Notebook: Notre Dame on short list for five-star recruits
It wasn’t a surprise to see the schools that were included on Pleasant Hill (Iowa) Southeast Polk safety Xavier Nwankpa’s top three list, but it was still notable nonetheless.
It’s been long rumored that Iowa, Notre Dame and Ohio State have been the top contenders for the five-star class of 2022 recruit, and he made that public on Saturday.
“It’s here. My time is soon,” Nwankpa said in his top schools announcement.
Nwankpa took official visits to Notre Dame, Ohio State and Texas A&M in June. He’ll take his fourth official next weekend to Iowa. Nwankpa unofficial visits lined up for Notre Dame Oct. 23 and Ohio State Oct. 30.
“It was good — one of the best visits I’ve ever been on,” Nwankpa previously told BlueandGold.com about his Notre Dame visit June 18-20. “I’ve been there previously, so I had an idea of everything. Notre Dame has their own way of doing things, which I like.
“The atmosphere stood out. Schools can sometimes show you fake love and not once have I felt that with Notre Dame. So being in the atmosphere again and talking to the new coaches [stood out the most].”
Notre Dame has limited spots remaining on the defensive side of the ball in the 2022 class, but there’s no doubt that Nwankpa is a top target for the Fighting Irish staff.
Rivals ranks Nwankpa as the nation’s No. 14 overall player and the No. 1 safety, plus the top recruit from the state of Iowa.
Irish in the hunt for Rivals100 DL Hero Kanu
Another one of Notre Dame’s top remaining 2022 targets cut down his list on Saturday.
Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Catholic’s Hero Kanu, the No. 87 player and No. 8 defensive tackle in America per Rivals, trimmed down his offer list to Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Oklahoma.
It had previously been reported that Kanu would take official visits to Oklahoma Oct. 16, Notre Dame Oct. 23, Ohio State Oct. 30 and Georgia Nov. 6. It is unknown when Kanu will take an official to LSU, but that is likely to happen this fall. Kanu doesn’t plan on making a public announcement on his school of choice until the All-American Bowl in January of 2022.
“That was the first time I visited Notre Dame, and the campus is unbelievable,” Kanu told Blue & Gold after his unofficial in July. “Beautiful. It is unbelievable. I really liked the coaches — Brian Kelly, Coach [Mike] Elston.
“It was really unbelievable even though I was only there for a couple of hours. They have another guy from Germany [Alexander Ehrensberger], so we've already got that connection to them. It was unbelievable.”
Top schools list for five-star Alex “Sonny” Styles
A couple days before Pickerington (Ohio) Central’s Alex “Sonny” Styles visited Notre Dame for the Cincinnati game, he dropped his group of favorite schools.
Clemson, Florida, Mississippi, Notre Dame and Ohio State are on Styles’ short list. The schools that made the cut did not come as a surprise.
Notre Dame and Ohio State have long been considered the favorite with his family ties to both schools. Clemson, Florida and Mississippi really impressed Styles with his recent visits to those programs.
The pull for Styles to Ohio State is obvious. It’s in his backyard, his father, Lorenzo Sr., played for the Buckeyes, and it’s one of the top programs nationally year in and year out.
The Fighting Irish offer a family connection too, as his older brother, Lorenzo Jr., is a freshman receiver. Styles has a great connection with the coaching staff and places great value on Notre Dame’s academics.
With the early top list in place, the following question must be asked: Will Styles make an early decision? His brother committed to Notre Dame during the fall of his junior year, and despite reports that he was considering a flip elsewhere, Lorenzo Jr. remained locked in with the Irish.
Notre Dame hopes for the same results with Alex Styles, a five-star prospect who ranks as the nation’s No. 6 player and No. 1 “athlete.” The Fighting Irish are targeting Styles as a rover.
Notable recruits cancel Notre Dame visit
On Thursday, BlueandGold.com broke the news that Lafayette (La.) St. Thomas More five-star class of 2022 quarterback Walker Howard would be visiting Notre Dame for an unofficial on Saturday.
However, per the Daily Advertiser, Howard suffered a fractured left fibula and will miss four to six weeks of action. Because of his injury, sources tell Blue & Gold that Howard did not end up making the trip to South Bend.
It will certainly be interesting to keep an eye on whether or not Howard reschedules his visit to Notre Dame and if the Irish will look at any other class of 2022 signal callers in addition to Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic’s Steve Angeli, who has already committed to them.
Miami Gulliver Prep class of 2023 wide receiver Jalen Brown also planned to visit Notre Dame for the matchup with the Bearcats but had to cancel his trip last minute. The four-star recruit will likely make a trip to South Bend at another time this fall.
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