Notre Dame football: How the 2023 recruiting class can finish strong
By Ryan Shanko
The Notre Dame football program has been stacking talent within their 2023 recruiting class, putting together one of the best groups we have seen in quite some time.
Notre Dame football: How the 2023 recruiting class can finish strong
The Situation for Notre Dame
Brian Kelly’s sudden and unexpected departure left Notre Dame with more questions than it had answers at the time. When Marcus Freeman was named the interim head coach ahead of the Irish’s bowl game, the move was criticized by many outside of the university.
Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell and various other coaches were named as better options than Freeman, and many college football pundits questioned Freeman’s ability to lead a team or attract high-level recruits. Once he took over Notre Dame’s 2023 recruiting class, Freeman showed the college football world he was more than a capable recruiter.
After Brian Kelly attempted to entice Freeman and Irish offensive coordinator Tommy Rees to join him in the bayou at LSU with huge contract offers, Freeman and Rees both locked in with Notre Dame and went on the recruiting trail with a fury. According to the 247Sports composite team rankings, the Irish currently hold the 3rd best class in the nation and have a higher average recruit rating (92.55) than Brian Kelly ever did in his ten-plus-year tenure at Notre Dame.
The Top Dogs
Ratings are based on 247Sports Composite Rankings
- Peyton Bowen – S – #36 National – 5 Star (0.9833 recruit rating)
- Charles Jagusah – OL – #44 National- 4 Star (0.9804 recruit rating)
- Christian Gray – CB – #84 National – 4 Star (0.9626 recruit rating)
- Drayk Bowen – LB – #94 National – 4 Star (0.9549 recruit rating)
- Braylon James – WR – #107 National – 4 Star (0.9493 recruit rating)
The Breakdown for Notre Dame
The Irish have garnered for top1100 recruits so far in the 2023 class, including game-changing safety Peyton Bowen, ND’s top recruit in their historic class this year. Joining the four top-100 players are four more recruits who crack 247Sports’ top 120 players in the nation, giving Notre Dame eight top 120 players so far.
Looking at the class as a whole, Notre Dame currently has one 5-star recruit, nineteen 4-star recruits, and three 3-star recruits ready to join the team. Now even though this recruiting class is historic as it stands, Freeman and company aren’t yet off the trail and have eyes on a few more high-level recruits.
I’m going to focus in on the two guys the Irish are pushing hardest to land right now.
The Final Pieces for Notre Dame
Samuel M’Pemba – EDGE – #26 National – 5 Star (0.9860 recruit rating)
M’Pemba has been on the radar for Notre Dame for some time now, as we offered him a scholarship back in August of 2020, and have hosted him for a few visits during his recruitment. M’Pemba is a versatile edge rusher who consistently shows he will be a problem to block at the next level.
He is the kind of player every team dreams of landing. 247 lists that Georgia, Miami (FL), and Notre Dame all have a ‘warm’ interest level from M’Pemba, though it is worth noting Georgia is in the lead in his recruitment right now. Steve Wiltfong, 247Sports’ Director of Football Recruiting assigned a medium confidence crystal ball prediction that M’Pemba will land in Georgia.
Hopefully, Freeman and the ND staff can pull off a huge flip in his interest and bring his talent to South Bend.
Jeremiyah Love – RB/ATH – #66 National – 4 Star (0.9696 recruit rating)
Love is a target for Notre Dame because he is a running back who can make plays out of the slot as a pass catcher. He plays the game like Chris Tyree does for the Irish right now and that is why he is valued so highly by ND’s recruiting staff. Steve Wiltfong recently predicted that Love would commit to the Irish with a six confidence crystal ball prediction on August 25th.
Hopefully the Irish can keep up this momentum in his recruitment, as he would be a valuable asset to our 2023 class.