was looking at cameo for a funny cheap nfl player for a fantasy league thing and the amount of ex ND players on there is just nuts.
I don’t think so ND brought him into camp a week or two ago and saw him up close. His stock has taken off recently with some bigger new offers
Make no mistake I think ND is hedging big time with Baer and Craig- these kids are getting officials and I’m not sure they will be given the green light to commit until after the three Wisconsin kids decide I think Taylor is going to Oklahoma
Loy said he was offered as a center and the only recruit this impacts is Hinzman He is OVing this weekend so we can probably pencil him in the class
Loy saying Scrauth is now leaning towards Wisky...would be a huge miss on the oline. I think he's a top 2 or 3 OG in the entire class, maybe the best one. Pairing him and Rocco together would have given us years of stability and elite play at OG
this actually explains the Craig offer at Center. I think they'll put Tanona at OG and Craig at Center (I think everyone previously thought Tanona would be the OC)
And it explains Baer as well: ND isnt getting Bruner (Wisconsin), likely not getting Taylor (OU), and Rice (UNC) They'll take Baer and wait on Wagner
I still hope they wait on Baer. Take Craig at OC, Tanona at OG, Chan at OT and wait for Wagner if none of the Wisky Olinemen want to jump on board
I think they would take Wagner or Rice no matter what, there's gonna be a exodus out of the OL room after this season. There's a bunch of transfer candidates in that Junior/SR class who don't look like they are ever going to play
i do agree on the transfer part, some of those guys will leave as grad transfers as they should if they are not playing I still have hope for Quinn Carroll. His injury was serious and he'll be 2 years removed from it this summer. Kristofic just doesn't seem like he could gain/hold/play with the weight. Kristofic is what scares me about Wagner. Wagner is small for an olineman but his athleticism is elite.
Baer, Wagner, Alt, Chan, etc will all have to sit for 2-3 years min behind Baker/Carmody and Fisher I’m fine with taking high upside development guys at OT right now. What ND needs are a stud OG and C prospects
BTW, I'd rank Scrauth in the top 100 overall players in this class...I'm incredibly high on him. He'd be our best olineman in the class and I really like Tanona and Chan too
I dunno, I always felt skeptical of pulling highly regarded OL from Wisconsin, especially when there's ~3 elite ones in this class who want to play together.
For a second I thought we offered a guy with the last name Knigga and I was worried (excited?) to see how game announcers would handle that
Based only on his love of Wrangler jeans and past comments, I feel it would roll off Drew Brees' tongue
Grabbed an II free pass cuz this cruiting stuff is highly addicting right now "We already reported that receiver Xayvion Bradshaw was no longer taking an official visit to Notre Dame this weekend. Irish Illustrated has also learned that three-star offensive tackle Ryan Baer will not be visiting South Bend either. I believe the Irish are focusing their attention on other targets at this time." from Loy We must have two WR silent commits now is my guess
Have to feel good about Walker, Tobias, CJ Williams, and Nick Anderson. I’d bet that Anderson and Tobias are committed at this point.
I still would have preferred Bradshaw over Nick Andersen because of different types of WRs but I think Andersen is pretty darn good
everyone views the players differently Tobias is #78 on 247 CJ Williams is #47 on 247 and #29 on Rivals Nick Anderson is #61 on ESPN Amorion just got offered by Bama and LSU and has size and speed That's 3 top 100 guys on at least 1 site, just a ton of talent
Loy's scoop Spoiler As of today, Notre Dame has the No. 2-ranked class in the country according to the 247Sports Composite Team Recruiting Rankings fo the class of 2022. The Fighting Irish have secured 15 commits to this day and another 8-10 more are expected before things completely wrap up in Feb. 2022. So, what’s the latest with each target on the board? Irish Illustrated brings you a complete rundown in order of how they’re listed within the 247Sports Composite Rankings. SLIDE1 of 12 Five-star OL Zach Rice: His Notre Dame official visit is finally here. He’ll be on campus over the weekend of June 25-27. The Irish are one of five schools in play to land the top talent. Virginia, Ohio State, North Carolina and Alabama round out the finalists. Notre Dame offensive tackle Blake Fisher is expected to host him this weekend, which is a plus since the duo have become close throughout the process. We’ll see if the Irish can pull even here, but the pulse has always had North Carolina as the favorite. Four-star DB Xavier Nwankpa: Notre Dame hosted him for an official visit this past weekend. Coming out of the trip, not much seems to have changed. The Irish and Ohio State look