SIGNED: LB Jack Lamb

Temecula (Calif.) Great Oak Linebacker Jack Lamb has submitted his National Letter of Intent to Notre Dame.

Rivals: 4-star (No. 10 prospect in California, and No. 2 inside linebacker and No. 77 overall player nationally)

BGI Grade: 4.0-star

Upside Grade: 5.0-star

Lamb is the highest ranked linebacker to sign with Notre Dame since Nyles Morgan (No. 72) in the 2014 class. Lamb is just the fourth Rivals100 linebacker to sign with Notre Dame since Brian Kelly arrived, joining Morgan, Jaylon Smith (2013) and Ben Councell (2011).

He ranks as the No. 3 player on the BGI Board, behind only quarterback Phil Jurkovec and safety Derrik Allen.

Lamb recorded a 4.70 in the 40-yard dash, a 4.37 in the pro shuttle drill and a 33.6-inch vertical jump at Nike Football’s The Opening Regional Los Angeles on March 12, 2017. That performance earned him a spot in the Nike Football The Opening Finals in Beaverton, Ore.

SENIOR SEASON: Due to a knee injury, he only played four complete games during his senior season. In those four games, he recorded 48 total stops, six tackles for a loss and two sacks, while forcing two fumbles and recovering one.

JUNIOR SEASON: Recorded 118 total tackles, 18 stops for a loss, five sacks, one interception and one forced fumble.

SENIOR SEASON (2017)

Southwestern League Defensive Player of the Year
Under Armour All-American
Nike Football The Opening Finalist

JUNIOR SEASON

Southwestern League Defensive Player of the Year

POWER FIVE OFFERS: Penn State, UCLA, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Boise State, Cal, Duke, Iowa State, Louisville, Oklahoma, Oregon, TCU, Utah, Vanderbilt and Washington State.

Lamb was offered by Notre Dame April 18, and immediately expressed interest in the Irish. He took an unofficial visit to South Bend June 23, with the Irish in his top five along with Penn State, UCLA, Washington and Oregon.

After being primarily recruited by linebackers coach Clark Lea and special teams coordinator Brian Polian, Lamb committed to Notre Dame July 27.

• Born Sept. 8, 1999
• Led Great Oak to its first ever win over Vista Murietta with a 23-tackle performance in his second game from a knee injury during senior year.
• His father, Dan Lamb, graduated from Penn State University.

Notre Dame has a major void at linebacker due to the graduation of Nyles Morgan and Greer Martini. Being an early enrollee should give Lamb a chance to make an early dent on a depth chart lacking on experience and top-end talent. With his combination if size and talent keeping him off the field as a freshman could be difficult, whether it be in the linebacker two-deep or on special teams.

“Lamb missed a chunk of his senior season with a knee injury, but when he returned he surprisingly showed an improved skill set. He has a great frame, and he is starting to fill it out. Two criticisms I had of him as a junior were that he wasn’t an impactful tackler because of a lack of strength at that time, and that he arrived at the ball carrier too high.

“During his senior season, he showed a far more physical game — and that was a primary factor in his improved grade. He always had the instincts; he makes quick decisions, he reads his keys well and locates the ball extremely well. This fall he played with better pad level and showed the ability to deliver serious punishment to ball carriers. His power finally caught up with his intangibles and athleticism.

“Just as important is that Lamb got bigger, got stronger and played a more physical game without actually losing any athleticism. This is especially positive considering the injury he suffered and the fact he played most of the year with a big brace on his knee. He showed off the physicality to play the Mike position, the range and playmaking skills to play the Buck position and the size to even play the Drop end spot.” — BGI Football Analyst Bryan Driskell

----

• Talk about it inside Rockne’s Roundtable

• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes

• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue & Gold Illustrated.

• Follow us on Twitter: @BGINews, @BGI_LouSomogyi, @BGI_CoachD and @BGI_CoreyBodden.

• Like us on Facebook.