After debuting as the No. 178 prospect in the nation last year, Hartwell (Ga.) Hart County tight end and Notre Dame commitment Cane Berrong has fallen in the Rivals' rankings.
He was dropped to a three-star prospect on Wednesday, which caused an uproar among Notre Dame fans and made this writer scratch his head.
Rivals.com national recruiting director Mike Farrell and national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney discussed whether Berrong is under-ranked in their latest “Fact or Fiction” article.
Gorney believes that it's a fact that Berrong is underrated after his new recruit rating of 5.7.
“Berrong might not be a burner, and he might lack elite athleticism, but I also don’t believe there are 29 tight ends in the 2021 recruiting class better than him,” Gorney wrote. “He has great hands, he has solid speed, he gets open and I also like that the Notre Dame commit is a good blocker who isn’t afraid to get scrappy from time to time.
“In his offense, Berrong is used all over the field and he makes plays. The Irish coaching staff knows what it’s looking for in tight ends. Is he a top-five tight end in the class? No. But he’s better than his ranking right now."
In Farrell's response, he argued that Berrong lacks "elite athleticism and he’s not the tallest or biggest tight end around."
"This reminds me a lot of Notre Dame going on Greer Martini a few years ago," Farrell wrote. "The Irish offered early and he just never got much better. Martini has a solid career at Notre Dame, the career of a three-star, and I see the same for Berrong."
Berrong chose Notre Dame last summer over other offers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and many others. Berrong ran a 4.53 laser-timed 40-yard dash prior to his junior season.
Last fall, Berrong caught 43 passes for 486 yards and four touchdowns.
Notre Dame ranks as the No. 11 class in the 2021 Rivals team recruiting rankings, directly above Georgia, Texas and Oklahoma, respectively.
Rivals ranks Berrong as the No. 30 tight end nationally and the No. 37 prospect in the state of Georgia.
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