to be the major contenders here. However, it’s interesting that no 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions have been tossed in for either school yet. Talking to sources connected to both schools, both programs have reasons for optimism but neither believe he’s a slam-dunk. All I know for sure is that Nwankpa hit it off with Chris O’Leary, Marcus Freeman and some current Irish players in a big way this past weekend. SLIDE2 of 12 Four-star OL Joe Brunner: Notre Dame hosted him for an official visit this past weekend. Coming out of the trip, Brunner had nothing but great things to say about the Irish and a potential future in South Bend. However, in checking around with sources, there remains a lot more optimism around Wisconsin than Notre Dame. The Irish are digging in and trying to make a move here, but even they believe the Badgers have the leg-up heading into a commitment announcement that should be coming relatively soon. Four-star DE Cyrus Moss: Notre Dame hosted him for an official visit this past weekend. This was a big trip to campus because the staff wanted to lay the groundwork to be considered a true contender in his final list of five schools. The staff believes it did exactly that. Moss isn’t making a decision anytime soon and the Irish are hoping to get him back on his own dime in the fall to see what game day looks like at Notre Dame. Some believe Oregon is the team to beat, but there are schools that remain optimistic including the Irish, Alabama, Clemson, Florida and Arizona State. Head coach Brian Kelly did a really good job during his visit. SLIDE3 of 12 Four-star LB Jaylen Sneed: I’m not sure what else needs to be written about the elite linebacker at this point that we haven’t already stated. I like Notre Dame to land him and strongly believe the Fighting Irish have the edge over Oregon as of this point. A decision is expected in July. This would be a massive win for Notre Dame. Four-star WR C.J. Williams: Notre Dame will host him for an official visit during the weekend of June 25-27. I believe Notre Dame is the leader at this point and his relationship with receivers coach Del Alexander and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees s a big reason. Texas seems to be the biggest threat to the Irish and he was just on campus in Austin. You can’t count out Stanford, USC and a few others, but I like the Irish to win this recruitment as of today and if he pops soon, it should be Notre Dame. SLIDE4 of 12 Four-star DT Anthony Lucas: Notre Dame was finally able to host the top defensive line target for his official visit. From all accounts, defensive line coach Mike Elston did a really good job with Lucas and his family. Football-wise and academically, Notre Dame checks off all of the boxes with Lucas. As expected, head coach Brian Kelly “was phenomenal” with Lucas per a source. Don’t expect anything anytime soon though. There seems to be a long way to go before he makes a commitment. Four-star RB Nicholas Singleton: Notre Dame, in my opinion, is going to land the elite running back. Penn State and Notre Dame have gone back and forth as the team to beat, but the Nittany Lions definitely held that edge longer. I believe this past weekend’s official visit to Notre Dame was a game-changer. I believe the Irish will secure his commitment after he wraps up his official visits to Texas A&M and Alabama. SLIDE5 of 12 Four-star OL Aamil Wagner: Notre Dame had the top offensive tackle target on campus for an official visit. I’m torn on this one and can’t put my finger on whether or not the Irish lead. I’m told he loves so much about Notre Dame and the Irish landing him wouldn’t be a surprise at all. The visit helped Notre Dame because he genuinely appreciates everything the school and program have to offer. Academically, that was an eye-opener for him, but in a good way. I’m told academic advisor Adam Sargent made a great impression. Ohio State, Maryland, Penn State and Kentucky are also in play here. We should know what he’s doing within a week or so, because his visits are almost done. Four-star WR Tobias Merriweather: Notre Dame did a terrific job with Merriweather during his official visit. In fact, following the trip, myself, 247Sports National Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong and National Analyst Brandon Huffman all picked him to end up with the Fighting Irish. From the football side of things, academically, as well as with the branding, mental, and social aspects of Notre Dame, the Irish staff crushed it. I’m told the players did a really good job here and made his very comfortable with a potential future in South Bend. At this point, Stanford is playing catch-up right now. SLIDE6 of 12 Four-star OL Carson Hinzman: Notre Dame had Hinzman on campus for an official visit. The staff enjoyed getting around him and his family. He had nothing but great things to say about offensive line coach Jeff Quinn and head coach