Official Visit Season Is Coming
Spring unofficial visits aren’t over – they’ll continue even beyond this month’s Blue-Gold Game.
But Notre Dame is already busy locking in official visits for some of its top 2024 targets.
As recruiting accelerated and more and more prospects began wanting to get the process finished before the start of their senior seasons, the NCAA made the change to allow recruits to take official visits the spring and summer prior to their senior years of high school.
For many prospects, it gives them the chance to utilize the official visits while operating on the timelines of their choice.
For others, the early officials can serve as a way to further narrow their lists even if they choose to let the process play out through the Fall and/or Winter.
Either way, if a prospect decides to use their official visits early, it’s typically imperative for a school like Notre Dame to find its way onto the itinerary.
The Irish’s official visit list will grow exponentially in the weeks and months to come, but they’ve already got several top targets locked in to be on campus during what promises to be a busy June.
JUNE 2ND
Texas running back Kedren Young will take an official visit to South Bend the first weekend of the month. This is a huge visit for a prospect who has been described by sources as a “need.”
Notre Dame was one of the first high-major programs to offer the Lufkin High School, who has since received offers from schools like Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, Oklahoma State, Michigan, Missouri, Miami and Nebraska among others.
He’s expressed serious interest in the Irish since the offer – as have those around him – but as we always note, actions are more important than words and setting this visit is a clear positive action.
He’s already taken unofficial visits to Texas Tech and Missouri this spring. The offer from the Aggies is a new one, so they’re likely to go after him heavily, although the Longhorns may have more likely prospects on their board.
Either way, Young should be considered a top-of-the-board type target for the Irish and getting him on campus is crucial to their pursuit of a back they see as an eventual replacement for Audric Estime.
JUNE 9TH
As it stands now, the second weekend of June is dominated by defensive end visitors.
Texas’ Loghan Thomas, Maryland’s Jaylen Harvey and Elijah Rushing of Arizona are all scheduled to be on campus.
Thomas was just in South Bend for an unofficial last month. Thomas exploded onto the national scene with a breakout performance at the National Combine in San Antonio in January. The Paetow High School standout also has offers from schools like Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Georgia, Nebraska and USC among several others.
Thomas is a clear fit for Notre Dame. That was reinforced for both sides during this spring’s unofficial visit, which is why it wasn’t a huge surprise to see that official get locked in so shortly afterward.
The Irish are definitely among Thomas’ very top schools. Now, it’ll be up to the Irish to continue showing him how he would be developed on and off the field to be the top school.
Harvey’s month is getting quite crowded quick. He already had official visits set to see USC and Ohio State the final two weekends and has talked about wanting to take officials to both Notre Dame and Penn State as well. We wouldn’t be stunned to see one get moved or scratched entirely.
Notre Dame seems to be in the mix here, but it’s difficult to say the Irish are at the very top of the list just yet, especially after an impressive unofficial to Happy Valley last month.
Meanwhile, Rushing (pictured at the top) has already made two unofficial visits to South Bend and the Irish have consistently let him know he’s a priority for them. In addition to Notre Dame, Rushing has also locked in an official to Tennessee in the month of June. Prior to those officials, Rushing is expected to check out Arizona and Oregon for unofficials to start the month.
Michigan, Ohio State, Miami and Georgia Tech are among the other contenders.
The interest in Notre Dame on Rushing’s part is certainly genuine, as again actions matter. He’s already made multiple unofficials to South Bend and the Irish were among the very first officials he locked in.
JUNE 16TH
The following week also includes a pair of top defensive targets for Notre Dame.
2024 Maryland linebacker Aaron Chiles released a Top 10 last month that featured the Irish along with Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Maryland, Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State.
Chiles had always maintained he would get to South Bend eventually, so locking in that official is a great sign. His Good Counsel teammate, 2024 defensive end Darien Mayo, is also seriously considering the Irish and was in South Bend for his own visit earlier this month.
Listed as a linebacker, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Chiles could end up playing on the edge depending on how his frame fills out.
Chiles called it a “dream offer” when he received it from Notre Dame almost a year ago. So the interest has been there from the start, now the Irish will need to beat some of the top programs in the country for his signature, including Michigan, the perceived leader.
Hawaii edge defender Anelu Lafaele is also set to be on campus that weekend.
After being offered in December, the St. Louis High School immediately included Notre Dame in his top group. He also has official visits set to Wisconsin (June 2nd) and Washington (June 23rd). Those three schools were included in the Top 7 Lafaele recently released along with Arizona State, Hawaii, Oregon State and Utah.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder represents the type of rusher the Irish need badly. He knows plenty about Notre Dame’s history recruiting Hawaii and attends the same high school that produced Jordan Botelho.
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