This new weekend column by BlueandGold.com recruiting insider Mike Singer will include his honest opinions on various topics in the world of Notre Dame football recruiting.

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Jayden Thomas is important recruit for a number of reasons.

We’ll start with his talent. Ranked as a four-star prospect, the nation’s No. 131 overall prospect and No. 23 wide receiver in the land, Thomas is a big-time talent.

He’s added over 20 scholarship offers during the course of his recruitment, which includes the likes of Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and Tennessee.

Thomas is a smooth route runner with a great catch radius. I’ve talked a lot about floor vs. ceiling lately with prospects, and Thomas is another one of those guys with a really high floor. I see little bust potential with him, and his ceiling is fairly high as well.

Sources on the Irish side of things have told me that the Notre Dame staff likes his talents as a defensive back too. He reads plays well and has very quick hips as a rangy free safety. Thomas’ versatility makes him even more valuable.

Overall, the young man is a very good athlete and shows it on his tape, whether he’s at slot or outside receiver, wildcat quarterback, returning punts, safety or cornerback.

And then there’s Thomas’ fit off the field. Niche.com ranks Atlanta Pace Academy, Thomas’ high school, as the No. 2 private school in the state of Georgia. Thomas has told me that he loves the environment at Pace and added that Notre Dame has a similar feel. That’s a recipe for success.

Landing Thomas would give Notre Dame’s 2021 class a big boost in the rankings too. If Thomas were to commit today, Notre Dame would jump North Carolina and move to No. 11 in the Rivals recruiting rankings. Thomas would be the Irish’s eighth four-star commit of the class.

Notre Dame’s chances with Thomas are their best with their current wide receiver targets, which doesn’t include Hawaii’s Titus Mokiao-Atimalala, who is being recruited more as an athlete. Notre Dame is still in the running for Maryland’s Dont’e Thornton Jr., but the Irish’s chances there are a coin flip at best, and that’s a very optimistic outlook.

Going all-in on Thomas and landing him is key for the Irish.

There doesn’t seem to be much panic about Notre Dame’s 2021 class anymore.

Some Irish fans (and probably media too) felt that Clarkston (Mich.) High’s Rocco Spindler was the make or break prospect of the class. But I couldn’t disagree with that more. As talented as Spindler is, can you really say that not landing a left guard would break the Irish’s class?

Spindler’s commitment was important, don’t get me wrong, but dismissing the seven verbals before him, even if they are Rivals three-star prospects (let alone the rest of the class), is silly.

A refresher on the recent three-star commits...

Go review the offer sheets of Jonesborough (Tenn.) David Crockett linebacker Prince Kollie and Gaithersburg (Md.) Quince Orchard defensive back Ryan Barnes. A mid-three-star designation for them doesn’t seem to fit the bill for what kind of prospects they are on tape.

After Will Shipley committed to Clemson, the first running back the Irish staff offered was Metairie (La.) Rummel’s Logan Diggs, who picked the Irish over USC and many others.

Wadsworth (Ohio) Senior’s Mitchell Evans is listed as a tight end but is one of the most athletic prospects you’ll see at his size of 6-7, 240 pounds. I’m not sure what position he’ll end up playing, but the ceiling here is high.

Encino (Calif.) Crespi cornerback Chance Tucker would’ve seen his recruiting stock skyrocket this spring if not for the pandemic. His stock certainly rose though, as he picked up over 20 offers, including Notre Dame and Washington, his two finalists. Jimmy Lake and the Huskies wanted Tucker bad, but the Irish were his choice.

Lastly of this group, there’s Fridley (Minn.) Totino Grace offensive tackle Joe Alt, a very intriguing recruit who is the prospect who I’m personally most excited about of this class. Alt has the makeup to be a first- or second-day NFL draft selection down the road.

This is just the recent three-star rundown of Notre Dame’s class. It doesn’t include the likes of Blake Fisher, Tyler Buchner, Lorenzo Styles, Cane Berrong, Philip Riley and Gabriel Rubio.

With 17 commitments, the two prospects Notre Dame is focusing on are the aforementioned Jayden Thomas and Titus Mokiao-Atimalala. Anyone in addition to those two is icing on the cake.

Will this be a top five recruiting class like Brian Kelly stated the Irish would be working towards? No. But it should be right around the top 10.

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