Notre Dame’s defensive line class in the 2022 cycle started off with a bang when St. Louis John Burroughs standout Tyson Ford picked the Fighting Irish over Georgia, Missouri and Oklahoma on Jan. 18.
A couple weeks later, Notre Dame landed another priority defensive line target when Chantilly (Va.) High’s Aiden Gobaira pledged to the Irish a few days after a self-guided tour visit of campus.
Notre Dame has signed eight defensive linemen in the past two recruiting cycles, and the Irish may be in store for another big class in 2022.
Kurt Hinish took advantage of an extra year of eligibility for one final season in South Bend in 2020. Jayson Ademilola and Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa have eligibility through the 2022 season, but at this point in time we do not expect them to remain on the team after this upcoming fall. So, the Irish may be down three interior defensive linemen following this season.
On the edge, Notre Dame only has one senior for the 2021 season in Justin Ademilola. The Irish have seven defensive ends with eligibility through the 2023 season.
Scholarship numbers are always subject to change, but they’re even more wonky and hard to project for the 2022 season with the free year that the NCAA gave to players. But for now, our projection for the Irish’s defensive line class is four to five total players.
Notre Dame’s defensive line may look different than the four-man front Clark Lea (and Mike Elko before him) had. New defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman is expected to have a multiple defense with three- and four-man fronts. Notre Dame has recruited versatile defensive line prospects which should allow them the flexibility to play multiple techniques.
Here’s a breakdown of recruits to know.
