Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1491978
32 MARCH 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2023 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY TYLER HORKA N otre Dame hung inside the top three of the On3 recruiting team rankings for most of the year. The Irish even ascended to No. 1 at one point. On Dec. 21, the first day of the early signing period, the Irish's class tumbled outside of the top five to No. 8, and finished at No. 9. A couple key decommitments led to Notre Dame falling down the chart. The Irish once had Tampa (Fla.) Berke- ley Prep five-star defensive end Keon Keeley and Denton (Texas) Guyer five- star safety Peyton Bowen locked in with the class. They moved on to other schools — Alabama and Oklahoma, respectively. Bowen's flip from Notre Dame to Oregon to Oklahoma in De- cember was the final crushing blow for the Irish to slide outside the top five. Still, a top-10 class is nothing to scoff at. The Irish signed a plethora of future playmakers. Here's how Blue & Gold Il- lustrated graded each position group for Notre Dame's class of 2023: A — College Football Playoff/Na- tional Title Contention B — Top-10 Viability C — Top-25 Viability D — Trying To Be Bowl Eligible QUARTERBACK Signed: Kenny Minchey of Hender- sonville (Tenn.) Pope John Paul II Overview: Notre Dame did not reel in big-time five-star target Dante Moore, the No. 20 overall recruit in the HANGING IN THERE Notre Dame fell down the recruiting rankings chart at the 11th hour, but the Fighting Irish still signed a top-tier class Hendersonville (Tenn.) Pope John Paul II quarterback Kenny Minchey's recruitment came together rather quickly for the Fighting Irish in November. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER