This just reminded me - at one point I had a brilliant (drunk) idea to book prime wedding dates at all the popular venues 3 years in advance and then auction them to the highest bidder as time got closer. Man if I was holding 2021 stock right now I'd be living good... 2 seasons worth of brides in one.
this is Prister's Spoiler There is a hesitation to rank Notre Dame’s 10 verbal commitments in the Class of 2021. It is an extremely subjective endeavor that inevitably places someone last before their senior seasons in high school. Ranking 10th out of 10 has a Mr. Irrelevant feel to it akin to the last player selected in the annual NFL Draft, which I’ve always found demeaning. No one on this list of 10 is being declared irrelevant at this stage of the process. We live in a rankings world. In fact, each of Notre Dame’s 10 verbal commitments already have been ranked by the various recruiting outlets, including 247Sports, which offers its own ranking as well as a composite ranking of several sites. Just hit FB Rec at the top of the page and you’ll see Notre Dame’s 10 pledges listed from the perceived best to the worst. And so with the recent verbal commitment of Warwick, R.I. defensive end Jason Onye to Notre Dame, I offer my rankings of the 10 prospects at this point. The order of the top 10 (and several more throughout the recruiting process) will change during the fall as they embark upon their final seasons of high school play. A player listed ninth or 10th does not mean I believe that those players will fail. What we do know, however, and history has proven this, is that a certain segment of players from the Class of 2021 will excel, some will contribute, and some will have little to no impact. The following is my order in which I think they will contribute during their time at Notre Dame while allowing for an extremely fine line between those listed the lowest and those projected to have the greatest impact. 10. 3* OG-PAT COOGAN (Photo: 247Sports) • Ht./Wt.: 6-5, 290 • High School: Marist • Hometown: Chicago, Ill. • 247Sports Composite Ranking: 526 • 247Sports Rank Among 10 Commitments: 10th • Analysis: Ultra-aggressive interior offensive lineman. Powerful in short space and relentless approach to blocking defenders. Plays in full-time attack mode. Quickness off the snap and a fundamental blocker. Nice lateral slide as run blocker. Excellent concentration of power upon contact. Feet can be sedentary as pass blocker. Needs to fine-tune his weight. Needs to make a second block as opposed to pouncing on an opponent already on the ground, which is unproductive and an unnecessary cheap shot. 9. 3* WDE-JASON ONYE (Photo: Paul Danesi) • Ht./Wt.: 6-5, 245 • High School: Bishop Hendricken • Hometown: Warwick, R.I. • 247Sports Composite Ranking: 449 • 247Sports Rank Among 10 Commitments: 8th • Analysis: Raw football player with a great frame, size and movement that could allow for success, more likely as an interior defensive lineman than in space on the edge. Quick first step with closing speed. Shows knowledge of how to keep outside shoulder free, yet reactive as opposed to proactive, which displays his inexperience. Change of direction can be stiff. Playing against poor competition, not as dominant as he should be, although his experience in the game is limited. Should be too physically advanced for his senior year competition. A project worth the investment. 8. 4* TE-CANE BERRONG (Photo: Tom Loy — @TomLoy247, 247Sports) • Ht./Wt.: 6-4, 230 • High School: Hart County • Hometown: Hartwell, Ga. • 247Sports Composite Ranking: 158 • 247Sports Rank Among 10 Commitments: 5th • Analysis: Makes difficult catches look easy. Plows his way through second and third levels of defense. As a blocker, plays with a wide blocking base and aggressiveness that makes it difficult to get off his block. Shows some maneuverability in traffic with a bit of an unorthodox galloping gait. Very-good-to-great hands. Inconsistent suddenness off the snap. Probably not as tall as listed. Actual length of frame could be a detriment, but has skills to compensate. 7. 4* WR-LORENZO STYLES (Photo: Tom Loy — @TomLoy247, 247Sports) • Ht./Wt.: 6-1, 170 • High School: Pickerington Central • Hometown: Pickerington, Ohio • 247Sports Composite Ranking: 116 • 247Sports Rank Among 10 Commitments: 3rd • Analysis: High-level vertical skills. Vision in traffic but limited wiggle in space. Doesn’t always play to his speed on the offensive side of the football. Twitchier defensively than he is with the football in his hands, despite a stronger background on the offensive side. Shows natural instincts defensively breaking out of his backpedal, leveraging receivers against the sideline, turn-and-run ability and finds the football in the air while maintaining balance during his jump. Would be rated in the top four if projected at cornerback, but Deion Colzie de-commitment likely will impact his college position. 6. 3* S-JUSTIN WALTERS (Photo: Brice Marich, 247Sports) • Ht./Wt.: 6-2, 175 • High School: Bolingbrook • Hometown: Bolingbrook, Ill. • 247Sports Composite Ranking: 498 • 247Sports Rank Among 10 Commitments: 9th • Analysis: A strong safety with free safety athleticism in a cornerback’s body. Physicality is his strength. Plows through opponents. Explosive downhill run defender with a quick first step upon diagnosis. Although slightly built based upon his overall body mass, he’s not small. He’s put together with a lean body mass, which shows by his high degree of physicality. Gets into lower body of ball carriers. Light on his feet with excellent change of direction. Four-star qualities, football instincts. 5. 4* DT-GABE RUBIO (Photo: Tom Loy — @TomLoy247, 247Sports) • Ht./Wt.: 6-5½, 290 • High School: Lutheran of St. Charles County • Hometown: St. Peter’s Mo. • 247Sports Composite Ranking: 119 • 247Sports Rank Among 10 Commitments: 4th • Analysis: A true quick-twitch athlete with first-step suddenness despite body mass. Strength and pad level stand out. Uses his hands as weapons. Great motor. Stays square to the line of scrimmage, which makes him difficult to navigate. Possesses short-space quickness; needs to continue working on side-to-side mobility. How well he can cover ground to his left and right will determine overall effectiveness because other fundamental pieces are in place. A pillar in the middle of the line. 4. 4* SDE-DAVID ABIARA (Photo: @Dtx_Davidd) • Ht./Wt.: 6-4, 248 • High School: Mansfield Legacy • Hometown: Mansfield, Texas • 247Sports Composite Ranking: 332 • 247Sports Rank Among 10 Commitments: 7th • Analysis: Strong, long and agile with what looks like natural strength. A prototypical strongside defensive end who uses a forceful rip move. Packs a punch and is a menacing force in pursuit of the quarterback. Also shows a disciplined game as a contain man on the wide edge. Avoids false reactions to running backs. Doesn’t give in to fakes and jukes. Doesn’t always have the best get-off on the snap of the football. Still a rawness to his game. Long-term upside is great. 3. 4* OT-BLAKE FISHER (Photo: Steve Wiltfong, 247Sports) • Ht./Wt.: 6-5½, 336 • High School: Avon • Hometown: Avon, Ind. • 247Sports Composite Ranking: 54 • 247Sports Rank Among 10 Commitments: 2nd • Analysis: Excellent initial quickness despite expanding size. Plays with wide base, balance and forward lean but doesn’t lunge. Best in short space, which projects more to the right side than the left. Has a tendency to stand tall after initial contact. Needs to work on knee bend. Still growing into his body and learning how to control his mass. An emphasis on conditioning and movement will be key to his overall productivity on the next level. 2. 4* CB-PHILIP RILEY (Photo: Will Turner, 247Sports) • Ht./Wt.: 6-0, 190 • High School: Bloomingdale • Hometown: Valrico, Fla. • 247Sports Composite Ranking: 313 • 247Sports Rank Among 10 Commitments: 6th • Analysis: Press-coverage corner with length who has excelled against quality competition. Well-coached fundamentals include turning his head to play the football. Uses his length to make up ground. High-level ball skills/timing. Doesn’t give in to false movements. Excellent change of direction and balance/center of gravity. The length and versatility to play both cornerback positions or safety. Vastly better than his current composite ranking. 1. 5* QB-TYLER BUCHNER (Photo: 247Sports) 26COMMENTS • Ht./Wt.: 6-2, 205 • High School: Helix • Hometown: La Mesa, Calif. • 247Sports Composite Ranking: 30 • 247Sports Rank Among 10 Commitments: 1st • Analysis: Unique and somewhat unorthodox talent with short backswing/throwing motion, quick release and dart-like throws that frequently catch DBs unprepared for football’s accelerated arrival to WR. Gets more length out of throws than one might think upon release. Throws an extremely catchable ball. Great mobility within the pocket. Legitimate running threat. Flashes some Pat Mahomes-like ad-lib skills when the pocket breaks down. He’s the artful dodger under pressure who creates big pass plays out of collapsing pockets. Difference-maker.
