Elite 2023 DE Brenan Vernon Commits To Notre Dame Football
Notre Dame just pulled off a massive upset on the recruiting trail.
After Mentor (Ohio) High class of 2023 defensive end Brenan Vernon received an offer from Ohio State on Aug. 15, 2020, many pundits pegged him to land with the Buckeyes. Vernon apparently didn’t get the message, though.
Notre Dame offered Vernon on Jan. 31, 2020 during a conversation with defensive line coach Mike Elston. The Irish staff kept things steady with Vernon throughout 2020 and into 2021, but it didn’t really heat up until May 2021. The Irish staff started having weekly Zoom calls with the four-star prospect, which went very well.
Vernon visited Notre Dame June 6 and participated in the Irish Invasion camp. Not only did Vernon dominate the event per BlueandGold.com sources, he loved his time in South Bend. The 6-5, 250-pounder returned to campus the weekend of June 25-27 and announced his pledge two days later.
“Just the atmosphere — I love the community,” Vernon said in the spring during a rare interview. “It’s a smaller school, and there’s just something about it that I’m starting to grasp.”
"I love Notre Dame,” Vernon told the News-Herald in June. “I love Notre Dame a lot. A lot. A lot.”
Vernon received his first scholarship offer (Kent State, June 6, 2019) before he entered the ninth grade. He visited Notre Dame that fall for the Fighting Irish’s 52-20 victory versus Navy Nov. 17.
Alabama, Cincinnati, Duke, Indiana, Iowa State, Kent State, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State made up Vernon’s offer list, per Rivals.
Rivals ranks Vernon as the No. 3 strong-side defensive end and No. 9 overall player in the 2023 class. There are only four five-star players early on in the 2023 rankings, but it looks like the Irish may end up having its first Rivals five-star defensive lineman since Daelin Hayes in the 2016 class with Vernon in the fold.
During Vernon’s freshman year, he played with a torn labrum that required offseason surgery. As a sophomore in 2020, he played in five games but battled with a foot injury which also required offseason surgery.
“I’ll always feel I'm 80 or 90 percent because if I believe I’m 100 percent, that means I’ve given up on myself and I’m satisfied where I’m at,” Vernon added in his interview with the News-Herald. “I’ll never be satisfied. If I’m at 80 or 90 percent, I’m still going to bust my ass, because there’s always things you can work on to be better. That’s just the inner competitor in me.”
Vernon is Notre Dame’s second commitment of the 2023 class.
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