Three For Tuesday
Notre Dame has remained patient and now the Irish are striking as the summer comes to a close. 2021 offensive lineman Joe Alt got July started with his commitment on the 6th, and then it was followed by commitments from 2021 cornerback Chance Tucker, 2022 offensive lineman Joey Tanona and 2022 tight end Jack Nickel over the last six days.
While high schools all over the country will begin class over the next few weeks and I expect it to be a big stretch for the Irish over the next two weeks.
Notre Dame has also maintained a good position with several top of the board prospects over the summer and look to be firmly in the race with guys that will decide later this fall or early winter.
Who I’m watching closely:
2021 RB Logan Diggs
2021 WR Jayden Thomas
2021 WR Titus Mokiao-Atimalala
2021 TE Mitchell Evans
2021 OL Rocco Spindler
2022 RB Nicholas Singleton
2022 OL Billy Schrauth
2022 DE Tyson Ford
Keeping tabs on:
2021 WR Donte Thornton Jr.
2021 OL Nolan Rucci
2021 LB Prince Kollie
2022 RB Gavin Sawchuk
2022 WR Darrius Clemons
2022 WR Kevin Coleman
2022 OL Joe Brunner
2022 OL Carson Hinzman
2022 LB Gabe Powers
If you’re Notre Dame, I think you love the start to the 2022 class. Commitments from Nickel and Tanona are at positions Notre Dame owns and positions where guys don’t typically commitment. Now, both players might not be the No. 1 player at their position, but it’s an extremely solid foundation to build on.
Props to Christian McCollum, who predicted Nickel to commit to Notre Dame before any other analyst by over a month. He was all over the recruitment from day one.
If I’m Notre Dame turning the focus to landing another quality offensive lineman would be my first priority. The Irish need to land an elite running back in 2022 and it might be easier if he can see two top offensive linemen in the boat and in the boat early.
Notre Dame will also need to focus on the kids that have been on campus early and often. Those are the kids that are familiar with the program and what Notre Dame can offer. Prospects getting on campus to visit - well, that might not come for quite a while. Long-term success for Notre Dame will hinge on getting prospects on campus, but I think the Irish have the chance to lock in a couple more early commitments from those that have experienced South Bend.
Speaking of visits, I don’t think believe you’ll see any fall visits at this point. I’ve written about how I feel for the 2021 prospects trying to make decisions or simply enjoy the fruits of their labor with official visits, but it just a tough situation all the way around. Coaches not having the chance to evaluate kids in person this fall might not impact Notre Dame too much, but it hurts from the standpoint of showing kids love.
Lance Taylor made his way to Weddington (N.C.) last year to see running back Will Shipley play and who could forget essentially the whole coaching staff showing up to see Kurt Hinish, David Adams, Damar Hamlin take on Phil Jurkovec a few years ago.
Technology and thinking outside the box will be crucial for Notre Dame moving forward. They aren’t Texas or Texas A&M with a plethora of in-state kids a few hours away. Notre Dame is a national program and they’ve adapted well, but they will need to continue to be innovative moving forward.
I’ll also be curious to see what happens with Signing Day. I think there should be an early signing period as you will have early enrollees and prospects wanting to get locked in. However, I hope the NCAA pushes back the February date if there aren’t visits in December or January. It’s just unfair to kids to make decisions without stepping foot on a college campus and it unfair to the coaches because they aren’t getting the feedback from a visit to see if the kid is a fit. I’m not sure what the answer is, but I do think the NCAA needs to find a way to make sure kids have the chance to make an informed decision.