Grand Rapids (Mich.) Catholic Central class of 2022 linebacker and Notre Dame commit Nolan Ziegler saw a key bump to his Rivals ranking on Tuesday.
The 6-4, 205-pounder was previously listed with a 5.7 recruit ranking — the highest designation for a three prospect — but was bumped to a 5.8 four-star.
Ziegler had a strong junior season, helping lead Catholic Central to a perfect 12-0 season and a Michigan Division 5 state championship game. In the 48-21 victory over Frankenmuth (Mich.) High (11-1), Ziegler got it done on both sides of the ball, including touchdown receptions of 12 and 35 yards.
During his junior campaign, Ziegler totaled 120 tackles, forced six fumbles and intercepted one pass in just nine games. He played some receiver as well, catching four passes for 150 yards and three touchdowns.
Ziegler was named to the Detroit News Dream Team, the Detroit Free Press first-team all-state defense and AP Michigan Division 5-6 first team all-state defense for his efforts this past season.
With Ziegler being bumped, five of Notre Dame’s seven commitments in the 2022 class are ranked as four-star recruits. The Irish’s class currently ranks No. 7 per Rivals, directly ahead of Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, USC and Florida State, respectively.
As a sophomore, Ziegler posted 78 tackles, four interceptions (two returned for touchdowns) and a forced a fumble. He was a playmaker on special teams coverage units as well. Catholic Central lost its first game of the season last year and then went on to be perfect the rest of the season, capturing the 2019 Michigan Division 4 state championship.
Before choosing Notre Dame, Ziegler held offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, Virginia Tech and others.
“Ziegler has a very high upside, but his future growth will have a big impact on exactly what type of player he becomes,” Rivals.com’s Josh Helmholdt said of Ziegler last summer. “He is just halfway through his high school career and already 6-4 and 205 pounds. If he stays that size and maintains his speed — which is excellent for a prospect his size — then expect Ziegler to play the rover position in Notre Dame's defense, where his size and speed would make him very dangerous. However, if Ziegler grows, he could end up as more of a SAM linebacker or even rush end. In this way he reminds me of Daelin Hayes.
“Just like Ziegler has the speed of a safety in the frame of a linebacker, Hayes had linebacker athleticism but the frame that ultimately grew into a defensive end. Ziegler is a very intriguing prospect with a lot of outstanding characteristics, and I'm excited to see the whole in a couple years once the sum of the parts get added up.”
Ziegler’s positional and state rankings will be updated this week.
Notre Dame has four recruits ranked inside the Rivals250. For more on that, click here.
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