Notre Dame’s newest commitment in the 2022 class came together quickly.
Lawrenceburg (Ind.) High class of 2022 offensive lineman Ashton Craig participated in Notre Dame’s prospect camp June 15. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and offensive line coach Jeff Quinn had a close eye on the 6-5, 275-pounder. They were impressed with Craig and offered him a scholarship one week later.
Craig officially visited Notre Dame June 25-27, and he announced his commitment to the Fighting Irish during his visit on Saturday. Other schools battled with the Irish this summer, but Notre Dame is the school Craig wanted to call home.
“It all started when he went to the camp and performed really well in front of the coaches,” Lawrenceburg head coach Ryan Knigga said. “Sometimes you get that gut feeling that you’re at your place. Even though it was a short amount of time, he got that Notre Dame was his place. They fast-forwarded the relationship between he and the coaches and developed a great bond. He had a great connection with the guys Friday night during his official visit.
“At this point in the game, he knows it’s Notre Dame. Academically, it fits well for him, too. He put an emphasis on getting a good degree from a good university. He’s a special player and a special kid. We’re excited to be wrapping this up for him.”
He took official visits to Nebraska and Northwestern, respectively, the first two weekends of June. He also visited Michigan twice and received an offer from the Wolverines.
Boston College, Florida State, Indiana, Iowa, Purdue, Vanderbilt, Baylor, Duke, Iowa State and Wake Forest also offered him scholarship. He held a handful of non-Power Five offers as well, including Ivy League schools.
Rivals lists Craig with a 5.6 recruit ranking, the mid-level designation for a three-star prospect. Additionally, he is Rivals’ No. 12 player in Indiana and No. 64 offensive tackle in the country.
Craig is Notre Dame’s third offensive line pledge of the 2022 class, joining Groton (Mass.) Lawrence Academy tackle Ty Chan and Zionsville (Ind.) High interior lineman Joey Tanona. Craig, Chan and Tanona met for the first time during the June 25 weekend for their official visits.
Notre Dame is recruiting Craig as an interior offensive lineman and will likely play center for the Irish.
Craig helped lead Lawrenceburg to an 11-2 season in 2020. The Tigers reached the Indiana Class 3A state championship game but fell 49-28 to Huntingburg (Ind.) Southridge 49-28.
Craig paved the way for Lawrenceburg rushed for 2,785 yards and 40 scores on 435 carries last season, per MaxPreps. They averaged 214.2 rushing yards per game and 6.4 yards per carry.
“The best thing he provides overall is his athleticism,” Knigga added. “For his size and the way that he can move and bend, he’s one of the more athletic lineman [in the country]. He brings tenacity and is an attention-to-detail kid as far as game plan and studying film goes.
“He’s going to bring an edge, a chip on his shoulder, play to the whistle and has a might motor.”
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