Fact or Fiction: Notre Dame leads for four-star DT Justin Scott
Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney and national recruiting analyst Clint Cosgrove along with Jed May of UGASports.com and Kyle Kelly from InsideNDSports.com tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
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1. After offering late last week, Notre Dame has become the front-runner for 2024 four-star defensive tackle Justin Scott from Chicago St. Ignatius.
Gorney’s take: FACT. I’m going to give Notre Dame the edge – and it could be tough to overcome the Irish. Justin Scott told me that his mom loves Notre Dame because of the football team but also the academics and those are just two factors to consider once it’s time to pick a school. South Bend is 90 minutes away, the academics aren’t going to change and while Scott is basically going to end up with pretty much every offer in the country, Notre Dame is still going to have an edge, mom’s approval and that could be very tough to beat.
Cosgrove’s take: FICTION. The Notre Dame offer is a big one for Scott on a number of levels. South Bend is close to home, the football program has a storied history, top-notch academics and a ton of Chicago Catholic League kids attend Notre Dame as well. That is a lot for one school to have in their favor, so the Notre Dame coaching staff has plenty to be confident about. The problem with assuming Notre Dame is the immediate front-runner is due to the fact that Scott already has a bunch of big-time offers, and then USC offered right after Notre Dame. I'm not implying that the USC offer carries more weight with Scott than that of Notre Dame, but I am implying that Scott will likely see an insane run of offers from other big-name programs in the coming months. It is relatively early in his recruitment and he barely had time to digest his Notre Dame offer before USC followed suit. I will say Notre Dame is toward the top, but I would not put the Irish or any other program, as a front-runner at this point in time.
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2. Texas and Georgia will get five-star quarterbacks in either the 2023 or 2024 classes.
Gorney’s take: FACT. A lot of quarterbacks, and I would imagine programs, are waiting on Arch Manning to decide and it looks like either Texas or Georgia at this point although others definitely cannot be counted out. Once Manning picks, the team that didn’t get him immediately becomes very appealing to a lot of 2024 quarterbacks. Five-star Julian Sayin could be the top dog in that situation since he’s very high on both the Bulldogs and the Longhorns although other elite 2024 QBs are looking at both teams as well.
May’s take: FACT. At this point, it appears as if either Georgia or Texas will land Arch Manning. Whichever school loses out in the Manning sweepstakes will turn its attention to the 2024 class and the bountiful crop of talented signal callers. Jadyn Davis, Dylan Raiola, Julian Sayin and CJ Carr are all skilled quarterbacks that either are or could become five-stars in the 2024 class. Chances are that either Georgia or Texas lands one of those quarterbacks after losing out on Manning.
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3. Notre Dame will reach back into North Carolina to land four-star OL Sullivan Absher.
Gorney’s take: FACT. At this point, it would be a major surprise if Sullivan Absher went anywhere else. The four-star offensive tackle from Belmont (N.C.) South Point has taken multiple visits to Notre Dame and was recently in South Bend and is now ready to commit. What makes this a little challenging is that Absher rarely talks extensively about his recruitment so a surprise could be in store but I doubt it. After getting a pledge from four-star OL Sam Pendleton out of Pfafftown (N.C.) Ronald Reagan, Notre Dame should dip back into the state for Absher soon.
Kelly’s take: FACT. Absher has been to Notre Dame twice this year and told InsideNDSports.com it has been the standard when visiting other schools. I don’t see it as a coincidence that Absher set a commitment date soon after his second visit on April 23. The coaching staff made a big impression on him, and I like him to pick the Irish on Friday.