Spindler’s Commitment Moves Notre Dame Up In Rivals Recruiting Rankings
Notre Dame landed a massive commitment Saturday evening when Clarkston (Mich.) High offensive guard Rocco Spindler picked up a Fighting Irish hat in front of friends, family and reporters.
Spindler’s commitment is massive for a number of reasons. Down the list is the boost it gives Notre Dame’s 2021 class ranking, but it’s still noteworthy.
The Fighting Irish came into Saturday with the No. 13 class in the country, and Spindler — Rivals’ No. 56 overall prospect nationally — added 161 points to their class total.
The Irish leapfrogged Texas, which also has 17 verbals in the 2021 class, for the No. 12 spot in the 2021 Rivals team rankings.
Notre Dame is just 58 points from the No. 11 spot, which North Carolina currently holds. A 5.5 three-star recruit would be enough to jump the Tar Heels at this point.
For further context, Ohio State, which has the No. 1 class in the country, has 19 commitments and 2,885 total points. At No. 10 is LSU, which has 16 pledges and 2,004 points.
When sorting by average star ranking, Notre Dame's 2021 class ranks No. 15 in the country. It averages a 3.41 star ranking per commitment. The Irish were tied with Michigan and Tennessee at 3.38, but broke that with Spindler’s pledge.
Notre Dame only has a few spots remaining in the 2021 class and are looking to strike big. Atlanta Pace Academy wide receiver Jayden Thomas and Ewa Beach (Hawai’i) Campbell athlete Titus Mokiao-Atimalala are key Irish targets, and their four-star status would give the class ranking a boost.
For more details on the Rivals rankings formula, click here.
Notre Dame beat out LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and many others for Spindler.
“Notre Dame is an amazing program,” Spindler previously said. “They have very challenging academics. They’ve recruited the hell out of me. That’s a national championship team and academics. It’s hard to compete with that.
“I want to play the best competition, and with them not being in a conference, they can play those teams.”
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