Brian Kelly. That said, my feeling on this one, for one reason or another, is that he’ll end up elsewhere. Four-star WR Andre Greene Jr.: Notre Dame could host him for an official visit eventually, but it seems pretty unlikely that he makes it to campus. He wasn’t going to take many trips, but then he visited Oklahoma, Clemson, Texas A&M and others unofficially. Notre Dame is on his fall official visit last, but I’d be shocked if the Irish weren’t full at that position by the time he makes it to campus. The only thing that could change that would be if Merriweather doesn’t decide until late in the process. SLIDE7 of 12 Four-star OL Billy Schrauth: Notre Dame has been the favorite to land him for a very long time. I last wrote that “I’d genuinely be shocked if he didn’t end up in this class.” Things have changed a lot over the past month or so. Wisconsin has quickly climbed up his leaderboard and it really seems like a two-horse race at the top. The Irish are hopeful that he picks Notre Dame, while the Badgers coaching staff has more optimism than before. Schrauth has gone quiet publicly, but he still remains in constant communication with each staff. The visits seem to be done, so look for a commitment soon. I want to still pick Notre Dame just because of how strongly he was leaning Irish, but I would just be guessing at this point. That said, everything he still says to the Irish staff is positive, but they are still nervous. Four-star WR Nicholas Anderson: Notre Dame had him on campus for an official visit this month. This was likely the one thing keeping him from snagging a spot in the class. The visit came and went and he didn’t announce a pledge to the Irish. That said, I love where Notre Dame is at with his recruitment and could see him picking the Fighting Irish following his official visit to Oregon this weekend. SLIDE8 of 12 Four-star OL Jake Taylor: Notre Dame hosted him for an official visit earlier this month and it went well. He said all of the right things about offensive line coach Jeff Quinn and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. But I don’t think this one ends in favor of the Irish. Alabama could land him, but I still see Oklahoma securing his commitment when all is said and done. Four-star CB Benjamin Morrison: Led by special teams coordinator Brian Polian and cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens, the Fighting Irish have long been considered a top contender. In fact, heading into the official visit a few weeks ago, some closely-connected sources called Notre Dame the leader. This is a battle between Notre Dame and Washington in my opinion, but Alabama and Auburn are potential threats as well. I could see him visiting Washington this weekend and then making a decision. The Huskies staff is confident. The Irish staff feels good. However, if Notre Dame lands another cornerback commit before he decides or even takes a silent commitment, his spot could be gone. It’ll get interesting. They could stop at four defensive backs total, but it sure seems five would be more likely with how they are sitting with some targets. It’ll be interesting to see how this one plays out. A commitment, one way or another, should come very soon though. SLIDE9 of 12 Four-star CB Austin Ausberry: Notre Dame hosted him for an unofficial visit and he was really good in camp. He landed an offer from the Irish. Notre Dame has been taking it slow with him and would love for him to make a decision later in the process following a fall official visit to check out the Irish, but only time will tell. He did just camp at LSU and left a great impression, so keep an eye on the Tigers here as well. Four-star WR Joseph Griffin Jr.: Notre Dame offered the Boston College commit a while back, but hasn’t been pushing too hard to get him on campus. They like him a lot, but they’ve had strong relationships built with other guys higher on the board. They will see how those recruitments play out before pushing to get Griffin on campus. He’s one to keep an eye on though. SLIDE10 of 12 Three-star CB Devin Moore: Notre Dame hosted him for an official visit earlier this month and things couldn’t have gone better. Simple as that. From what I’m told, the Irish were the outright leader following that trip to South Bend. Notre Dame knew it wanted to hit a home run and did exactly that. Moore visited Stanford this week and just wrapped that up, so there is nothing new to report on his time in Palo Alto quite yet. Notre Dame wants him in the class asap, so we’ll see if the staff can get this done. My guess is that he makes a decision within the next two weeks. Three-star DB Jake Pope: From what I’m told, Notre Dame became the favorite to land Pope following his official visit to South Bend. North Carolina looked like the team to beat, but Notre Dame seems to be No. 1 right now. Ohio State did a great job during his visit and he checks out Alabama next before it comes time for