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Report card: Grading the 2022 Notre Dame recruiting class by position group

Marcus Freeman has only been Notre Dame’s head coach for a couple of weeks, but make no mistake — he had his hands all over the Fighting Irish’s 2022 recruiting class.

Notre Dame signed 21 players Wednesday. As it stands, the Irish have a top-10 class per Rivals recruiting rankings for the second straight season. The class ranks No. 7 in the country.

There’s not much left for Freeman and company to do ahead of February’s National Signing Day, so it’s worth taking a look at who the Irish brought in during the early signing period and what their signatures mean for the Irish roster.

Read below for a complete set of grades for every position.

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Quarterback: B 

Notre Dame Fighting Irish football quarterback signee Steve Angeli
Three-star quarterback Steve Angeli is the only signal-caller Notre Dame took in the class of 2022. (Mike Singer)

2022 signee: Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic’s Steve Angeli

The Notre Dame quarterback situation for 2022 is pretty clearcut.

Rising sophomore Tyler Buchner will battle with rising junior Drew Pyne for the starting job barring another graduate transfer entering the fray like Jack Coan did last winter.

Angeli will take on rising sophomore Ron Powlus III for third-team reps. Angeli, a three-star recruit, wasn’t a household name in the national recruiting landscape, but offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and the Irish staff seem to be excited about what they’re getting.

Barring a complete shakeup of the signal-caller hierarchy, Angeli isn’t going to be called upon for meaningful reps like Buchner was as a true freshman. He’s going to be a developmental project who could end up being the guy later in his Notre Dame career.

Running back: B+

Notre Dame Fighting Irish football running back signee Jadarian Price
Four-star running back signee Jadarian Price joins a talented Notre Dame running back room. (Rivals.com)

2022 signee: Denison (Texas) High’s Jadarian Price

The Notre Dame running back room is loaded with young talent next year. Junior Chris Tyree plus sophomores Logan Diggs and Audric Estime are expected to be back in 2022. Add Price to the mix, and that’s an impressive quartet of ball carriers.

Like with at quarterback, running back wasn’t a position in which Notre Dame had to get multiple players in the class of 2022 to feel comfortable. The trio coming back is enough to work with. Price, a four-star recruit and the No. 5 all-purpose back in his class per Rivals, adds depth to an already stout group.

This grade falls from the “A” tier because Notre Dame didn’t land its other running back targets (namely Nicholas Singleton, who signed with Penn State) the Irish had higher on their list than Price. Price could prove to be one heck of a running back, though.

Wide receiver: D+

Notre Dame Fighting Irish football wide receiver signee Tobias Merriweather
Tobias Merriweather is an exciting signing for Notre Dame given his 6-4 frame. (Nick Lucero/Rivals.com)

2022 signee: Vancouver (Wash.) Union’s Tobias Merriweather

Here’s a position group that Notre Dame couldn’t really afford to only take one player. The Irish have four scholarship seniors who could leave the unit crippled if none of them choose to take the NCAA up on the extra year of eligibility granted because of the pandemic.

Odds are at least one of Avery Davis, Kevin Austin Jr., Braden Lenzy and Joe Wilkins Jr. will come back for another year, though. Maybe multiple players will be back. Notre Dame’s wide receiver room was thin even with those players, and the likelihood of all of them coming back is low. Losing commit Amorion Walker to Michigan was a big blow, but losing a commitment from four-star CJ Williams at the beginning of the week was an even bigger one.

Merriweather, a 6-4 four-star talent, is Rivals’ No. 25 wide receiver in the 2022 class. With his size and skill, he has a lot of upside. But losing Williams and Walker stings, and the effects of those losses could be felt for years to come.

Tight end: A- 

Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tight end signee Eli Raridon
Eli Raridon is listed as the No. 5 tight end in the class of 2022 by Rivals. (Rivals.com)

2022 signees: West Des Moines (Iowa) Valley's Eli Raridon and Atlanta Westminster’s Holden Staes

Notre Dame’s tight end outlook is strong with Michael Mayer returning for his junior season and rising sophomores Cane Berrong and Mitchell Evans set for expanded roles in their second season with the program.

The addition of Raridon and Staes bolsters a group led by one of the best in the nation at what he does in Mayer and rounded out by a handful of young players who could take the torch from him in 2023. Raridon — the No. 5 tight end in the class per Rivals — is especially intriguing.

