Visitor preview: Another big weekend for Notre Dame football recruiting
Notre Dame has another big recruiting weekend when North Carolina comes to town on Oct. 30. It might lack the sheer star power that last weekend’s showdown versus USC had, but Notre Dame is still expected to host a handful of key prospects in the 2022, 2023 and even 2024 recruiting classes.
In this article, BlueandGold.com takes a look at key storylines and the latest in the recruitment of prospects slated to see the Fighting Irish battle the Tar Heels.
Linebacker Joshua Burnham, offensive lineman Joey Tanona and tight end Eli Raridon have all visited Notre Dame multiple times this fall already. The talented prospects will be back on campus this weekend which shouldn’t be overlooked, but Notre Dame getting the following three prospects on campus is even bigger news.
Denison (Texas) High running back Jadarian Price (2022): There’s no rumblings of decommitment concerns with Price, but he’s only been on campus once, so it is good to see Price is visiting South Bend from a Notre Dame standpoint.
Naples (Fla.) High cornerback Devin Moore (2022): Alabama, Florida and LSU are three of the top defensive back schools in America and continue to pursue Moore. However, the four-star prospect visited Notre Dame last weekend with family, and the visit this weekend is with his friends. Notre Dame getting Moore on campus back-to-back weekends is huge.
Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep defensive end Keon Keeley (2023): Moore and Keeley both visited Florida when the Gators hosted Alabama in September. Keeley talks with Florida and more big-time programs are likely to extend scholarship offers (some probably have off the radar) with Keeley’s strong season. This weekend’s visit will help solidify his Irish pledge, but there’s a long ways to go until National Signing Day.
Strong group of 2023 targets
Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic’s Jason Moore, the nation’s No. 32 player and No. 1 defensive tackle, is set to take his talents to South Bend for a visit Saturday. Notre Dame has been coming hard after Moore for quite some time, and we believe the Irish may hold the early lead for the 6-5, 260-pound prospect.
A pair of offered prospects from Denton (Texas) Guyer will be on campus – quarterback Jackson Arnold and safety Peyton Bowen. The Fighting Irish also had Guyer cornerback Ryan Yaites on campus last weekend. All three of the Guyer prospects visited Notre Dame back in June, too.
Notre Dame is in the lead group for these prospects. The Fighting Irish are a sneaky top contender for Bowen. We wouldn’t be surprised if any combination of the three Guyer prospects end up committing to Notre Dame.
Another top safety target on campus this weekend will be Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek’s Caleb Downs, the nation’s No. 77 player and No. 4 prospect at his position. Alabama, Georgia and Clemson are among the other top contenders for the four-star prospect. Notre Dame is a dark horse for Downs.
Savannah (Ga.) Calvary Day linebacker Troy Ford Jr., a Rivals three-star prospect, is set to visit this weekend. If Notre Dame pushes for Ford at any point, the Irish would be very, very tough to beat for his services.
Intriguing underclassmen prospects on campus
There are a handful of class of 2023 prospects who already hold Power Five offers (but not Notre Dame yet) and are expected to visit this weekend. Here is a look at some of the notable names:
• San Diego Cathedral Catholic’s Victory Johnson, who is unranked by Rivals, is due in for the Irish. Johnson has Arizona State, Colorado and Oregon State on his offer sheet.
• There’s a very impressive bunch of 2023 offensive linemen who we have confirmed are visiting, including Indianapolis Roncalli’s Trevor Lauck, who visited last weekend as well. Pike Road (Ala.) High’s Vysen Lang, the No. 247 player and No. 19 offensive tackle in America per Rivals, is locked in for the visit. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Irish offer Lang.
Burien (Wash.) Kennedy guard Micah Banuelos and Florence (Ala.) Mars Hill Bible School’s Koby Keenum — who both rank as Rivals three-star prospects — tell BlueandGold.com that they are making the trip. Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas’ guard Ryan Mickow and Miamisburg (Ohio) High’s AJ Salley, a Cincinnati commitment, are both planning on visiting. We have not confirmed Salley’s visit yet.
• It seems like Notre Dame is hosting an intriguing quarterback prospect or two just about every week now. The aforementioned Arnold is the headliner, but Columbus (Miss.) Heritage Academy’s Mack Howard, the No. 214 player and No. 8 pro-style quarterback per Rivals, and Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons’ Dylan Rizk, a three-star prospect, have reported that they’ll be in South Bend.
• Rivals three-star running back recruit Christian Davis is expected to be in South Bend this weekend. Both prospects hold offers from Power Five programs.
• A couple of notable tight end recruits due in for Notre Dame are Saint Charles (Mo.) Francis Howell School’s Brett Norfleet, the No. 223 prospect in America, and Greensburg (Ind.) High’s Sam West. The likes of Florida State, Michigan, Missouri and Washington have offered Norfleet, while West has Indiana, Iowa State and Tennessee on his scholarship sheet.
• Indianapolis Warren Central’s Joe Walker and New Orleans Isidore Newman School’s Makai Donaldson are among the notable wide receiver recruits visiting campus this weekend. Pittsburgh and Purdue have offered Walker, and Donaldson, who is the teammate of 2023 five-star quarterback Arch Manning, has offers from Florida State and Virginia.
• There are notable class of 2024 prospects due in this weekend too. Willis (Texas) High’s DJ Lagway, who is on Rivals’ top-100 watch list for his class, is the most notable. Lagway already holds offers from LSU, TCU, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.
Chester (Va.) Thomas Dale quarterback Ethan Minter, King George (Va.) High athletes Chanz Wiggins and Mekhai White and Chandler (Ariz.) Basha cornerback Miles Lockhart all hold at least one Power Five offer and are visiting this weekend.
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