Commitment No. 23 of Notre Dame’s 2022 recruiting class is in, with Fond du Lac (Wis.) St. Mary’s Springs offensive lineman Billy Schrauth announcing his pledge to the Fighting Irish.
Here is a breakdown of what the new addition means for the Irish.
1. You can’t take enough big, nasty offensive lineman, and Schrauth certainly fits that mold. In my opinion, he’s a guard all the way for Notre Dame, but he could be a guy who slides outside in a pinch. His ranking as a top-125 four-star prospect per Rivals is something I certainly agree with, and his ceiling is high.
You don’t see much pass blocking on his highlight tape because his high school employs a run-heavy attack, so that aspect of his game will need fine-tuning. However, he is a strong kid who finishes blocks extremely well.
2. Schrauth is a good looking interior defensive lineman as well. Several schools were recruiting him on defense, and he would be more than capable of sliding over to the other side of the ball at the next level if need be.
His nastiness as a lineman on both sides of the ball is clear. He fights off blocks well and is a sure tackler, too — just a disruptive player overall.
3. I remember interviewing Schrauth after he received his Notre Dame scholarship offer in May 2020 and thinking that his recruitment would come down to Notre Dame, Ohio State and Wisconsin. That ended up being the three schools that he took June official visits to, but I spoke to sources on the Irish side of things before this past summer, and they told me that they’d be surprised if Schrauth visited anywhere other than Notre Dame.
I loathe the term silent commitment because it means nothing and gets fans excited about something that isn’t worth the paper it’s written on, but Schrauth indicated to the Irish staff for a long time that he’d be choosing them. But he never took the plunge of a verbal commitment and then took official visits. Wisconsin pulled ahead in the summer and early in the fall because he strongly considered staying close to home, but the Fighting Irish never gave up, and we believe offensive coordinator Tommy Rees' visit to see Schrauth Dec. 2 was a game-changer on selling Schrauth. And a few days later, head coach Marcus Freeman visited Schrauth in Fond du Lac, which sealed the deal.
4. This offensive line class doesn't have the same star power that the Irish 2021 class had at the top, but an argument can be made that it’s just as good. All five of the recruits are committed to major postseason all-star games; Ty Chan will play in the Under Armour All-America Game, while Schrauth, Joey Tanona, Aamil Wagner and Ashton Craig will suit up in the All-American Bowl.
Of the five offensive linemen Notre Dame signed in the 2021 cycle, three project as tackles and two are true interior players. This group projects to have three of the prospects (Craig, Schrauth and Tanona) projecting at guard or center and the other two on the outside. That shouldn’t be a problem, though with Blake Fisher and Joe Alt being the tackles of the future.
5. After Notre Dame got to four offensive line commitments, it was Schrauth or bust in terms of whether or not the staff would take a fifth. Now it's on to 2023, and the Fighting Irish are already in the mix for several high-end offensive line recruits, including Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco Prep's Chase Bisontis, Pleasant Hill (Iowa) Southeast Polk's Kadyn Proctor, Rock Island (Ill.) Alleman's Charles Jagusah and Belmont (N.C.) South Point's Sullivan Absher.
6. It’s impressive that Notre Dame beat out Wisconsin for an in-state offensive line prospect that the Badgers coveted. Notre Dame doesn’t target many prospects in Wisconsin because it’s not a loaded state of talent, and the top players typically stay in the Badger State.
The last player Notre Dame signed from Wisconsin was in 2001 (Brian Beidatsch). Wisconsin especially lands the top lineman from its home state. I can’t emphasize enough how big of a win this is for Notre Dame.
7. “Schrauth is talented enough to play either offense or defense at the next level and avery hard-nosed and passionate football player. He has a blue collar work ethic and shows explosive moves off the ball. He can dominate the middle of the line, has quick hands and shows a good natural burst. As consistent as they come, Schrauth effectively fights through many double-teams.
“He’s pretty strong in the upper body and dominates just about every player he goes up against on both sides of the ball. Schrauth is a superior finisher and will play until the whistle. He shows All-American skills at guard, but he can also dominate at defensive tackle.” — Prep Football Report’s Tom Lemming
8. Here is Notre Dame’s 2022 class sorted by commitment timeline:
July 25, 2020 — Four-star OL Joey Tanona, Zionsville (Ind.) High
Aug. 22, 2020 — Four-star LB Nolan Ziegler, Grand Rapids (Mich.) Catholic Central
Dec. 10, 2020 — Four-star OL Ty Chan, Groton (Mass.) Lawrence Academy
Jan. 18, 2021 — Four-star DL Tyson Ford, St. Louis John Burroughs
Feb. 6, 2021 — Four-star DL Aiden Gobaira, Chantilly (Va.) High
Feb. 21, 2021 — Four-star RB Jadarian Price, Denison (Texas) High
March 4, 2021 — Three-star QB Steve Angeli, Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic
March 10, 2021 — Three-star WR Amorion Walker, Ponchatoula (La.) High
March 14, 2021 — Four-star DB Jaden Mickey, Corona (Calif.) Centennial
March 17, 2021 — Four-star LB Joshua Burnham, Traverse City (Mich.) Central
May 5, 2021 — Three-star TE Eli Raridon, West Des Moines (Iowa) Valley
May 8, 2021 — Four-star TE Holden Staes, Atlanta Westminster
June 4, 2021 — Three-star DL Donovan Hinish, Pittsburgh Central Catholic
June 19, 2021 — Four-star LB Niuafe Tuihalamaka, Mission Hills (Calif.) Bishop Alemany
June 26, 2021 — Three-star OL Ashton Craig, Lawrenceburg (Ind.) High
July 2, 2021 — Three-star DB Jayden Bellamy, Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic
July 4, 2021 — Four-star CB Devin Moore, Naples (Fla.) High
July 12, 2021 — Four-star LB Jaylen Sneed, Hilton Head (S.C.) High
July 15, 2021 — Four-star CB Benjamin Morrison, Phoenix Brophy Prep
Aug. 4, 2021 — Four-star WR Tobias Merriweather, Vancouver (Wash.) Union
Aug. 8, 2021 — Four-star WR CJ Williams, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei
Nov. 11, 2021 —Four-star OL Aamil Wagner, Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne
Nov. 21, 2021 — Two-star K Bryce McFerson, Indian Trail (N.C.) Metrolina Christian Academy
Dec. 10, 2021 — Four-star OL Billy Schrauth, Fond du Lac (Wis.) St. Mary’s Springs
9. Here are Notre Dame’s 2022 commits by position:
1 — Quarterback
1 — Running Back
3 — Wide Receiver
2 — Tight End
5 — Offensive Line
3 — Defensive Line
4 — Linebacker
3 — Defensive Back
1 — Punter
10. Here is a breakdown of the Irish commits by state:
1 — Arizona
3 — California
1 — Georgia
1 — Iowa
2 — Indiana
1 — Louisiana
1 — Massachusetts
2 — Michigan
1 — Missouri
2 — New Jersey
1 — North Carolina
1 — Ohio
1 — Pennsylvania
1 — South Carolina
1 — Virginia
1 — Texas
1 — Washington
1 — Wisconsin
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