Gold STandard Spoiler *** With Matthews (N.C.) Weddington’s Will Shipley picking Clemson, the spotlight is on the Notre Dame staff to see where they go from here. Prior to May, Notre Dame had only offered four running backs — Camar Wheaton , Corey Kiner , Donovan Edwards and Shipley — and of that group, the Irish are down to one. Kiner committed to LSU last week, and at this point, you can kiss any hope of Wheaton goodbye. Of course, the Irish have offered three new 2021 backs since the Shipley commitment, and we will discuss those prospects shortly. *** Of that group I mentioned, Edwards, a Rivals100 running back from West Bloomfield (Mich.) High is still on the board. Many Irish fans may peg this recruitment as a long shot, but that is not what I have gathered from my sources. I’m told that Edwards has been “very receptive” to Notre Dame, and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and running backs coach Lance Taylor have had productive Zoom calls recently with Edwards. A big factor for Edwards in his decision-making process is offensive fit, and Rees and Taylor have pitched to him that his talents mirror NFL star running backs Alvin Kamara and Christian McCaffrey. *** There are definitely some things going in Notre Dame’s favor in Edwards’ recruitment. Irish head coach Brian Kelly has been in communication and is making a good impact on Edwards. West Bloomfield head coach Ron Bellamy is a Michigan alum, but in the year I have been covering Edwards’ recruitment, I have never got the sense from Bellamy himself or anyone I talk to that he has been negative towards the Irish. Michigan is a big factor in Edwards’ recruitment, but Bellamy has probably even helped Notre Dame’s standing. 61 NATL 4 ST 2 POS DONOVAN EDWARDS UNDECIDED 5'11" | 193 LBS | RB | 2021 WEST BLOOMFIELD WEST BLOOMFIELD, MI 5.9 *** Edwards was “dead set” on Ohio State per my sources, but the Buckeyes’ running back room filled up when Virginia ball carrier TreVeyon Henderson picked OSU. The most talked about contenders for Edwards are Georgia and Michigan, but there is a sense that if he wanted to go to Michigan, he could have made that choice already with how much that pick of the local school would make sense. But he is really giving some SEC schools a look, but will he want to go that far from home? If he would rather stay in the Midwest and isn’t in love with Michigan, then Notre Dame has a great shot here. *** I want to dispel the rumor that Notre Dame put all of its eggs into Shipley’s basket. Did they put 10 of the dozen eggs into the basket? Maybe. But one part of the reason why they went so hard after Shipley was because they knew if they missed on him, Edwards would still be available. Shipley wanted to commit much earlier than Edwards. The West Bloomfield back understands the business of recruiting and watched the Shipley recruitment closely, as Clemson likely would have offered Edwards of Shipley picked the Irish. I don’t believe that Edwards views Notre Dame negatively because they went hard after Shipley. *** What about rumors of a longtime silent commitment to Clemson by Shipley? I can’t rule that out for certain, but from everything I gathered Shipley made his final decision the weekend before he announced his commitment on Tuesday, May 5. He went radio silent that weekend, and he gave the Irish staff word that it would be Clemson the Monday before his announcement. 69 NATL 9 ST 4 POS LJ JOHNSON UNDECIDED 5'10" | 205 LBS | RB | 2021 CYPRESS FAIRBANKS CYPRESS, TX 5.9 *** The next best option behind Edwards on the running back board for the Irish is Cypress (Texas) Fairbanks’ LJ Johnson , who Rivals also ranks as a top-100 player nationally. Notre Dame has actually been in contact with him for quite some time, but Johnson is quiet publicly in terms of his recruitment. He had previously given indication that he wanted to stay close to home and distance would be a factor, but as his process has gone on he has become more open to leaving Big 12 country. *** I’m told that Johnson would consider