him to make a commitment. I like the Irish right now. Safeties coach Chris O’Leary is a guy Pope loves and the two really hit it off. SLIDE11 of 12 Three-star DB Jayden Bellamy: It seems that Notre Dame is in a battle with Penn State for Bellamy. Rutgers is in there as well. That said, the pulse has him picking the Irish or Lions. From what I’m told, Notre Dame pulled ahead with a strong official visit. Penn State definitely led heading into the trip, but it seems the Irish now have the momentum in this one. We should see something in the coming two weeks, but I like ND right now. My Crystal Ball is on ND. Three-star OL Ashton Craig: Notre Dame was going to host him for an official visit this weekend and I’m told they were offering in person. However, they decided there is no time like the present and just offered him ahead of the trip. All signs point toward the Irish being able to get this one done and with Notre Dame looking at him to play center, he could fill a need in the class with a strong visit this weekend. Nebraska, Northwestern and Michigan all want him, but it’s hard to see Notre Dame losing this one. He camped recently and really impressed the Irish coaching staff. SLIDE12 of 12 Three-star WR Elic Ayomanor: When he camped recently at Notre Dame, the staff was left with no choice but to offer. He was terrific according to sources in attendance. Stanford, Tennessee and Vanderbilt all offered and those are probably the four heavy-hitters in this recruitment. He took an official visit to Notre Dame and the staff continues to think highly of him. He’s at Stanford this weekend, so watch out for the Cardinal as well. We should know more after this weekend. Three-star WR Xayvion Bradshaw: Notre Dame is recruiting him, but not pushing too hard quite yet. They were going to host him for an official visit this weekend, but decided to hold off because it was essentially set without everyone being on the same page. It’s all good all the way around and nobody is bothered by the trip being pushed back, which gives him a chance to enjoy the process more and Notre Dame the opportunity to see how things shake out with other receivers. That said, if Notre Dame wants him, it’ll be hard for him to pick any other program.
I feel like Fisher is the kind of guy you want selling your Program! Still think we are on the outs for Rice. This OL class maybe a slight step down from Rocco and Blake last year.
Loy's Mock Class Spoiler Notre Dame has 15 commits locked in from the class of 2022. The group is listed as the No. 2 overall class nationally according to the 247Sports Composite Team Recruiting Rankings. Everyone always wants to know who’s next, so let’s take a look at exactly that. How are things going to end up for the Fighting Irish this cycle? Let’s take a quick peek at a potential Mock Class for Notre Dame. At quarterback, the Irish secured an early commitment from four-star Steve Angeli. He was the first player at his position offered by the staff. He’s locked in and not going anywhere. They are done at the position. At running back, Notre Dame secured a commitmetn from four-star Jadarian Price. Everyone seems to be in agreement that the Irish landed a good one here. He, too, looks locked in with Notre Dame as of now. I expect the Irish to land a second back. Right now, the best bet is four-star running back Nicholas Singleton. I believe the Irish hold an edge over Penn State and a few others. At receiver, Notre Dame has a commitment from three-star receiver Amorion Walker. This weekend’s official visit will be key to making sure he’s 100% locked in with Notre Dame. LSU, Alabama and others are pushing hard to flip him. I expect Notre Dame to add three more receivers before all is said and done. I believe Notre Dame will be the landing spot for four-star receivers CJ Williams, Nicholas Anderson and Tobias Merriweather. This group would be a terrific boost to the receiver room. Notre Dame is done at tight end. They landed to really talented players in four-star Holden Staes and three-star Eli Raridon. They can do it all and should help keep the “Tight End U” chatter rolling along nicely for years to come. Notre Dame landed one of my favorite offensive linemen this cycle in four-star Ty Chan. I think he is going to be a star in college. The Irish also landed one of the top interior linemen in four-star Joey Tanona. Things get a little dicey after that. I like Notre Dame to land recently-offered three-star center Ashton Craig. He visits this weekend and I believe the Irish will do enough to separate themselves from the pack. I don’t love it yet, but I’m going to pencil in four-star offensive tackle Aamil Wagner. I think he’s strongly considering multiple programs still, so that is why I’m not making a true Crystal Ball prediction for him to land at Notre Dame. But after talking with him, it's clear the Irish are very, very much a contender in this one. The staff believes they did very