Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2021 35 2021 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE coming from a Catholic high school and going out to Notre Dame, which is the pinnacle of Catholic schools for football and academics. He's going to fit in great." Estime was able to call a couple of folks who have donned the gold hel- met to get their perspective as well. When Estime was a sophomore, Irish defensive lineman Howard Cross III was wrapping up his prep career at St. Joseph Regional. Estime has spo- ken with Cross, plus former Notre Dame running back Ryan Grant, who — like Estime — is from a town just north of the New Jersey-New York border. "I grew up watching Notre Dame all the time," Estime added. "I remember when Manti Te'o was playing. They weren't my No. 1 team, but I definitely grew up a fan." Taking a second running back wasn't originally in the plans for Notre Dame. After the Fighting Irish earned a pledge from Metai- rie (La.) Archbishop Rummel's Logan Diggs, it appeared that he'd be the lone rusher for Notre Dame in the 2021 class. However, Jafar Armstrong wasn't working out at running back and moved to receiver during the season. Jahmir Smith wasn't getting the playing time he hoped for and left the team in the fall. Armstrong and Smith have since transferred to Illinois and Appa- lachian State, respectively. Notre Dame returns its top three backs from 2020 in Kyren Williams, Chris Tyree and C'Bo Flemister, but outside of Williams as the top back there are a lot of reps up for grab. "I'm going to come in and give it 100 percent every day and compete for my playing time, reps and car- ries," Estime said. "I definitely can come in and contribute right away." Estime's mother, Bertha Noisette, passed away due to sickle cell ane- mia when Estime was just 10 years old. His legal guardians are his aunt, Marise Fede, and uncle, Garick Noi- sette. Fede's son, Terrence, played in the NFL from 2014-19 with the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and New York Giants, and is currently a free agent. "I like spending time with my fam- ily and friends; I'm big on that," Es- time said. "I like to draw in my free time. My favorite class is his- tory. I like learning about our past." "You can't get enough of Audric off the field," Marangi added. "He's got an infectious smile that everyone gravitates towards. He's a well-spoken young man who will do any- thing for his teammates. He's going to be a great representa- tive of Notre Dame. "He just turned 17 [last Sep- tember]. I wish he would've started school late so he'd be coming back. We're going to miss him. Whenever you have the best player in the state and one of the best in the country, you're going to miss him. "His leadership and goals he set, a lot of guys want to fol- low in his footsteps. He set the standard for our program." ✦ After rushing for 1,857 yards and 22 touchdowns during his senior season at Montvale (N.J.) St. Joseph Regional, Estime earned three New Jersey Player of the Year awards. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM AUDRIC ESTIME RUNNING BACK 6-1 · 215 ST. JOSEPH REGIONAL H.S. NYACK, N.Y. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 132 6 3 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 29 4 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 241 14 4 STATISTICS • Ran for 3,924 yards and 50 touchdowns during his prep career. • Rushed for 1,857 yards — the most in the state of New Jersey in 2020 — and 22 scores on just 190 attempts (9.8 yards per carry) as a senior. • Totaled 1,190 rushing yards and 13 touch- downs on 173 carries (6.9 yards per attempt) dur- ing his junior campaign. NOTABLE • Born on Sept. 6, 2003. • 2020 MaxPreps New Jersey High School Foot- ball Player of the Year. • 2020 Zoneman Trophy winner, Jersey Sports Zone's honor for the top player in New Jersey. • 2020 NJ.com Player of the Year. • 2020 USA Today All-New Jersey football first- team offense. RECRUITMENT • Publicly committed to and signed with Notre Dame on Dec. 18, 2020. • Received an offer from Notre Dame on Dec. 14, 2020. • Was committed to Michigan State before flip- ping his pledge to the Irish. • Recruited by Notre Dame running backs coach Lance Taylor and recruitin coordinator Brian Polian. • Signed with Notre Dame without taking a visit. 2021 PROJECTION • Despite not being an early enrollee, Estime could find himself in the running back rotation in 2021, playing a role similar to C'Bo Flemister last season (58 carries for 299 yards and five scores). THEY SAID IT St. Joseph Regional head coach Dan Marangi: "Audric is a powerful downhill runner who is ex- tremely nimble on his feet. He's really strong and tough with sneaky speed for a bigger back. [Notre Dame] is getting an all-state player both on and off the field. "He's a captain and leader of our squad. He brings his infectious smile and positive attitude every day; he's always looking to get better." Rivals East Coast analyst Adam Friedman: "Es- time has put in a lot of work this year to really become a complete back. He runs with power between the tackles, and has good vision to find the running lanes and break big runs. He has the burst to get around the corner, which is something he didn't have as a junior last year. "He has the ability to make guys miss in the open field and can drag defenders for yards after contact. I really see the progress Estime has made over the last year, and he has a bright future ahead of him at Notre Dame." National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming: "Es- time runs with good power, shows excellent cuts and has turned out to be an all-around back who can catch. He sees the field well, can make proper reads, picks through the line and bursts through it. He plays the game at a fast level and has the talent to become a go-to back at the college level."