The Opening - Day 2 Notes

We got our first look of real competition this afternoon at The Opening Finals in Frisco, Texas. All of the players are now here and we did get to see some one on ones to end the day after the players did individual.

The real fun starts tomorrow with the linemen putting pads on and the 7 on 7 tournament starting, but I did get to see more Irish commits and targets in action and have some thoughts.

- I barely recognized Notre Dame defensive end commit NaNa Osafo-Mensah because he cut his hair. Who could blame him in this Texas heat? I only watched him take a couple of reps in one on ones and the first he tried an inside move and his feet got caught up and he ended up being off balance. His second was much better and he was able to work the edge and had an impressive bend to win the rep.

He definitely has the look of a future strong side end as opposed to Drop that he is being recruited for. I think he has the frame to put on quite a bit more weight in the next few years as well.

- 5-star 2020 defensive end Bryan Bresee flashed a violent spin move on the first rep I watched him, but he tried to do it too early and ended up off balance with his finish too. What I loved about him was that even as he was tilted down he was still fighting to the pylon (the quarterback).

On his next rep he long armed the offensive tackle back into the quarterback. Again, he finished through on the play and the tackle was not too happy about it. But I loved it. Bresee is a dog. He gets after it.

I think there is strong chance he will in the Final 5 defensive lineman by the end of the camp.

- Notre Dame safety commit Kyle Hamilton was maybe the most impressive size/speed athletes on the field. He is so tall and long. Even some other defensive backs that are listed at 6’0” and above seem tiny next to him.

Despite that size, he is twitchy. I was kind of shocked to see how easy he was able to flip his hips and go. I’m more excited to watch him at this camp than any other Notre Dame target they are after.

- Really liked what I saw out of a couple of 2019 targets out of California.

Isaiah Rutherford is super quick with his transitions, has terrific long speed, and has just about everything you’d want in a corner prospect. A standout guard in basketball who is focusing on football and track only right now, he’s a natural athlete that has benefited from those other sports.

He does not look like he has lifted much at all and is very thin. He has a lot of development to do physically.

I only saw him take two reps in one on ones. The first he was stride for stride on a deep ball, but did not work through the catch point. The second he was all over a double move that was incomplete.

Max Williams is another corner that has interest in Notre Dame that is competing this week. I have him ranked just outside of the ISD Fab 50, but I could see that changing if he continues to look like he did today.

He is cat quick and has terrific instincts in coverage. He broke up a pass today where you would have thought he was the one running the route because he shadowed the out route by the receiver so well.

At 5’8”, he does not have the ideal height and length. But much like Julian Love, he has that “It” factor as a player. I love his game and he is worth all the effort it will take to get him away from USC in my opinion.

- Tough to get a gauge on the linebackers today as I didn’t get to watch them do the cat and mouse drill while I was watching the defensive line and defensive backs. I did get to see them go through individual drills, though, and was able to get a better idea of how they physically put together.

Aeneas DiCosmo looks significantly bigger with his lower body and told me he weighed in at 223. It’s easy to see with the weight he can add up top that he has the look of a future Drop end. In saying that, he moves laterally really well and did not look out of place as an athlete while working with the linebackers.

Tristan Sinclair is a strong safety for his high school and is being recruited to play Rover for Notre Dame. He definitely has feet more in line with someone playing close to the line of scrimmage rather than dropping deep. He is a plus athlete at linebacker, but not as a defensive back.

I’m very interested to see how he looks instinctively in coverage over the next couple of days. He is fast and can close on skill players quickly, but I thought he was a beat slow in recognizing things in coverage on film.

- 2020 running back Chris Tyree has a Notre Dame offer and is one of the top skill players in the cycle. He is the only 2020 running back in attendance and is noticeably smaller than the other backs here, but none of them are quite like him either. His feet are exceptional. He cuts and it’s like he is running on air.

- Shocker that the one most physically impressive prospect of the day is committed to Alabama. Linebacker Shane Lee looks like he is a step away from playing in the NFL.

- Former Notre Dame target and current Purude commit George Karlaftis had a couple of good first reps where he won as an interior rusher against a slow footed guard. In a later matchup, he was slammed to the ground on consecrutive reps (pictured above). 

Outland Trophy winner Ed Oliver is here as a counselor with the defensive line, but he seemed to enjoy the slam more than even the offensive line coaches/counselors. I wish I had Oliver's reaction on video. It was the highlight of the day.