Offensive line: A 

Notre Dame Fighting Irish football offensive tackle signee Ty Chan
Notre Dame signee Ty Chan is the No. 11 offensive tackle prospect in the class of 2022 according to Rivals. (Rivals.com)

2022 signees: Zionsville (Ind.) High’s Joey Tanona, Groton (Mass.) Lawrence Academy’s Ty Chan, Lawrenceberg (Ind.) High’s Ashton Craig, Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne’s Aamil Wagner and Fond du Lac (Wis.) St. Mary’s Springs’ Billy Schrauth

It all starts up front, and the Notre Dame coaching staff realizes that. The Irish nabbed five offensive linemen in the class, and four of them are four-star prospects. The only three-star recruit in the group is Craig.

Freeman’s first recruiting stop as Notre Dame’s head coach was to see Schrauth in Wisconsin. The trip paid off with a commitment in the days after the visit and a signing a week later. Deemed “O-Line U” by many who follow the sport, Notre Dame is in good hands at the position.

Defensive line: B

Notre Dame Fighting Irish football defensive end signee Tyson Ford
Four-star defensive end Tyson Ford is one of the top rated players in Notre Dame's class of 2022.

2022 signees: Pittsburgh Central Catholic’s Donovan Hinish (DT), St. Louis John Burroughs School’s Tyson Ford (DE) and Chantilly (Va.) High’s Aiden Gobaira (DE)

It's going to be weird for Irish fans not to see the painted face of Kurt Hinish with the program anymore, but the next best thing has to be immediately bringing in his younger brother, right? Donovan Hinish isn’t the highest-rated recruit, but if he’s anything like his older brother Notre Dame is getting a good one.

Ford, meanwhile, is a highly rated prospect. He’s the No. 9 strong-side defensive end in the class according to Rivals. At 6-4, 262 pounds, he has the body of a big-time pass rusher right now. Just wait until he goes through an offseason with Notre Dame strength and conditioning coach Matt Balis.

With Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa and Isaiah Foskey both potentially leaving at the end of this season, it was important for Notre Dame to focus on defensive end depth. The Irish did just that with Ford and Gobaira, a fellow four-star who is rated the No. 11 weak-side defensive end in the class by Rivals.

Linebackers: A

Notre Dame Fighting Irish football linebacker signee Jaylen Sneed
Jaylen Sneed could end up as Notre Dame's highest-rated signee in the class of 2022.

2022 signees: Mission Hills (Calif.) Bishop Alemany’s Niuafe Tuihalamaka, Traverse City (Mich.) Central’s Joshua Burnham, Hilton Head (S.C.) High’s Jaylen Sneed and Grand Rapids (Mich.) Catholic Central’s Nolan Ziegler

This might be the best crop of players in one position group in Notre Dame’s class of 2022. It’s comprised of the Irish’s top-ranked signee, Sneed, and three other four-star players.

It was critical to secure two of them from the state of Michigan, too. Add in a difference-maker from California, and Freeman has four highly touted linebackers to work with from one class. That doesn't happen often.

Defensive backs: B- 

Notre Dame Fighting Irish football defensive back signee Jayden Bellamy
Jayden Bellamy joins Steve Angeli as Notre Dame signees from Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic. (Rivals.com)

2022 signees: Corona (Calif.) Centennial’s Jaden Mickey, Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic’s Jayden Bellamy and Phoenix Brophy Prep’s Benjamin Morrison

Notre Dame strengthened its cornerbacks corps with this crop of signees, but it definitely left some things to be desired from a safety perspective. Of course, any one of these three could end up playing safety. Look no further than Ramon Henderson’s transition from corner to safety this season.

But given Kyle Hamilton’s departure and a few veterans with uncertain futures in DJ Brown, Houston Griffith and KJ Wallace, Notre Dame could have used some signees at safety.

Specialists: B+

Notre Dame Fighting Irish football punter signee Bryce McFerson
Bryce McFerson is the No. 1 punter in the country according to Chris Sailer Kicking.

2022 signees: Indian Trail (N.C.) Metrolina Christian Academy’s Bryce McFerson

Any time you can get the No. 1 player at any position to sign, it’s a good thing. Albeit, McFerson is just the No. 1 punter in the country, but punters are people too.

It’s a part of the game, and Notre Dame has a good one coming in.

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