Updated Grades for 2022 Notre Dame Commits

It wasn’t the primary reason to choose Marcus Freeman as Notre Dame’s head coach, but it doesn’t hurt that elevating him as well as keeping key assistants like Tommy Rees and Mike Elston on staff has helped Notre Dame keep their recruiting class together. Only one player has decommitted and that player, Devin Moore‍, still might end up signing with Notre Dame.

This class is the best one from top to bottom that the Irish will sign since the 2013 class and I’d argue that this one has more high end prospects with the potential to be elite in blue and gold. That became more obvious to me after evaluating senior film for most of the class (there are a few where film is not yet available).

I have adjusted some grades on some commits and have notes on several of them as well.

Burnham and Sneed the top-two in the class

I’ve been high on Joshua Burnham‍ since day one when I thought he was unfortunately going to end up at Michigan. I continue to have him with the highest grade in the class (96) and can’t wait to see how he develops at linebacker without having to carry such a heavy load on offense (he played quarterback on offense).

Whether it’s chasing down plays on the perimeter, getting skinny as an A-gap blitzer, or working through the trash to find the football as a run defender, Burnham projects to a heck of a Mike linebacker.

I wouldn’t count him out from potentially playing Vyper at some point, though. He has the physical traits to be a fit there as well.

I bumped up my grade on linebacker Jaylen Sneed‍ from 94 to a 96. It’s amazing that his high school team had him playing as a down lineman as a junior because he played a lot of safety as a senior. He’s simply a special athlete and has that Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah type twitch.

Landing one of these linebackers in a class would be reason to celebrate, but to have two of them is someone that Notre Dame has not pulled off in a long time. Both Nolan Ziegler‍ and Niuafe Tuihalamaka‍ impressed me with their senior seasons too. This linebacker class has the potential to be remembered for a long time.

I have some quick notes on others who stood out as well.

- Tight end Eli Raridon‍ looks like a top-100 level prospect to me. He has to fill out that long frame, but the way he moves after the catch and his body control is unique at his height. If he can keep that short area quickness after putting on the weight, he’s going to be a nightmare matchup for a lot of teams.

I had him as a 90 and moved him up to 93. He isn’t getting the same level of love that other tight ends they’ve brought in recently have, but he should be.

- I really loved what I saw from cornerback Benjamin Morrison‍ as a senior. I think he’s faster and a better athlete than some have portrayed him to be. I bumped him up to a 92 from my previous grade of 90.

ISD’s Greg Flammang tweeted out this wow play from Morrison that jumped out to me as well.

- Twitch and motor go very far when it comes to rushing the passer at any level and Aiden Gobaira‍ and Tyson Ford‍ checked both of those boxes for me with their senior film.

I used to think Ford was destined to move inside to play 3-technique, but I think I’m leaning towards him playing 5-technique defensive end and becoming an interior rusher on 3rd downs.

- I was unsure about Ty Chan‍ being a tackle or a guard. I’m more settled on him being better suited to play guard, which makes the addition of future tackle Aamil Wagner‍ that much more important on the offensive line.

- I think we might be talking about offensive lineman Ashton Craig‍ as one of the most underrated players in the class in a few years time. I think he has position versatility and his athleticism continues to impress me. I bumped him up to a 91

. - I think Moore is a critical prospect to get back into the class. I think he’s one of the most underrated prospects in the country, even with some services giving him a bump up to 4-star status. He’s closer to a top-50 prospect for me this cycle after watching his senior film. I see him as a difference-maker in the secondary whether it’s at corner or safety.