Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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40 APRIL 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY MIKE SINGER N otre Dame signed 21 players in its 2022 recruiting class, and the Fight- ing Irish already had nine commitments in the 2023 cycle as of March 23. The Fighting Irish are expected to take a full boat of around 25 players in the 2023 class, although that should be taken with a grain of salt for now with scholar- ship numbers being subject to change. Notre Dame had the No. 2 class in the country as of March 28, according to the 2023 On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Ranking, but the Irish often start off hot on the recruiting trail but fade a bit. Will this be the year that the Irish finish with their first top-five class since 2013? It's impossible to answer that ques- tion right now, but sources close to the Notre Dame football program have a ton of optimism with the all-in focus on the 2023 class. The 10 prospects listed in this article are key for the Irish to build a truly elite class. These aren't names we pulled out of a hat, either. Blue & Gold Illustrated sources have identified these recruits as top of the board players who are pivotal for success in 2023. The recruits are listed in alphabeti- cal order and all rankings are from the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. SULLIVAN ABSHER OT • BELMONT (N.C.) SOUTH POINT Absher is listed as the nation's No. 12 o f f e n s i ve t a c k l e a n d No. 159 overall player, but we're told Notre Dame has a much higher view of the 6-6, 275-pounder. Notre Dame offensive line coach Harry Hiestand has identified Absher as one of the top — if not the top — targets for the Irish along the O-line. Absher visited Notre Dame at the end of January and hit it off with Hi- estand. While Hiestand isn't known as a grinder on the recruiting trail, prospects know his pedigree in building Notre Dame to be "Offensive Line U." North Carolina State, North Caro- lina, Clemson, Penn State, Virginia Tech and others are in pursuit, but we believe Notre Dame holds the advantage. JAIDEN AUSBERRY LB • BATON ROUGE (LA.) UNIVERSITY LAB Notre Dame already has a pair of linebacker commitments in Merrillville (Ind.) Andrean's Drayk Bowen and Law- rence (Mass.) Central Catholic's Preston Zinter. At the top of the wish list for a third linebacker is Ausberry, who made a return visit to campus in mid-March. Ausberry's father, Verge, is a mem- ber of the LSU athletic department, but Ausberry's older brother, Austin, opted not to play for his father's program, signing with Auburn as a member of the 2022 class. It's possible Jaiden could land elsewhere, too. Notre Dame is doing everything in its power to make that happen and has its heavy hitters after him. Irish head coach Marcus Freeman will always take a very personal investment in recruiting linebackers, and defensive line coach Al Washington was recruiting Ausberry hard while at Ohio State. "We had a really, really good relation- ship at Ohio State," Ausberry told BGI about Washington. "We'd talk two or three times per week. It's a big deal to me that he went to Notre Dame. "Him and Freeman together, that's kind of scary. They're going to come after me real hard." The 6-0, 198-pound Ausberry is listed as the country's No. 3 linebacker and No. 53 overall prospect. CALEB DOWNS S • HOSCHTON (GA.) MILL CREEK It is going to be difficult for Notre Dame to land the five- star safety, but Downs is an impact player and the Fighting Irish staff is battling hard. The 5-11, 185-pound Downs — the nation's No. 1 safety and No. 11 overall player in America — has every school under the sun after him, and Notre Dame has been able to get him to campus twice already. Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and Ohio State want him just as badly as Notre Dame does. And the in-state Bulldogs seem to be the leader. Landing Downs would be a big coup for Notre Dame, but if he heads else- where, the Irish will be just fine with Irvington (N.J.) High's Adon Shuler and Denton (Texas) Guyer's Peyton Bowen, a pair of four-star prospects who are already committed to Freeman and Co. Notre Dame's 10 Most Wanted Recruits In The 2023 Class Detroit Martin Luther King's Dante Moore, the No. 4 quarterback and No. 15 overall player in the coun- try per the On3 Consensus, is inarguably the most important target for Notre Dame in the 2023 class. PHOTO COURTESY ON3.COM