We know that the Notre Dame staff likes to wait to get recruits on campus until the spring, so there can be some slow periods in recruiting during the winter without much news. That has flipped quickly after they held their first Junior Day last week.
They landed a commitment from RB Lathan Whisenton shortly after and have followed that up with a second commitment from RB Isaiah Rogers.
Rogers was offered last March and had a monster junior season with over 1,300 yards of total offense and 18 total touchdowns. He’s added a lot of muscle in the past year and it’s going to be exciting to see how that translates.
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 215
Projected Position: Running back
ISD Grade: 91 (4-star)
National Average Grade: 90.4 (4-star)
What he does best:
Rogers has good feet and reads his blocks well. His vision really stands out and he does a great job of knowing when to one-cut and go.
He has very good build up speed. He’s run a 6.51 55m as a sprinter. If he gets a crease, he has the juice to take it the distance.
He has more experience in the passing game than a lot of backs. He caught 37 balls for over 400 yards receiving as a junior. He has the skill set to be a three down back.
What he needs to improve:
He’s gained about 25 pounds in the last year. He’s going to be a different player this fall because of that. Based on his track results this spring, it hasn’t impacted his speed.
I want to see how it impacts his ability to run through tackles and his overall power as a runner. That’s going to be important because I think yards after contact will be critical for him. I don’t think he has elite burst so breaking tackles and then getting space to run away from defenders is going to be important for him if he’s going to be a big play back at the college level.
What’s his ceiling?
Rogers is a very good prospect. He’s mature physically and appears to be off the field as well. He fits the mold of a Notre Dame kid.
I think he has the athletic talent and the versatility to develop into an every down back for the Irish, but his traits don’t pop as much as the other backs they’ve landed recently. However, I think he’s a better runner than he is a pure athlete and that matters a lot.
I think there are a lot of similarities to him and Kaytron Allen, a back who played for JaJuan Seider at Penn State. Allen doesn’t wow anyone with his physical ability, but his size, vision and instincts as a runner helped him be a more productive player than the flashier Nick Singleton.
Who he could be:
Former Penn State RB Kaytron Allen
Men's New Era Navy Notre Dame Fighting Irish COOLERA 9SEVENTY Rope Stretch-Snap Hat
