Notre Dame | June 10th Official Visit Preview
Notre Dame’s Official Visit season for the Class of 2023 will kick off for real this weekend as the Irish are set to host several of their top uncommitted prospects in the class.
The vast majority of Notre Dame’s 2023 commits are scheduled to be on campus, but this is a look at the uncommitted targets set to be in town.
California WR Rico Flores Jr.
Official Visit Schedule
ND 6/10, UGA 6/17, OSU 6/24
Decision Timetable
Announcing July 3rd
The Skinny
Notre Dame has had Flores Jr. toward the top of its receiving board for months and even as other schools made surges, the Irish remained patient and confident. That approach could pay off as the Irish have grabbed momentum heading into the official visits.
During the Evaluation Period, Notre Dame made it clear to Flores how much of a priority he is and while this will be Flores’ first trip to South Bend, the Irish are in position to make sure it’s not his last. The coaching staff – specifically Chansi Stuckey, Tommy Rees and Marcus Freeman – have made huge impressions along with Notre Dame’s 4 For 40 pitch.
We like where Notre Dame stands less than a month before his announcement.
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Massachusetts WR/ATH Ronan Hanafin
Official Visit Schedule
Clemson 6/3 ND 6/10, Bama 6/17, BC 6/24
Decision Timetable
This Summer
The Skinny
When Hanafin landed his offer from the Irish last fall, we knew they’d be tough to beat, but we’d be lying if we said we knew the competition to do so would become as stiff as it has. We knew Notre Dame wouldn’t have offered when it did unless it knew Hanafin was an elite-level prospect and the Irish weren’t the only ones to recognize that as virtually all of the major powers followed suit in the months to come.
Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma and USC have all extended offers and he’s visited the majority. He took an official visit to Clemson this past weekend and is scheduled to hit Alabama and Boston College after that.
Even with true competition from some of the game’s biggest programs, we still like where the Irish stand for Hanafin, who hopes to have a decision this summer.
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South Carolina OL Monroe Freeling
Official Visit Schedule
ND 6/10, Florida 6/17, Miami 6/24
Decision Timetable
Fall
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Timing may not always be everything in recruiting, but it certainly matters.
Ever since Freeling started talking about possibly letting his recruitment run into the fall, figuring out how that could fall into Notre Dame’s plans has been tricky. Freeling is an elite-level prospect, but do the Irish feel confident enough about where they stand with him to wait that long for a decision? Maybe that will become clearer after this weekend.
Notre Dame certainly grabbed his attention with his latest South Bend trip back in April.
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Maryland DE Jason Moore
Official Visit Schedule
PSU 6/3, ND 6/10, UM 6/17, OSU 6/24
Decision Timetable
July
The Skinny
Notre Dame has made it clear it wants to finish its 2023 defensive line class in style with the DeMatha Catholic star and that message seems to be hitting home. Moore has said that the Irish’s current d-line haul is already historic and understands he could make it truly special.
After taking in a game in South Bend last fall, Moore is looking forward to returning for the official now that Al Washington is commanding the Irish unit. He’s also looking forward to spending an extended amount of time with Marcus Freeman.
The Wolverines and Buckeyes will get the final says in terms of officials, but we believe the Irish could create enough distance this weekend to be at the top of the list at the end of the month.
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Louisiana LB Jaiden Ausberry
Official Visit Schedule
AUB 6/3, ND 6/10, Texas A&M 6/17 UM 6/24
Decision Timetable
December
The Skinny
Ausberry now has connections at a pair of SEC programs with his older brother having enrolled at Auburn and his father remaining an executive in the athletic department at LSU.
Ausberry enjoyed his official to Auburn last weekend and his brother is certainly making a hard pitch to join him, but as much as anything, Austin’s decision to leave Baton Rouge served as proof that the family wants the kids to do what’s best for them above all else.
LSU didn’t prove to be a slam dunk for Austin and certainly isn’t a slam dunk for Jaiden.
Ausberry raved about a spring return to South Bend and the Irish became an even more attractive option with the addition of Al Washington, who he had a great relationship with when Washington was at Ohio State. The combination of Washington and Marcus Freeman is one that has Ausberry’s full attention.
Timeline could play a factor here and this is still a very competitive recruitment with the Irish right in the thick of it.
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Missouri CB Christian Gray
Official Visit Schedule
LSU 6/3, ND 6/10, USC 6/16, OSU 6/24
Decision Timetable
Announcing July 4th
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Ohio State and USC are trying to make a move here, but LSU and Notre Dame certainly seem like the teams to beat.
New LSU cornerbacks coach Robert Steeples has been a mentor of Gray’s for years, so it’s no surprise the Tigers are in the running. But Notre Dame could have an edge based on the overall familiarity with the program as Gray has been visiting South Bend regularly for well over a year now.
LSU certainly has more to sell than just Steeples, but the Tigers may have had too much ground to make up in too little time.
This one doesn’t appear to be over by any means, but we believe the Irish are better-positioned than the other three right now.
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Texas CB Calvin Simpson-Hunt
Official Visit Schedule
ND 6/10, Ohio State 6/17, Texas Tech 6/24
Decision Timetable
TBD
The Skinny
The will he/won’t he prospect of the weekend.
Simpson-Hunt remains a Texas Tech commit, so just how firm is the new Irish policy on not hosting prospects committed elsewhere on official visits? Just how firm is Simpson-Hunt’s commitment to the Red Raiders? Would he consider officially backing off that in order to visit South Bend?
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Georgia S Caleb Downs
Official Visit Schedule
UGA 6/3, ND 6/10, Bama 6/17, OSU 6/24
Decision Timetable
End of summer
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The Irish have positioned themselves with – and landed – enough top-rated prospects in the Class of 2023 already that nothing should be a surprise at this point.
Still, landing Downs would be that huge punch few saw coming that would bring a tremendous amount of juice to an already-stellar class.
And while nobody sees the Irish as the favorites here, they certainly are not out of it.
Downs has already been to South Bend multiple times and told ISD that the opportunities for life after football are what keep bringing him back.
It’ll certainly be tough to beat the two SEC powers and Ohio State, but Notre Dame has put itself in a strong position to take its best shot.
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Oklahoma ATH Micah Tease
Official Visit Schedule
ND 6/10, USC 6/16
Decision Timetable
Unclear
The Skinny
Many felt Tease would be a lock for the in-state Sooners, but that has proven not to be the case even as Oklahoma remains in the mix.
This will be Tease’s third time on campus and he’s always made it clear how genuine his interest in Notre Dame is. Tease could play corner or receiver, but Notre Dame is leaning toward defense at this point.
In addition to Oklahoma and USC, who will host him for an official next weekend, Arkansas is a player here as is Texas A&M, who hosted him on an unofficial this past weekend.
Notre Dame is in a good spot, but this one is far from over.
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