Notre Dame Fighting Irish news: Irish miss out on Williams and Lucas

In the past few days, Notre Dame football saw two former recruits choose schools other than the Irish to continue their careers. First, Texas A&M defensive lineman Anthony Lucas committed to USC earlier this week. Then, just yesterday, former Notre Dame football commit wide receiver CJ Williams committed to Wisconsin.

While neither is a big surprise, Notre Dame still has some work to do in the portal to add depth to next year’s roster. Lucas would’ve made the more meaningful impact, but there were character concerns given his past behavior at Texas A&M. Williams would’ve been just another body in the room at Notre Dame, yet while at Wisconsin, he has a chance to make a difference early.

The Irish are targeting others in the portal, including Byron Vaughns from Utah State. As it stands, Vaughns seems to be still exploring his options, and a commitment to the Irish doesn’t seem realistic at this point. After visiting South Bend, he tweeted that he was still looking for a new home. The Irish have moved on from him as a potential Foskey replacement.

In more positive news, On3 Ole Miss Insider Zach Berry has predicted Javontae Jean-Baptiste to end up at Notre Dame. He placed a confidence of 80% on it meaning it’s not a lock, but at least the Irish have built some momentum in the recruitment.

The Ohio State transfer was solid for the Buckeyes last year in limited playing time during the season. Jean-Baptiste only logged 241 defensive snaps but still accrued four sacks with 14 pressures. According to Pro Football Focus, he was the second highest-graded (eligible) edge defender on the Buckeyes, behind only Zach Harrison.

With how things have worked out for the Irish this offseason, nothing is certain, and things can change quickly. The Irish are on the right track to adding a talented player to their defensive line.