well with him over the weekend. I’m going to leave four-star offensive guard Billy Schrauth in the class right now, but I’m way less confident than ever before. Notre Dame led for a very, very long time, but Wisconsin has done a tremendous job of tightening this race. The Badgers insiders have him in their class now, so we’ll just have to wait and see on that one. I’m also told Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly continues to dig in here and is working hard to get him in the class. Along the defensive line, Notre Dame has already landed four good ones. The staff is fired up about four-star defensive lineman Tyson Ford, who could play end or tackle down the road depending on how he grows physically, and four-star defensive end Aiden Gobaira, who’s stock continues to rise. The Irish pushed hard to land three-star defensive end Darren Agu, who they believe will be a difference-maker in the coming years. In addition, Notre Dame added three-star defensive tackle Donovan Hinish to the class, a young man they believe can be better than his older brother Kurt Hinish, who has had a very good career in South Bend. Right now, that’s going to be it for the defensive linemen. I don’t have enough information to add four-star end Cyrus Moss or tackle Anthony Lucas to the group quite yet. Don’t take that the wrong way that Notre Dame is out by any stretch. They are very, very involved, but each has a long way to go before deciding. Just know that they remain very realistic options, especially after such great official visits. How about this group at linebacker? Notre Dame has a tremendous group coming in featuring four-star linebackers Joshua Burnham, Niuafe Tuihalamaka and Nolan Ziegler. All are firmly committed to the Irish and will sign in December. They aren’t done yet either. I expect Notre Dame to land four-star linebacker Jaylen Sneed, one of the truly elite prospects at that position. He would be the icing on the cake for the Irish. In the secondary, I am a big fan of what Notre Dame is doing. The Irish landed a good one early at cornerback in four-star Jaden Mickey. He’s one of the most complete players at that position this cycle. A lot is still to be determined, but I expect Notre Dame to beat Penn State, Ohio State and Rutgers for three-star defensive back Jayden Bellamy, who likely plays safety at the next level. I could see the Irish also winning the battle for four-star safety Jake Pope in the near future. He visits Alabama this weekend. North Carolina and Ohio State are involved there too. I like Notre Dame to win the battle for three-star cornerback Devin Moore. Some like him at safety, but he wants to pay corner and the staff has nothing but confidence in him that he can be a shutdown player on one side of the field. Stanford, Florida, Florida State and Alabama are trying to precent the Irish from winning this one. Personally, if Bellamy, Pope and Moore jump in, I don’t see the Irish having room for four-star cornerback Benjamin Morrison. He’s really good and I’m sure the staff would love to land all of these guys, but numbers make it tricky. Right now, I will leave him out but that could change. In addition, four-star safety Xavier Nwankpa isn’t someone you turn away, not with all-everything Kyle Hamilton leaving the program after this year to be a first round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He’ll have a spot if he wants in the class. As of right now, I am not predicting him to land at Notre Dame. I’m not necessarily picking Ohio State either. I just don’t have enough information to make a confident pick right now. Notre Dame Class of 2022 Mock Class (26 recruits) Four-star QB Steve Angeli (Commit) Four-star RB Jadarian Price (Commit) Four-star RB Nicholas Singleton (Crystal Ball Pick is in) Three-star WR Amorion Walker (Commit) Four-star WR CJ Williams (Crystal Ball Pick is in) Four-star WR Nicholas Anderson (Crystal Ball Pick is in) Four-star WR Tobias Merriweather (Crystal Ball Pick is in) Four-star TE Holden Staes (Commit) Three-star TE Eli Raridon (Commit) Four-star OL Ty Chan (Commit) Four-star OL Joey Tanona (Commit) Four-star OL Aamil Wagner (No prediction yet) Four-star OL Billy Schrauth (Crystal Ball Pick is in) Three-star OL Ashton Craig (No prediction yet) Four-star DL Tyson Ford (Commit) Three-star DL Darren Agu (Commit) Four-star DL Aiden Gobaira (Commit) Three-star DL Donovan Hinish (Commit) Four-star LB Nolan Ziegler (Commit) Four-star LB Niuafe Tuihalamaka (Commit) Four-star LB Joshua Burnham (Commit) Four-star LB Jaylen Sneed (Crystal Ball Pick is in) Four-star DB Jaden Mickey (Commit) Three-star DB Jayden Bellamy (Crystal Ball Pick is in) Three-star DB Jake Pope (Crystal Ball Pick is in) Three-star DB Devin Moore (Crystal Ball Pick is in)
just ran a little class calculator, that would be the highest ranked ND class since 2013 (just 1 pt off) which is hella impressive given that there would be no 5 star in the class