Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JANUARY 2022 45 FOOTBALL RECRUITING 2023. It's early, but Notre Dame currently occupied the No. 1 spot in Rivals' 2023 rankings as of Dec. 16. Its seven commits are all four-star players, including four defenders ranked in the top 50. Freeman was crucial in landing all of them. In his new role, he pledges to be at the front of every recruitment — offense or defense. "I want these guys to be able to access me at all times, communicate with me directly on my phone and understand- ing this is going to be a very personal relationship," Freeman said. "This isn't going to be sell, sell, sell. "I want them to know me and trust me as the leader of this program." In doing so, he wants to be a walking example rather than a talking one who dishes out orders but puts less on his plate. He's the leader and sets a stan- dard to follow. He distinguished himself as a recruiter upon his arrival, and in turn, other assistants up their efforts. He's hoping that theme continues. "It motivates you for sure," Elston said. "You don't want to let them down. You don't want to be outshined by the head coach who has 1,000 other things on his plate. "You're responsible for being the head coach of your position and the talent that comes into it. If you have any pride at all and you want to impress the boss, you're going to work at that level, if not more. I think you'll see that across the board." Defensive position coaches have seen it up close for 11 months. Offensive co- ordinator Tommy Rees had worked up close with Freeman too, but five days traveling the country with him was still illuminating. "Being on the road with him for pretty much an entire week [in early De- cember], you see the relatability with the families, the kids, the way he's able to speak to them and put the players first, it's very impactful," Rees said. "His ability as someone who just got exposed to Notre Dame, the turnaround he had here at this program, him selling his own journey at Notre Dame and the im- pact it has had on him is very powerful." Freeman's 2022 success, early 2023 returns and whatever follows were pos- sible because of how quickly he under- stood Notre Dame's unique position and leaned into it. He pitches the chal- lenges of being a Notre Dame football student-athlete as positives rather than drawbacks. Those will have long-term benefits, he tells recruits. 'We're going to bridge the gap from what's challenging here, the location we're in, how hard it is to do the class- work here to the relationships he's going to build from the top down," Elston said. "You're going to see it in the 2023 re- cruiting cycle, I believe you already see it. "This time next year, there are going to be a lot more people in the room, a lot more buzz around the recruiting class, and Coach Freeman's energy and his vision on what the staff is going to do over the next 12 months will make the difference." Perhaps 2023 is the best preview of what Notre Dame's recruiting input can be under Freeman, but if so, the 2022 linebacker class was the first snapshot. The Irish signed a quartet of four- star linebackers. One of them, four-star Hilton Head (S.C.) High's Jaylen Sneed, is the class' highest-ranked prospect. Rivals ranks him as the No. 41 overall recruit in the 2022 cycle. He's an elite talent. He's also an example of the type of recruit Freeman has unabashedly pursued: an elite high school player who meshed with Notre Dame, but needed someone to show him the fit. "I don't know if Jaylen Sneed and some of those guys were dying to come to Notre Dame until you can explain to them, 'Here's what Notre Dame can do for you. Here are the things Notre Dame can do that will change the rest of your life,'" Freeman said. "How can I communicate this so they can see what makes Notre Dame different?" That's his task for as long as sits in the head coach's chair. He's off to a stirring start. "We're not going to stop," Rees said, "attacking the best players in the country." ✦ Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic quarterback Steve Angeli, an Under Armour All-American, picked the Fighting Irish over offers from Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State. PHOTO BY MIKE SINGER NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL 2022 SIGNEES Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Steve Angeli QB 6-2 210 Westfield, N.J. (Bergen Catholic) Jayden Bellamy CB 5-11 170 North Haledon, N.J. (Bergen Catholic) Joshua Burnham LB 6-4 214 Traverse City, Mich. (Traverse City Central) Ty Chan OL 6-5 300 Lowell, Mass. (Lawrence Academy) Ashton Craig OL 6-4 274 Lawrenceburg, Ind. (Lawrenceburg) Tyson Ford DL 6-4 269 St. Louis (John Burroughs School) Aiden Gobaira DL 6-5 224 Fairfax, Va. (Chantilly) Donovan Hinish DL 6-2 268 Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh Central Catholic) Bryce McFerson P 6-1 183 Indian Trail, N.C. (Metrolina Christian Academy) Tobias Merriweather WR 6-4 188 West Camas, Wash. (Union) Jaden Mickey CB 5-11 176 Eastvale, Calif. (Centennial) Benjamin Morrison CB 6-0 179 Phoenix (Brophy Prep) Jadarian Price RB 5-10 190 Denison, Texas (Denison) Eli Raridon TE 6-6 225 Des Moines, Iowa (Valley) Billy Schrauth OL 6-4 272 Campbellsport, Wis. (St. Mary's Springs) Jaylen Sneed LB 6-1 198 Hilton Head, S.C. (Hilton Head) Holden Staes TE 6-4 224 Atlanta (The Westminster School) Joey Tanona OL 6-5 284 Zionsville, Ind. (Zionsville) Niuafe Tuihalamaka LB 6-2 229 Granada Hills, Calif. (Bishop Alemany) Aamil Wagner OL 6-6 260 Yellow Springs, Ohio (Wayne) Nolan Ziegler LB 6-3 205 Caledonia, Mich. (Catholic Central)