DJ Allen

A few final notes on the signees: - Notre Dame's staff was very pleased with JD Price's senior season. The ability to pass-catch separates him from some other backs in the country who are explosive and have speed. Price might not have elite speed, but neither did Kyren Williams, who just rushed for 1,000 yards in back-to-back season. Price is faster coming out of HS and will only improve there. - The tight end group has those around the program excited. Eli Raridon is a rare athlete and once he adds weight, he's going to be a scary matchup. The comparison has always been Tyler Eifert, but....Valley Senior Forward @EliRaridon had 37 points in a win over rival Dowling! #iahsbkb @ValleyBBall pic.twitter.com/x0KaXNGAZk— QuadVisual (@AveryQuad) December 11, 2021 - I think some folks forget about Joey Tanona because he was Notre Dame's first commit, but Notre Dame's staff has not. One source stated Tanona "totally dominated" 2023 Cathedral (Ind.) defensive lineman Kendrick Gilbert in the run and pass game this fall, which speaks volumes as Gilbert holds an offer from Notre Dame and several others. - If you talk to the staff, I'd lean towards them admitting they were surprised with Ashton Craig's senior season and that's not a shot at the Lawrenceburg star. It's more of how much his game improved between his junior and senior year. He'll need a year (or two) of development, but Notre Dame is very pleased with his physical development too. - It will be interesting to see where Joshua Burnham and Niuafe Tuihalamaka end up down the road. Both have the athleticism to play linebacker, but also have the chance to outgrow the position. With Prince Kollie on campus, Drayk Bowen committed and Notre Dame likely to land another top 2023 backer, it gives a little flexibility down the road. - Nolan Ziegler has always been the under radar and similar to Joey Tanona because he's been part of the class for so long. Ziegler almost broke the Michigan state record for receiving touchdowns in a season and obviously he's not playing receiver at the next level. It should also be noted Ziegler wasn't necessarily Blake Fisher as the leader of the class, but the four-star prospect did more than his part of recruiting kids and helping over the last few weeks as Notre Dame worked through the coaching transition. - In talking to folks, I think Notre Dame is very confident in its secondary class. All three are probably underrated for various reasons and while not the biggest, all three signees bring needed skillsets to the table. Marcus Freeman and Mike Mickens have a good track record here. Cincinnati has Ahmad Gardner and Coby Bryant, who make up one of the nation's best CB duos. It will be interesting to see what happens there as I'm not sure the freshman class developed as much as the staff hoped as none of them saw time in mop time this year. Maybe it was because Notre Dame was going for style points, but Cam Hart, TaRiq Bracy and Clarence Lewis played too many snaps. That's not to say there isn't potential there, but I think the staff already loves the 2022 class.- I also believe Notre Dame has started to do more research and reach out to a few 2022 receivers in DJ Allen, Omar Cooper Jr. and Stephon Johnson, while also looking at few more names and obviously the portal. I'm not sure Allen will be an option as multiple people in Texas said he would not be a fit at Notre Dame and I believe that's why the staff stopped recruiting him the first place. Cooper is a name to watch, but Notre Dame didn't make a move on the in-state prospect previously and were very aware of him. In talking to a coach at another school, he felt Cooper was a Power Five kid, but would likely get recruited over at a place like Notre Dame or even a Michigan, which is why those programs didn't offer in the first place. Obviously, Notre Dame is in a weird position at WR so they may be forced to look at a few guys they don't totally love but have upside.