Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1449639
38 MARCH 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2022 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY PATRICK ENGEL A n uneventful late signing period did not reflect January inactivity. Notre Dame added zero high school recruits on National Signing Day Feb. 2 and hosted none for official visits the prior month. The Irish sent out merely three offers to class of 2022 prospects following the early sign- ing period in December. Tumbleweeds blew through South Bend this year on the first Wednesday in February, a date once synonymous with flips, fireworks, suspense and surprises. Instead, the Irish used the burgeon- ing second avenue for supplementing a signing class and filling roster needs. The NCAA transfer portal. Notre Dame has leaned into it more often in recent years, even if that explo- ration remains more limited compared to most Power Five programs. The qual- ity of player the Irish import from the portal, though, remains impressive. The Irish coaxed former Northwest- ern safety and 2020 All-American Bran- don Joseph out of it Jan. 8 and pulled Arkansas State career field goals leader Blake Grupe five days later. In that duo, they found a surefire starting safety and a bridge kicker. Joseph's pedigree at a position of need sets the stage for him to be the highest-impact newcomer of anyone Notre Dame signed this year. Joseph is an outlier among recent Notre Dame transfers because he's an under- From left to right: Joshua Burnham, Tobias Merriweather, Niuafe Tuihalamaka, Nolan Ziegler, Billy Schrauth, Ashton Craig and Aiden Gobaira are part of Notre Dame's 21-man 2022 class, which finished No. 6 in On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings and featured 17 four-star prospects. PHOTO BY MIKE SINGER NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL 2022 SIGNEES Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Steve Angeli QB 6-2 3 ⁄8 210 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 DE 6-4 269 St. Louis (John Burroughs School) Aiden Gobaira DE 6-5 230 Fairfax, Va. (Chantilly) Donovan Hinish DT 6-2 268 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 5-11½ 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 1 ⁄8 198 Hilton Head Island, 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) SUBDUED SECOND SIGNING DAY Notre Dame adds zero high school signees in late period, but gains valuable newcomers through increased transfer portal usage