ISD Intel | Behind The Scenes Of Notre Dame Recruiting

For weeks now, we’ve been pointing to this weekend as a potentially pivotal one for Notre Dame’s 2025 wide receiver haul. 

And now it’s here.

Since missing out on Derek Meadows‍ -  a prospect the Irish continue to pursue - Notre Dame has been focused on adding two wideouts to a group that currently includes Elijah Burress‍ and Jerome Bettis Jr.‍

For the last month, Notre Dame has had three targets at the position on the board - initially, Jace Brown‍, Jalen Cooper‍ and Antavious Richardson‍. Brown would be replaced by Isaiah Mizell‍ once he was removed from the Target List.

All three current targets are expected to make official visits to South Bend within the next few weeks with Richardson kicking things off this weekend. 

The plan is to take two and Notre Dame sources are adamant that it will take the first two who say Yes.

The mutual interest between the Irish and Richardson is strong.

Richardson, who is nicknamed Scrap, committed to USF during the summer, but once he exploded, it seems obvious he’s destined for a Power 4 program.

He’s taken unofficials to Alabama and North Carolina already and he has a trip scheduled to Louisville in the coming weeks, but this trip to South Bend could prove to be as pivotal for him as it is for the Irish.

Sources on all sides of the recruitment acknowledge that if things go well this weekend, Richardson could end up shutting down the process whether he makes any public announcements or not.

Notre Dame General Manager Chad Bowden traveled to Georgia last weekend to see Richardson in person and that meeting went extremely well, according to sources on both sides.

The Irish staff from top to bottom has done a tremendous job building relationships with Richardson and those around him for the last month. 

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound Richardson is being recruited as a receiver, but plays quarterback for Greenville High School and would probably make one heckuva defensive back on the next level as well. 

“They like the fact that he's a quarterback,” one source told ISD. “That means he knows what everybody on the field’s responsibility is and it's going to translate to wide receiver or safety. Then on top of that, the measurables. Sometimes people say, ‘Oh, he's 6-4,’ and you look at him and he's 5-2. But he looks apart.”

One source who has evaluated Richardson points to his ability to run.

“There's just so much speed,” the source said. “It's not just that he ran 100 at 10.6, he ran a 400 meter and won the state championship.”

He also won the 200 state title for good measure.

“The kid can just go and just floats.” 

But as much as anything, it’s the off-the-field stuff that could lead to this being such a great match.

Richardson is extremely interested in all of the stuff around Notre Dame; the culture, the academic opportunities and what it could mean for his future. Meanwhile, the Irish love Richardson’s humility; how he’s a soft-spoken kid who possesses extreme intelligence. They have kids like that on the roster right now who are contributing in major ways.

Seems like all sides believe this could be a special weekend, but by no means are we saying this is a done deal or Richardson is a lock for the Irish. Instead, we’re saying that things have been set up nicely for the last month leading into the visit and if things go well, they could establish a lead that is almost insurmountable. 

And things are promising enough that there has already been preliminary talk of a return trip later in the year. 

But let’s see how this goes first. 

ND HIGH ON OTHERS TOO: Despite their late additions to the board, Notre Dame is excited about the potential of all three receivers. 

There are some who believe Texas’ Jalen Cooper‍ has the potential to be the best receiver in the program if he were to choose Notre Dame. 

“Probably the most natural, most gifted route-runner,” one source said. “Deceptively fast.”

At 6-1, 165 pounds, there is no doubt Cooper will need to add weight, but if he’s able to keep that speed when he does so, many believe he’s a certain NFL receiver. 

Cooper remains committed to SMU and unlike USF, who seem resigned to the fact that Richardson is going to end up elsewhere, the Mustangs are not about to let him go easily. Look for Cooper to make it to South Bend for an official next month. 

The Irish feel they’re in a good place with Cooper and we concur, but this won’t be a layup and they’ll have to overcome distance, which may not be as challenging as it can be since many of those closest to him in Texas absolutely understand what Notre Dame could do for him. 

But as high as Notre Dame is on Richardson and Cooper, the Irish maintain they’d be plenty happy in adding Isaiah Mizell‍ out of Florida too. Mizell is set to come for next week’s game against Louisville and there was no hesitation when asked if decisions would need to be made if Mizell wanted to come onboard ahead of either Richardson or Cooper. 

Coming out of the summer, the Irish were in a precarious position at receiver to say the least, but they’ve found some more than suitable options. 

STATUS QUO AT LB: Notre Dame remains in hot pursuit of both California’s Madden Faraimo‍ and IMG Academy’s Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng‍ at linebacker. 

The Irish seem to have weathered the storm - at least a bit - from USC’s late, local push with Faraimo and similarly with Texas. This one isn’t finished yet and even Washington is trying to have one final say, but there have been tangible signs for months that it’s moving in the right direction and those have continued through this week. As we mentioned in this space last week, the fact that he moved up his visit from the Florida State game in November to the Louisville game next week is just one of those encouraging steps we’ve been hearing about behind the scenes.

Things are a little less concrete with Owusu-Boateng, but the Irish still appear to be in a better position than anybody. Yes, he expanded his list from his “final four” this summer of Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State and USC to include Florida and Texas, but that happened over a month ago. 

We know Texas is trying to get seriously involved, but we’ve yet to speak with anybody who believe the Gators would be any real threat even if their coaching situation were settled, which it obviously is not. 

The Longhorns are certainly lurking and Owusu-Boateng seemed excited about getting to Austin to see their showdown against Georgia. This feels like a Notre Dame-Michigan battle at the moment, but he could be blown away by Texas and that would change everything. 

And while he’s continuously floated the idea of possibly making a decision earlier, he’s consistently pointed to December’s National Signing Day as his announcement date, so there remains plenty of road for further twists and turns. 

DEUCE IS WILD: A week ago there seemed to be optimism that the Irish would get their 2025 quarterback commit, Deuce Knight‍, back on campus for the game against Louisville. That seems far less certain now than it did a week ago with some expecting him to be back in Auburn this week and next week.

We’re not sure how many times we’ve seen a prospect committed to one school visit another school four times in a month and not flip. Of course, we’re not sure how many times we’ve seen a prospect committed to one school visit another school four times in a month period.  

Still when asked if they were less hopeful this week than they were last week with regard to Knight, one source said, “As hopeful.”

We’re also told Knight was extremely excited to see his good friend and 7-on-7 teammate Tristen Keys receive an offer from the Irish on Wednesday. Knight got on the phone with Keys that same day and was talking up the Irish to Keys. 

We’re also told Knight continues to be a part with serious conversations with the Irish staff and commits. 

One source summed it up best.

“Deuce is a very unpredictable guy. You never know his next move. He’ll surprise you.”