Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1491978
38 MARCH 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2023 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE "All in all, it was one heck of a re- bound for Notre Dame to land Minchey, an All-American Bowl invitee and Elite 11 finalist." Lemming: "They always go after big names early and then lose them. Then they'll go after someone else's quarter- back. They've done that in recent years. Minchey was committed to Pittsburgh. "It's a mixed bag, because Minchey is a really good catch for the time that was left for them. At that time of the year, you didn't think they could get anyone, but they were able to turn him around from Pittsburgh. I think Minchey has really good potential. He needs to be developed, but the sky is the limit for his potential. And they have CJ Carr com- ing in the next year; hopefully that will work out, too. It went from looking bad to really good at quarterback." BGI: Which prospect do you think could outplay his ranking? Power: "I'm going with Kaleb Smith. He was a resourceful evaluation by Notre Dame. He brings a pretty well- rounded, refined skill set at receiver. He continued to get better over his junior and senior years. He runs well and has natural polish for the position. Smith runs good routes, catches the ball well and he has maybe the second-best up- side of Notre Dame's receiver group, along with Greathouse. He has a pretty high floor as well; he can play multiple spots and do a little bit of everything. I can see us looking back at his ranking and say it was too low. "The other two — for me — would be Joe Otting and Chris Terek. Notre Dame has developed three-star offen- sive linemen into draft picks as much — if not more — than any other program. Otting will need some time, but if he develops, he has upside to be drafted. If he sticks it out, he'll make an impact on the interior." Singer: "Lawrence (Mass.) Central Catholic's Preston Zinter is one of Notre Dame's lower ranked recruits in the cy- cle as a three-star and No. 62 linebacker in the land per On3. But he has a terrific skill set, in my opinion. He has a good frame at 6-2, 215 pounds, strikes well and has a really good feel for the game. "Zinter has the potential to play any of Notre Dame's linebacker spots, and on offense at the high school level he's impressive as a blocking and receiving H-back. This is the kind of athlete you want in your locker room, and a three- star ranking may look silly in the end." Lemming: "I'd say Drayk Bowen or Jaiden Ausberry. Bowen had a great year and won the Butkus Award, but the in- ternet sites don't rank him that highly. He had a fantastic season on offense and defense. And Ausberry is not real big, but when I see him on film, he's fabulous. He has tremendous instincts that remind me of Mike Stonebreaker, who came out of New Orleans and went to Notre Dame." BGI: What is the strongest position group of Notre Dame's 2023 class? Power: "Relative to Notre Dame's roster, this receiver class can elevate the offense the most. