Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JANUARY 2023 43 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ROUNDUP RECRUITING NOTES • On Dec. 6, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and running backs coach Deland Mc- Cullough had a home visit with Derby (Kan.) High class of 2023 running back Dylan Edwards, an Irish commit. Edwards, who flipped his pledge from Kansas State to Notre Dame in August, seemed solid in his pledge to the Irish. "Seemed" is the key word in that sentence, though. There were no signs of a decommitment com- ing, but the four-star playmaker announced that he was backing off his pledge on Thursday, Dec. 8. On Tuesday, before the Irish staff came to his home, Edwards picked up an offer from Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes. He officially visited "Coach Prime's" school that weekend and announced his commitment to the Buffaloes. The Fighting Irish have two running back pledges in the 2023 class in St. Louis Christian Brothers' Jeremiyah Love and Lake Stevens (Wash.) High's Jayden Limar. Both prospects are ranked as four-star players. • West Bloomfield (Mich.) High class of 2024 defensive lineman Brandon Davis-Swain an- nounced his decommitment from the Fighting Irish Dec. 11. The 6-2½, 240-pounder made an impromptu commitment to the Irish in April after the Blue- Gold Game, becoming the first pledge in Notre Dame's 2024 class. He visited South Bend in June and again for the Clemson game in early Novem- ber, but he also made trips to Ohio State and Michigan this fall. Davis-Swain's recruitment never seemed "closed," and he went ahead and backed off his Irish pledge to totally open things up. Notre Dame has six commitments in the 2024 class, including one defensive lineman in Owen Wafle from Princeton (N.J.) The Hun School. The Irish are in the mix for several other defensive line targets in the 2024 cycle, so this shouldn't be a big blow, although Davis-Swain is a fine talent. — Mike Singer Quarterback Kenny Minchey, HHHH, 6-2½ , 215, Hendersonville, Tenn. (Pope John Paul II) Running Back Jayden Limar, HHH, 5-11, 190, Lake Stevens, Wash. (Lake Stevens) Jeremiyah Love, HHHH, 6-1, 195, St. Louis (Christian Brothers) Wide Receiver Rico Flores Jr., HHHH, 6-1, 190, Folsom, Calif. (Folsom) Jaden Greathouse, HHHH, 6-2, 219, Austin, Texas (Westlake) Braylon James, HHHH, 6-3, 174, Round Rock, Texas (Stony Point) Kaleb Smith, HHH, 6-1, 180, Frisco, Texas (Reedy) Tight End Cooper Flanagan, HHHH, 6-5, 222, Concord, Calif. (De La Salle) Offensive Line Sullivan Absher, HHHH, 6-6, 295, Belmont, N.C. (South Point) Charles Jagusah, HHHHH, 6-5, 280, Rock Island, Ill. (Alleman) Joe Otting, HHH, 6-4, 260, Topeka, Kan. (Hayden) Sam Pendleton, HHH, 6-4, 295, Pfafftown, N.C. (Reagan) Chris Terek, HHH, 6-6, 295, Glen Ellyn, Ill. (Glenbard West) Defensive End Armel Mukam, HHH, 6-3½, 250, Woodberry Forest, Va. (Woodberry Forest) Boubacar Traore, HHHH, 6-4, 254, West Roxbury, Mass. (Catholic Memorial) Defensive Tackle Devan Houstan, HHHH, 6-5, 270, Saint James, Md. (Saint James) Brenan Vernon, HHHH, 6-5, 280, Mentor, Ohio (Mentor) Linebacker Jaiden Ausberry, HHHH, 6-0, 198, Baton Rouge, La. (Univ. Lab. School) Drayk Bowen, HHHH, 6-1 ½ , 233, Merrillville, Ind. (Andrean) Preston Zinter, HHH, 6-2, 220, Lawrence, Mass. (Central Catholic) Cornerback Micah Bell, HHH, 5-11, 160, Houston (The Kinkaid School) Christian Gray, HHHH, 5-11, 170, St. Louis (De Smet Jesuit) Safety Peyton Bowen, HHHHH, 6-0, 180, Denton, Texas (Guyer) Ben Minich, HHH, 5-11½, 185, Cincinnati (Lakota West) Adon Shuler, HHHH, 5-11, 187, Irvington, N.J. (Irvington) Athlete Khalil Barnes, HHH, 6-1, 185, Bogard, Ga. (North Oconee) Brandyn Hillman, HHHH, 6-1, 190, Portsmouth, Va. (Churchland) Star ratings are from On3 as of Dec. 13 Commitments in bold italics Class Of 2023 Scholarship Offer Master List 2023 Master List Changes Prospects Committed: WR Kaleb Smith of Frisco, Texas, OL Chris Terek of Glen Ellyn, Ill., and ATH Brandyn Hillman of Portsmouth, Va. Prospects Decommitted: RB Dylan Edwards of Derby, Kan. Prospect Removed: None. ON3 CONSENSUS 2023 TEAM RECRUITING RANKINGS As of Dec. 13 1. Alabama 25 2. Georgia 23 3. Notre Dame 26 4. Ohio State 19 5. Texas 21 6. LSU 23 7. Oklahoma 23 8. Miami 23 9. Florida 22 10. Clemson 23 Rk. School Commits Rk. School Commits Tight end commit Cooper Flanagan did not play in Concord (Calif.) De La Salle's final two games due to injury. De La Salle finished 10-4 after falling to San Diego Lincoln 33-28 in the California Division 1-AA state champion- ship game Dec. 9. PHOTO COURTESY ON3.COM