both Notre Dame and Stanford, which certainly is a good sign regarding his interest in a high academic school at the next level. Another positive sign is that Johnson is in no hurry to make a decision, says his recruitment is open and wants to get to Notre Dame for a visit this fall. Johnson’s conversations with the Notre Dame staff have been positive and has the tag of a “Notre Dame-type kid.” Johnson holds around 40 scholarship offers, and the likes of Georgia, Oklahoma and Texas A&M are after him. *** The first back who announced an offer from Notre Dame post-Shipley was Metaire (La.) Rummel’s Logan Diggs . The word “dog” is thrown around when discussing Diggs’ game, which is a huge compliment. His short area quickness and toughness as a runner are excellent, but the one question about his game is his top end speed. For his recruitment, Diggs has also expressed a lot of interest in Notre Dame, and like Johnson, his recruitment is considered pretty open. On April 18, Diggs announced a top-10 list of Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Louisville, Michigan State, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, USC and Vanderbilt. - NATL 13 ST 29 POS LOGAN DIGGS UNDECIDED 6'0" | 191 LBS | RB | 2021 RUMMEL METAIRIE, LA 5.6 *** Notre Dame also dished an offer out to Conroe (Texas) Oak Ridge running back Alton McCaskill . The scoop on McCaskill’s talents is that he is still very raw, but his size is excellent and has very good track times. McCaskill is also taking his recruitment slow, and he really just started to see his recruitment skyrocket in the past month or so. Of these three new running backs offers, I could see distance from home having the biggest impact on McCaskill. The Irish would need to knock it out of the park during an official visit with McCaskill. *** There are a half dozen other prospects who Notre Dame could turn to next at running back — all of whom I have mentioned at some point at BlueandGold.com in recent weeks. Rockdale (Texas) High’s Cam'Ron Valdez would probably be the fan favorite with the main reason being he is ranked as a four-star prospect and the nation’s No. 217 overall player per Rivals. Notre Dame is also taking a look at Pinson (Ala.) Valley’s Kenji Christian , Knightdale (N.C.) High's Trevion Cooley and Buford (Ga.) High’s Gabe Ervin . An interesting note here is that every prospect mentioned so far in this article, other than Edwards, is from a southern state. 217 NATL 30 ST 4 POS CAM’RON VALDEZ UNDECIDED 5'10" | 187 LBS | APB | 2021 ROCKDALE ROCKDALE , TX 5.8 *** Elk Grove (Calif.) Monterey Trail’s Prophet Brown is still a possibility at running back for the Irish, but I don’t think they would take him as the lone ball carrier in the class. I could see them taking him as an athlete or maybe the second back. Could the Irish take two backs? My sources tell me that the staff is discussing it a lot more than previously. There are a lot of variables, such as whether or not Stanford graduate transfer Trevor Speights picks Notre Dame. If Edwards picks Notre Dame, it would be unlikely the Irish take another back. But if Notre Dame is in good position with two running backs they like and there is room in the class, it is certainly possible that they could take two. Notre Dame still really likes what it has in the stable, especially with young guys like Kyren Williams and Chris Tyree. *** Speaking of Speights, a source tells me that his recruitment is trending towards Notre Dame. A couple months ago, the ball was in the Irish’s court in terms of whether or not they would pursue him, but now, that ball is in Speights’ court. I’m told that Notre Dame has done its homework on Speights and want him. If Notre Dame accepts him as a student, then a decision could follow, but Rice should not be counted out here. Rice is the hometown team and Speights could start from day one. While he would certainly have a great opportunity to play at Notre Dame because there is no established back, it would be a much more crowded running back room.
