evening (June 29th) at 8 PM ET to see if Cam Williams will indeed by committing to play for coach Marcus Freeman. And for a bit of an encore, Jagusah will be committing the following day. So buckle up; it should be a fun week on the recruiting trail.
Prediction
CJ Carr will reclassify to the class of 2023. I have zero insider information, but the stars seem to be aligning for him to do so.