Notre Dame picked up its ninth commitment of the 2023 class yesterday when it landed Massachusetts linebacker Preston Zinter. It was yet another in a long line of very talented football players to pick the Irish, and there is no way around it, Notre Dame is on the verge of something special with this class.
At the end of the day it's all about the close. That means keeping the players in the class and making sure that future commits are as good as current commits. But based on where things stand right now Notre Dame is working on putting together its best class in decades.
Notre Dame currently ranks as the No. 1 recruiting class in the country according to Rivals and 247Sports. The Irish staff has been here before. Last year the 2022 class ranked No. 1 at one point, as did the 2021 class early in the process. This year, however, is very, very different.
THE NUMBERS
Notre Dame isn't just ranked No. 1 according to Rivals, they are way ahead of any other program, and it's not just because they have high numbers. Georgia ranks No. 2 and also has nine commits, but the Bulldogs are over 200 points behind Notre Dame, and they have six four-star commits (three three-stars) while all nine of Notre Dame's commits are four-star recruits.
Notre Dame is way ahead of schedule.
Last year Notre Dame ranked No. 1 very early, but it wasn't close to being what the current class is at this point.At the same stage (February 12), Notre Dame had just six commits at this point in the last two classes.
The 2022 class didn't land its seventh player until March 4 and it didn't get to nine commits until March 17.
The 2021 class didn't land its seventh player until April 15 and didn't get to nine commits until June 6.
Both classes finished ranked in the Top 10 nationally by signing day.
It's not just about the total number of commits, the quality is higher than anything we've seen since the recruiting services started doing rankings.
Notre Dame has two five-star commits on the 247Sports composite rankings (Keon Keeley, Drayk Bowen) and the other seven are ranked as four-star players.
If you look at the Rivals rankings, five of the nine commits are ranked as Top 100 recruits and eight of the commits are ranked in the Top 250.
Notre Dame had just one Top 100 commit through its first nine pickups in the 2022 class and just five ranked in the Top 250 (based on their ranking at this time a year ago). Notre Dame's 2021 class had four Top 100 recruits, but after that it had just one four-star commit, none were in the Top 250 and four of the first nine commits were three-star recruits. I would contend that was too low, as cornerback Ryan Barnes was a recruit that I ranked as a Top 250 caliber recruit and a clear four-star.
COMPARING TO PAST CLASSES
Notre Dame had two other Top 10 ranked classes according to Rivals during the previous regime, and that was the 2013 and 2011 classes. The 2013 class is still Notre Dame's highest ranked class of the last 15 years, finishing ranked No. 3.
Through its first nine commits the vaunted 2013 class had just one Top 100 commit, two more Top 250 commits. Rivals didn't track rankings progressions back in 2013, so the rankings used in this comparison are what the players ended up being ranked, so it's not quite the same context, but you get the point.
Through its first nine commits in 2011 the Irish class had three Top 100 commits, just one more Top 250 commit and had more three-star commits (five) than four-star commits (four).
Notre Dame's best class of the Rivals era, which began back in 2022 when current head coach Marcus Freeman was still a high school player, was back in 2008. That year the Irish finished No. 2 overall.
Through its first nine commits the 2008 class had two five-star commits. Four more of the commits were four-star prospects and the class had three three-star commits. Three of the first nine commits were ranked in the Top 100 and three more were ranked in the Top 250.
Even that class, the best of the last two decades, didn't get off to as good of a start as the current Notre Dame class.
This start for Notre Dame compares more favorably to programs like Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State than it does anything the Irish program has done in the last 20 years.
MORE TO COME?
The start is great, but Notre Dame must finish just as strong, as stated above. That includes keeping the players already in the class and adding to it, which I also already stated.
In past years, especially the 2021 class, many of the top players in the class - guys like Blake Fisher, Tyler Buchner, Lorenzo Styles and Deion Colzie - were in the class early. When you looked at the board there weren't enough big-time talents on the board to stay near the top of the rankings without the staff hitting close to an inside straight.
That isn't true in the 2023 class. There are A LOT of big-time players still on the board for Notre Dame.
Five-star quarterback Dante Moore is a legitimate target for Notre Dame, and one the staff - led by offensive coordinator Tommy Rees - has done a great job building a connection. The Irish are also pushing hard for five-star wide receiver Carnell Tate, and if the staff can land Moore it greatly increases the chances it lands Tate. Notre Dame is also recruiting Top 100 receivers (on the composite ranking) like Rodney Gallagher, Jalen Brown and Braylon James, and Top 200 receivers like Jaden Greathouse and Rico Flores,
Up front, Notre Dame is in good early position for several talented, Top 100 caliber offensive linemen like Samson Okunlola, Monroe Freeling and Charles Jagusah.
On defense, Notre Dame has put itself in great position with defensive lineman Jason Moore, the No. 43 player in the country on the 247Sports composite ranking. A class of Keeley, Brenan Vernon and Moore would not only work well together in college, it would give the Irish three Top 50 ranked defensive linemen, something it hasn't done since it landed Aaron Lynch, Stephon Tuitt and Ishaq Williams in the 2011 class.
There are a number of very talented and highly ranked defensive backs on the board, prospects like five-star Caleb Downs, Top 50 corner Malik Muhammad, Top 150 corner Christian Gray and four-star safety King Mack.
Then there's five-star Samuel M'Pemba, who is hard to put into a position category. He's a "just sign him, figure out where to play him later" kind of prospect. Notre Dame also plans to push hard for linebacker Jaiden Ausberry, the No. 38 overall player in the country.
Notre Dame's staff has A LOT of work remaining, but that is a lot of names, and more will likely jump into the conversation as we get into the summer. But when the board is so deep, and the start is so strong, it increases the odds that you'll get more of those top players because statistically you don't have to hit on as high of a percentage.
It's easy to see why the class is so special so early, but the real excitement for Notre Dame fans is looking at what his class could end up being.
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Irish Breakdown Content
Notre Dame 2021 Roster
Notre Dame 2021 Schedule
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Offense
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Defense
Notre Dame 2023 Class Big Board
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