Where Notre Dame Commits Rank In New 2021 Rivals Rankings
Rivals updated its 2021 recruiting rankings back in December, reflecting the prospects' junior seasons, and Rivals made another set of changes today following events such as the Future 50 and National Combine.
For the most part, Notre Dame's commits were pretty inconsequential, and all of them retained their same recruit ranking (5.8, 5.9, 6.0, etc.).
Avon (Ind.) High offensive tackle Blake Fisher remains Notre Dame's highest ranked commit in the 2021 class, sliding two spots from No. 18 to No. 20 nationally.
The borderline five-star prospect committed to Notre Dame on June 15, picking the Irish over Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma and many more. Fisher had a strong junior season in leading Avon to a 9-1 record.
RELATED: Notre Dame Targets Who Rose In Updated 2021 Rivals Rankings | Fisher On Cusp Of Five-Star Status
Pickerington (Ohio) Central wide do-it-all athlete Lorenzo Styles fell just three spots from No. 34 to No. 37 in the land. Styles picked Notre Dame over Ohio State and many others back in October.
"I'm still 100 percent," he told Blue & Gold. "There have been some schools asking me to take officials, but I'm only planning on taking an official to Notre Dame.
La Jolla (Calif.) The Bishop's School quarterback Tyler Buchner fell one notch to No. 43 in the nation. In the December update, he moved up 23 spots, following his sensational junior season.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound gunslinger put up insane numbers in 2019, leading Bishop's to a 12-1 record. He completed 267-of-402 passes for 4,474 yards with 53 touchdowns and six interceptions for a QB rating of 137.2. On the ground, he rushed 128 times for 1,610 yards and 28 scores.
Athens (Ga.) Academy wide receiver Deion Colzie now sits at No. 71 in the national rankings after moving up one spot.
The 6-foot-4, 205-pounder was just inside the Rivals100 at No. 95 prior to the December update, but his dominant junior campaign helped move the needle. He caught 39 passes for 873 yards and 15 total touchdowns. He average 22.4 yards per reception and caught a touchdown nearly every other time he hauled in a pass. He was a first-team all-state performer according to several outlets at both defensive back and wide receiver.
St. Peters (Mo.) Lutheran of St. Charles defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio remains just inside the Rivals100 at No. 99, sliding four spots. He recorded 119 tackles and 18 sacks, per the St. Louis Dispatch, and was named the 2019 Class 3A defensive player of the year.
Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy offensive guard Greg Crippen dropped from No. 125 to No. 129 nationally. Crippen announced a commitment to Notre Dame last March, but he hasn't been to South Bend since the summer and visited other schools in the fall.
The surprise of the Rivals rankings update was yet another drop of Hartwell (Ga.) Hart County tight end Cane Berrong. He fell 37 spots down to No. 215 in the December update, and despite an impressive showing at the Future 50 camp in Orlando, Fla., Berrong dropped out of the Rivals250 but remains a four-star.
Here is what BGI's Mike Singer wrote about Berrong's performance at Future 50:
"Berrong was the only tight end at the event, so he was a glorified receiver, and he had great reps whether he was going up against cornerbacks, safeties or linebackers. In this video, Berrong runs an out cutting route where he found the soft spot in the zone and made a great leaping catch. Berrong has always impressed me with how cleanly and naturally he catches the ball with his hands, and that was on full display today."
Notre Dame has eight commits in the 2021 class. The only Irish commit in the class not ranked a four-star prospect is Bolingbrook (Ill.) High safety Justin Walters, who is just on the brink of it with a 5.7 recruit ranking.
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