such an odd recruitment - it seems pretty clear that Edwards doesn't want to go to UM for whatever reason so i think it definitely gives ND a shot
ND set to announce decision on second summer session this afternoon. I have absolutely no inside info, but I have a feeling they’ll announce we will open in July, which would open up the possibility of football in the fall.
I like Edwards’ film more than Shipley’s. He’s a lot quicker laterally. Cant wait for him to commit to Georgia.
Driskell speculating that the ONLY reason we are taking him is that one of the rb’s is hurt is less than exciting
that’s such a bad sign, they don’t like what they have right now. I bet someone would’ve emerged in spring ball but I get why they want him.
"A particular epidemiological challenge for college campuses arises when students leave for breaks, are exposed to infectious agents, and return to campus and possibly spread infections to others. To minimize this possibility, we plan to begin classes during the week of August 10, continue through without a fall break and conclude the semester before Thanksgiving. More details about the schedule for the fall semester will be forthcoming from the Registrar’s Office." Plan from ND for the Fall. That at least leaves open the possibility of football
Best case scenario is what they are looking for in this guy is leadership to get Williams/Cbo going. It's a stretch but would explain why they went out and brought in mediocre talent. The position coach knows what he adds to the room
Just pulled the trigger on season tickets. I have no intention of going to any games (outside of maybe Clemson) but love my seats and want to hold onto them. We’ll see what happens if the season actually moves ahead
I can't imagine the bother of playing at Lambeau at 25 percent capacity or whatever it would be. This sucks because of how much economic impact every Gameday has for Green Bay.
They just need to grade this semester like they do grad school. For our program if you got a B- it was pretty much the equivalent of a D.
I think I speak for everybody here when I say fuck the “city” of Green Bay and anyone within a 100 miles radius.
It was fun when we could run the ball 80% of the time vs. elite teams and still win. Far cry from where we’re at now.
I didn't remember Mirer was a runner, I was also 8 then also. Just remember him and Bledsoe comparisons like Manning/leaf. Reggie Brooks was a beast
It’s funny how small those guys were. You would NEVER guess Brooks played the highest level of football if you just saw him walking around today,
I remember Brooks as a Redskin. The broadcaster said he was from Oklahoma so I wandered if he was from Tulsa or Jenks but another Booker T Washington it was. Know Sooners were down in the early 90s. He only made a impact as a SR then I learned he played DB first 2 years.
I'm rewatching a lot of old games - got any good 90's or early/mid 00's Florida game recommendations?
Damn, Malpass made $5m a year? That's impressive. He seemed more of a delegator when I was there over a decade ago taking one of his finance classes How accurate are these things people who work at ND?
sounds like Ryan Barnes is going to commit to ND soon him and Riley is an outstanding CB Duo...I know they still need to sign on the dotted line but this would be very very promising for the ND recruiting class I know everyone through their hands up in the air when Jakalil Johnson committed to OSU, but I'm not so sure that Riley and/or Barnes isn't better or at least on par with him This particular recruiting cycle is so strange so it will be hard to judge the end results till Dec/Jan because I think there are going to be a lot of decommits (and I'm hoping not from ND)
Whatever happened with Christian Dixon? Sounded like the lock of locks and then nothing. Did they still recruiting him? Also, I'm not sure if Edwards ends up at Michigan. Seems like guys who have a chance to end up in their back yard pull the trigger early.