Notre Dame’s 2021 recruiting class is on a roll, with head coach Brian Kelly and Co. landing two new commitments this week to bring their total to 10.
Valrico (Fla.) Bloomingdale four-star cornerback Philip Riley announced his pledge to Notre Dame on Tuesday, while Warwick (R.I.) Bishop Hendricken School defensive end Jason Onye made news with his commitment on Thursday.
Notre Dame was ranked No. 10 nationally after Riley’s commitment, and with Onye in the fold the Irish leapfrogged Minnesota and Miami (currently tied at No. 9) and USC, and now sit in the No. 7 spot.
At the No. 11 spot is Michigan, which has one more commitment than the Irish, but Notre Dame still ranks four spots ahead of them.
Notre Dame is tied for fourth nationally in terms of having the most four-star committed prospects in a single class (six).
For more details on the Rivals rankings formula click here.
Onye, who stands at 6-5, 248 pounds, committed to Notre Dame over Arizona, Duke, Kentucky, Michigan, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee and Virginia Tech. In total, Rivals reports that Onye holds 17 scholarship offers.
“Onye is a big, fast defensive end who is just bigger and stronger than anyone he’s played in high school,” Rivals.com East Coast analyst Adam Friedman said. “He gets by with a lot of his athleticism. He has no problem disengaging from these offensive linemen he plays against. At the next level, that’s not going to fly; he’s going to need to work on hand techniques and improve his overall strength.
“At this point, he’s purely a rush end in high school with the thick build which will fill out at Notre Dame. We’re looking forward to him developing his technique and becoming a more refined prospect at the next level.”
Notre Dame has five commits on offense: quarterback Tyler Buchner, wide receiver Lorenzo Styles, tight end Cane Berrong, and offensive linemen Blake Fisher and Pat Coogan.
Linemen Gabriel Rubio, David Abiara and now Onye, plus safety Justin Walters and cornerback Philip Riley are on Notre Dame’s defensive commitment list in the 2021 class.
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