Notre Dame football: 5-star defensive lineman predicted to the Irish

Given how the bottom fell out last season with Keon Keeley, Notre Dame football is on the right track in recruiting Justin Scott. The 5-star product out of St. Ignatius in Chicago is ranked as a composite 5-star according to 247Sports. Tom Loy of 247Sports has placed a prediction for Notre Dame to land the talented player out of Chicago.

At 6’5” and 310 pounds, Scott could be physically ready to contribute to an Irish team from the moment he steps on campus. Given Notre Dame’s lack of playmaking depth at defensive tackle in years past, Justin would be a huge help. The class of 2024 is already shaping up very nicely on offense, and if Scott were to commit, the defense would receive a huge boost. He’s set to announce his commitment on January 31st, his birthday.

The big difference between Keon and Scott is the proximity to Notre Dame. With South Bend under a two-hour drive to Chicago, visiting the high-priority recruit will be familiar. He will have plenty of teams pushing for his services as the year unfolds, and the Irish will fight to get him locked in.

His top 8 schools were Michigan, USC, Colorado, Oregon, Miami, Ohio State, Alabama, and of course, Notre Dame. It would make the most sense for a school closer to home to land his commitment when all is said and done, as the southern teams have plenty of big fish to chase near them. Michigan has received quite a bit of smoke for Scott over the last couple of weeks, but their situation is somewhat unstable.

Given the Harbaugh to the NFL rumors, yet again, would a kid want to mess with committing to a school only to see the head coach leave? His feelings about the school could be strong enough to overcome such uncertainty, but it seems like a stretch. Regardless, Michigan will be among the teams that think they have a shot later this month and on next year’s signing day.

Justin Scott would be one of the best pickups that Notre Dame football could land in the class of 2024. He is an outrageously talented player, and it’s a position of need for the Fighting Irish. Scott would receive playing time from day one if he committed and stayed in the class. As has been trending in Irish circles on Twitter, #WeWantJustinScott.