Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM APRIL 2022 41 FOOTBALL RECRUITING Bowen has visited Ole Miss and Okla- homa since announcing his Irish pledge on Jan. 1, so the staff will have to work to keep his pledge. RODNEY GALLAGHER WR • UNIONTOWN (PA.) LAUREL HIGHLANDS Quarterback is always a n ea sy a n swe r wh e n asked which position is most important for a re- cruiting class. It's the most pivotal position on the field, after all. But if we remove quarterback from the equa- tion, then wide receiver is probably the most important position for Notre Dame in the 2023 cycle. Meet Rodney Gallagher, the nation's No. 15 wide receiver and No. 91 overall player. The 5-10, 165-pounder is easily one of Notre Dame's top receiver targets in 2023. Notre Dame offered him last May, but former position coach Del Alexander never went all that hard after him and communication fell off. But Freeman, offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, di- rector of recruiting Chad Bowden, wide receivers coach Chansi Stuckey and even tight ends coach Gerad Parker, who recruited him while at West Virginia, have made Gallagher a major priority for Notre Dame. We're expecting Gallagher to visit Notre Dame this spring and/or sum- mer, with the Irish staff looking to make a move past Penn State, the perceived favorite for Gallagher. CHRISTIAN GRAY CB • ST. LOUIS DE SMET The four-star cornerback has been a major target for the Irish since offering him last June after he put on a stel- lar camp performance. Notre Dame would love nothing more than to snag his commitment. Gray's recruitment had been viewed as a battle between Notre Dame and Ohio State, but LSU hired Robert Steeples, his former high school head coach, to be its new cornerbacks coach in January. The Tigers offered the 5-11, 170-pound Gray — the No. 10 corner- back and No. 109 overall prospect na- tionally — soon afterwards and is giving him something to think about. There's confidence on both the LSU and Notre Dame sides of things about where he'll end up. This is a key battle to watch moving forward. JADEN GREATHOUSE WR • AUSTIN (TEXAS) WESTLAKE Notre Dame extended an offer to the Austin (Texas) Westlake standout Dec. 31, and the staff has been in hot pur- suit of him since. One of Stuckey's first stops on the recruiting trail at Notre Dame was to Greathouse's school, and Freeman and Rees also are very involved in this recruitment. Notre Dame entered the recruitment a bit late compared to other big-time pro- grams, but we believe the Irish have made a big impact on Greathouse already. Greathouse, who is the nation's No. 22 wide receiver and No. 124 overall player, is a big-bodied pass catcher at 6-2, 219 pounds and the type of bound- ary receiver who has excelled at Notre Dame in recent history. CHARLES JAGUSAH OT • ROCK ISLAND (ILL.) ALLEMAN Sources feel that Notre Dame is one visit away from locking up a commit- ment from Jagusah, who is the nation's No. 2 of- fensive tackle and No. 37 overall prospect. The 6-6, 300-pounder has only been able to visit South Bend once (for a game last fall), but when he gets back to campus next it wouldn't be a surprise at all to see him pledge to Notre Dame. Absher and Jagusah are two top-of- the-board offensive line targets for Notre Dame, and the Irish are trending for both prospects. DANTE MOORE QB • DETROIT MARTIN LUTHER KING This is the most ob- vious selection on the e n t i re l i s t . T h e 6 -2 , 195-pound Moore — the No. 4 quarterback and No. 15 overall prospect in the country — has been the top target on the Notre Dame 2023 signal-caller board since the staff of- fered him last March. Notre Dame needs elite production from the quarterback position, and Moore is the type of player who can deliver that for the Irish. Notre Dame is battling Auburn, Flor- ida, LSU and Michigan, but Moore keeps his recruitment close to his vest. Sources indicate Notre Dame is in the lead spot for the five-star quarterback. Leading is nice; closing is more important. JASON MOORE DL • FORT WASHINGTON (MD.) DEMATHA CATHOLIC Notre Dame can sign its best defensive line class in a long time if it lands Mentor (Ohio) High's Brenan Vernon and Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep's Keon Keeley, who are both already commit- ted to the Irish, and adds Moore, the nation's No. 6 defensive lineman and No. 39 overall player. The 6-6, 255-pound Moore told BGI that former defensive line coach Mike Elston leaving Notre Dame for Michigan hurt the Irish's chances with him a little bit, but we still believe Freeman's pro- gram is his top option right now. Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State are three schools to keep an eye on mov- ing forward, but his recruitment seems wide open. CARNELL TATE WR • BRADENTON (FLA.) IMG ACADEMY Of course, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy's Carnell Tate — the No. 2 wide receiver and No. 13 overall pros- pect nationally — makes the list. It would be an enormous recruiting win for Notre Dame to land the 6-2, 178-pound Tate from a talent and perception standpoint. As far as Notre Dame's standing with him right now, the feeling is that the Irish will be left at the altar. Ohio State is considered the favorite, but Notre Dame shouldn't be counted out. Tate visited Notre Dame in March and had a great trip, but he has a multi-day trip to Columbus to see the Buckeyes on tap for early April. ✦