Notre Dame-Clemson Recruiting Weekend Preview
Notre Dame will be holding its first truly major recruiting event of the fall for Saturday night’s game against Clemson.
All week, we’ve been bringing you the news leading up to the event, but here are the nuts and bolts in one place.
This is not an exhaustive list of every recruit who will be visiting, but a look at the targets with serious mutual interest.
UNCOMMITTED 2023 PROSPECTS
For the past couple of weeks, we’ve said to expect new names to appear on Notre Dame’s receiver board and here’s one.
The longtime Texas Tech commit will be in South Bend this weekend. In a quick succession of Twitter posts on Friday afternoon, Smith first announced his decommitment from Texas Tech and then that he’d received an offer from the Irish.
This will be an official visit.
Notre Dame feels confident heading into the weekend. Smith is definitely a guy to watch.
Khalil Barnes Talks ND, Previews Official
After decommitting from Wake Forest last month, the Georgia athlete will take official visits to Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Clemson this month before making a final decision.
Outsiders point to the Tigers as the overwhelming favorites, but those on the inside are adamant that no decision has been made yet and Barnes will enter the trips with an open mind.
The Irish are the only school recruiting Barnes primarily as an offensive player, which could allow them to differentiate themselves.
We don’t expect Barnes to have a final decision until after he completes his official visits, which won’t be until the end of this month.
UNCOMMITTED 2024 PROSPECTS
Williams Ready To See ND Again
The Irish’s top running back target in the Class of 2024 will be back on campus for the third time in the last five months.
He’s being pursued by the nation’s top programs – including Alabama, Ohio State and Florida – but his interest in the Irish is genuine and rooted in his belief in running backs coach Deland McCullough. Williams visited Ohio State for the opener against Notre Dame, but hasn’t made many other visits until this one.
Williams represents a potential headliner for Notre Dame’s Class of 2024.
The son of Notre Dame legend Bryant Young was surprised and excited to pick up an offer from his father’s alma mater back in June.
The Charlotte Christian standout was on campus for the Irish’s home game against Stanford last month and is coming back again this weekend.
He also has an offer from Duke, but few would be surprised to see Young wind up playing for the Irish.
Trainer | LB Kris Jones Is “Special”
An elite-level prospect from the Southeast, Notre Dame secured his interest during a visit back in June. Multiple sources have told ISD that Jones wouldn’t be returning on an unofficial visit unless his interest in the Irish was serious.
Jones himself told ISD that he loves the environment and coaching staff at Notre Dame. He’s looking to learn more about how he’d be used within the Irish’s defensive structure.
His offer sheet includes schools like Georgia, Florida, Auburn, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Oklahoma and Tennessee among others, so the competition will be steep.
He hasn’t identified a timetable for a final decision.
Stover “Real Excited” About Notre Dame Return
The Ohio linebacker “fell in love” with Notre Dame during his trip for Irish Invasion in June, when he landed his offer. He’s stayed in regular contact with the staff and has built tremendous relationships. He’s bringing his entire family with him this weekend and they sound downright giddy about the return.
He plans on making a final decision within the next couple of months and it’s pretty clear it’ll come down to the Irish and Ohio State.
He’s visited Columbus a couple already this fall and there are certainly reasons to believe the Buckeyes are the leaders, but his excitement regarding this weekend’s trip back to South Bend is genuine.
Kaj Sanders Fired Up For ND Return
The Bergen Catholic prospect has been super high on Notre Dame for several months. His high school schedule has prevented him from making any visits this fall, but from the start of the season, Sanders was hoping they’d earn a first-round playoff bye making this trip possible.
His offer sheet also includes schools like Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse, Boston College Nebraska, Duke, Georgia Tech and Michigan State among others.
Sanders isn’t expected to make a final decision until next summer at the earliest.
Crunch Time | Aimee Bowen In-Depth On Sons’ Recruiting Processes
Bowen might not have the size of his brother, but some in the training circles in Texas feel he has the best feet in Texas.
As mentioned, the Bowen family has had to weed through the school using his recruitment to Peyton. Notre Dame has recruited the youngest Bowen hard, but it's no guarantee the brothers play together in college. Wisconsin has actually recruited Bowen the hardest to this point, but his dream offer was Oregon and he earned that offer last week.
The South Carolina commit picked up his Notre Dame offer during a gameday visit in September.
It was an offer that blew him away and one he’s seriously been considering ever since.
Hobbs has a tough decision, but we’re told it’ll definitely be either the Gamecocks or the Irish in the end. He has plenty of time to choose, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see a flip relatively soon.
Tae Johnson Excited To Get Back To ND
The in-state athlete has made multiple trips to South Bend over the last year, but this will be his first gameday visit of 2022. He picked up his offer after working out at safety during June’s Irish Invasion and even though he seems to prefer offense, Notre Dame has positioned itself at or near the very top of his list.
Look for Johnson to trim his list this winter and for Notre Dame to make the cut.
Pilof Making Second Notre Dame Trip
It was obvious the Irish saw something they liked in the Wisconsin linebacker when he was invited to July’s BBQ event, which was essentially reserved for serious targets.
He doesn’t have a Notre Dame offer yet, but he does have Wisconsin, Penn State, Rutgers and Iowa State.
He enjoyed his first visit and getting the chance to speak with Al Golden.
He’s been busy hitting the road this fall and will likely cut his list down sometime this winter or next spring before summer official visits.