The Notre Dame staff has not been shy so far in the 2023 class when it comes to offering defensive ends early and often. They are finding talent and are looking to get their foot in the door with them quickly in this cycle.
The most recent offer came to Jayden Wayne, a 6-5, 240-pound strongside defensive end out of Tacoma (Wash.) Lincoln. Wayne has been in contact with the Notre Dame staff for nearly four months, and it was actually wide receivers coach Del Alexander that offered him.
“I had been talking to Notre Dame for quite a while,” Wayne explained. “Coach Alexander said to call him and I did, then I got the offer.”
Alexander has been the coach leading this recruitment so far. He has talked to Wayne multiple times but officially offered the talented defensive end on November 29.
“I was so excited once Coach Alexander offered me,” Wayne said. “Notre Dame is a big offer. He told me how he knows how hard I worked for this and that I deserve this offer.”
Notre Dame is not the first school to take notice of Wayne’s potential and talent and send an offer his way. He currently holds offers from Oregon, Washington, USC, Tennessee, Arizona State, and more.
“Tennessee, Washington, Oregon, and Notre Dame are the schools standing out to me right now,” Wayne noted. “My recruitment is open, but those are the schools I like.”
Visits will play a large role in Wayne’s recruitment, as they usually do with most prospects, but being that he is in the class of 2023, he can afford to wait to visit the schools he is interested in. The Washington product told BlueandGold.com that once it is allowed, he plans to visit LSU, Florida, Alabama, Clemson, and Notre Dame.
While Wayne has some big-time schools after his pledge, not all of them are recruiting him at the same position.
“Notre Dame is recruiting me as a defensive end and tight end,” Wayne said. “Other schools see me as a linebacker or a weak side defensive end, though.”
Last season, playing defensive end for Lincoln, Wayne tallied 27 total tackles, two sacks and one pass defended. This summer, he was named to the MaxPreps 2020 Preseason Sophomore High School All-American Football Team but did not have a chance to play this season due to COVID-19.
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