Meet the Notre Dame Fighting Irish class of 2023 commitments
Get to know the class of 2023 prospects committed to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in this feature from BlueandGold.com.
We have provided background info on each of the commits below (in chronological order from the newest pledge to the oldest), and will continue to update this article each time Notre Dame lands a new commitment.
Height: 6-0
Weight: 189
Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman offered Las Vegas Bishop Gorman cornerback Justyn Rhett after the four-star recruit ran a sub-4.5 40-yard dash at the Irish Invasion camp June 6, 2021. Rhett favored Notre Dame at that point, and after he returned to campus to see the Irish defeat USC 31-16 Oct. 23, 2021, he knew South Bend was where he wanted to call home for his college years. Rhett announced his commitment to Notre Dame a few weeks later, choosing the Irish over Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Tennessee and others.
Rivals ranks Rhett as the nation's No. 50 player and No. 8 cornerback, plus the No. 2 prospect from Nevada. Rhett’s defensive backs coach at Bishop Gorman is Nicco Fertitta, who played safety and primarily on special teams for the Irish from 2015-18. His father, Troy, was a cornerback for Albany, an FCS program in New York, from 1995-99.
Links
Elite 2023 CB Justyn Rhett commits to Notre Dame football
10 things to know: CB Justyn Rhett commits to Notre Dame football
Notre Dame visit exceeds expectations for top CB target Justyn Rhett
Notre Dame Makes Strong Early Impression on 2023 Four-Star CB Justyn Rhett
Height: 6-2
Weight: 215
When Notre Dame offered Merrillville (Ind.) Andrean linebacker Drayk Bowen back on Feb. 12, 2021, it seemed like just a matter of time before the four-star recruit would eventually choose the Fighting Irish. While that ended up being true, it wasn't as clear of a slam dunk as many thought it would be, as Auburn and Clemson were strong contenders throughout Bowen's recruitment. But the option of staying close to home and strong recruiting efforts by defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman and Co. proved to be too much for the Southern schools to overcome.
Bowen will also play baseball at Notre Dame. During his sophomore baseball season, Bowen played every position except catcher, and hit .400 with 26 runs scored, 16 runs batted in and a team-high 23 stolen bases, per NWI.com. He’s played both in the infield and outfield at the high school level.
Rivals ranks Bowen as the nation's No. 33 recruit and No. 2 outside linebacker, plus the top recruit in Indiana, for the 2023 class.
Links
Four-star linebacker Drayk Bowen commits to Notre Dame football
10 things to know: Elite LB Drayk Bowen picks Notre Dame football
Notre Dame pushing the right buttons for Drayk Bowen
Q&A With Four-Star LB Drayk Bowen On Notre Dame Visit
Elite In-State Linebacker Drayk Bowen Discusses Notre Dame, Marcus Freeman
Height: 5-10
Weight: 185
Commitment date: September 22, 2021
Notre Dame beat out the likes of Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia and Miami for Miami Gulliver Prep’s Sedrick Irvin Jr., the nation’s No. 227 player and No. 12 running back per Rivals. Academics played a key role as Notre Dame and Stanford were his final two choices. His visit to South Bend over the summer and a strong relationship with the Irish staff helped Notre Dame land Irvin’s early pledge.
The 5-10, 185-pounder is actually from Maryland and didn’t move to Florida until he was 9 years old. Additionally, his father, Sedrick Irvin Sr., made a similar move, leaving the Sunshine State for Michigan State when he was a recruit in the 1996 class. The elder Irvin was a first-team USA Today All-American as a prep and went on to rush for 3,504 yards and accounted for 41 touchdowns during his career with the Spartans. He is No. 5 on Michigan State’s all-time rushing yardage list and No. 4 in rushing touchdowns.
Irvin’s father is a cousin of NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin. He was an intern on Nick Saban’s Alabama staff from 2008-09 with Lance Taylor and also coached at Memphis (2010-11) and Eastern Carolina (2016). He has been a high school head coach at Gulliver Prep (2006-08, 2019-current), Westminster Christian (2011-16), Miami Senior (2016-17) and Miami Southridge (2018-19).
