SIGNED: WR Kendall Abdur-Rahman

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Edwardsville (Ill.) High wide receiver Kendall Abdur-Rahman has submitted his National Letter of Intent to Notre Dame.

Rivals: 3.0 stars (No. 21 player in Illinois)
BGI Grade: 4.0 (top-250 player)
Upside Grade: 4.5

SENIOR SEASON: Rushed for 1,135 yards and 19 touchdowns, and passed for 647 yards and 15 scores.
JUNIOR SEASON: Threw for 580 yards and eight scores, and rushed for 1,399 yards and 26 touchdowns.

• 2018 Illinois Class 8A All-State selection.
• 2018 Edwardsville Intelligencer Offensive MVP.
• 2017 Illinois Class 8A All-State selection.
• 2017 Edwardsville Intelligencer Offensive MVP.
• 2016 All-Southwestern Conference selection as a defensive back.

Power Five Offers: Michigan State, Iowa, Northwestern, Nebraska, Indiana, Minnesota, Illinois and Iowa State

Notre Dame entered the mix for Abdur-Rahman in February offering as a wide receiver, despite playing quarterback for his high school team. It seemed the Irish would be a major contender for the three-star prospect as long as the staff continued to make a strong push.

Abdur-Rahman made it to South Bend for Notre Dame's annual Blue-Gold Game, which helped begin the program's journey to eventually landing his commitment. The senior returned for Notre Dame’s home opener against Michigan for an official telling BGI before the trip that Notre Dame was “probably” his top school, so it seemed a commitment was inevitable if all went well. It did and Abdur-Rahman publicly announced a commitment to the Irish Sept. 9.

Abdur-Rahman became the second receiver for Notre Dame in the class following Maryland product Cam Hart.

• Was the lone junior on the Illinois Class 8A All-State team in 2017.
• First quarterback for Edwardsville to receive all-state honors in consecutive seasons since 2013-14.

Notre Dame’s depth at wide receiver and running back will make it hard for all the freshman skill players to earn significant playing time in 2019.

Abdur-Rahman plays quarterback for Edwardsville, but he projects to play wide receiver, running back or even defensive back in college based on his size and athleticism. He rushed for 2,534 yards and 45 touchdowns the last two seasons, and he is a dangerous player with the ball in his hands. That trait above all others is what will make him an attractive recruit for offensive coaches.

The Edwardsville standout has good size and a frame that should allow him to add really good weight. He has a strong lower body and runs with authority beyond what one would expect from an athlete listed at 175 pounds. Abdur-Rahman showed much improved burst as a runner this season, with a better second gear than we saw from him as a junior. He also showed more explosiveness athletically this season.

He gets to full speed immediately, which helps him make a lot of big plays once he gets into space. It also helps him attack the line of scrimmage in a hurry. Abdur-Rahman is a nimble and fluid athlete with impressive agility. He has outstanding balance, traits that make him very hard to get a clean shot on, and hard to bring down.

Abdur-Rahman will need to learn how to run routes and I haven’t seen him catch the ball beyond receiving shotgun snaps, but you can see the traits that would project him to wide receiver. His ranking is only this low because his route running and ball skill grades are understandably low, due to him never having played the position. His athleticism grades are among the best in the class for Notre Dame.

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