Links
10 things to know: RB Sedrick Irvin Jr. picks Notre Dame football
2023 Rivals100 RB Sedrick Irvin Jr. commits to Notre Dame football
Notre Dame Visit Solidifies Irish As Top Contender For 2023 RB
Height: 6-6
Weight: 240
Commitment date: September 2, 2021
Notre Dame wants to keep its tight end tradition strong and should be able to do so with the addition of Concord (Calif.) De La Salle’s Cooper Flanagan in the 2023 cycle. Flanagan received his Notre Dame scholarship offer Aug. 6, 2021 after a few months of building a relationship with Irish tight ends coach John McNulty. Flanagan visited Notre Dame’s campus in June and loved his experience. At that point, it was clear that if Notre Dame offered Flanagan, he would end up choosing the Irish.
Rivals ranks Flanagan as a four-star prospect, the No. 18 player in California and the No. 19 tight end in the country. Flanagan also held scholarship offers from Arizona, California, Colorado, Michigan, Michigan State, San Jose State, Tennessee, Utah and Washington.
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Four-star Cooper Flanagan details early Notre Dame football pledge
10 things to know: TE Cooper Flanagan picks Notre Dame football
Four-star TE Cooper Flanagan commits to Notre Dame football
Notre Dame Offers, Becomes Instant Contender For TE Cooper Flanagan
Height: 6-0
Weight: 190
Commitment date: August 15, 2021
Notre Dame offered Irvington (N.J.) High’s Adon Shuler in May 2021, and the coaching staff loved the four-star prospect even more after seeing him in person at their camp in late July. Notre Dame’s life after football pitch and relationship with the coaching staff were big factors in the 6-0, 190-pounder picking the Fighting Irish.
Rivals ranks Shuler as the No. 13 safety and No. 199 overall player in America. He was named to the 2020 All-Essex County first-team defense and the 2020 Liberty Red Division first-team defense. Shuler held scholarship offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Florida, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Temple and West Virginia.
Links
Four-Star Safety Adon Shuler Commits To Notre Dame Football
10 Things To Know: Safety Adon Shuler Picks Notre Dame
Newly Minted Four-Star DB Adon Shuler In-Depth On Notre Dame
Height: 6-5
Weight: 250
Commitment date: June 29, 2021
Notre Dame pulled off a massive recruiting upset June 29 when Mentor (Ohio) High’s Brenan Vernon announced his pledge to the Irish over Ohio State, the long-perceived favorite. 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, who ranks as Rivals’ No. 15 prospect and No. 4 strong side defensive end, visited campus twice in June and wrapped up his recruitment early. 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.
Links
Vans and ‘The Dream Team’ led Brenan Vernon to Notre Dame
Brenan Vernon Opens Up On Notre Dame Commitment: ‘It Totally Suits Me’
Elite 2023 DE Brenan Vernon Commits To Notre Dame Football
10 Things To Know: DE Brenan Vernon Chooses Notre Dame Over Ohio State
Height: 6-6
Weight: 230
Commitment date: June 28, 2021
Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep defensive end Keon Keeley became Notre Dame’s first commitment of the 2023 class when he gave his pledge June 28 over Florida, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, North Carolina and others. Rivals ranks Keeley as the nation’s No. 27 player and No. 2 weak side defensive end in America.
The Fighting Irish offered Keeley during its Pot of Gold recruiting initiative March 17, and Mike Elston and Co. recruited him hard in the following three months. Keeley made his way up to Notre Dame for a visit the weekend of June 11 and was blown away. It was at that point that Keeley knew he wanted to call Notre Dame home.
Links
The committed life is treating four-star DE Keon Keeley well
DE Keon Keeley Is Notre Dame’s First 2023 Commitment
10 Things To Know: DE Keon Keeley Picks Notre Dame
Notre Dame’s People Stand Out To Top 2023 DE Keon Keeley
Florida DE Keon Keeley Speaks Highly Of Notre Dame, Mike Elston
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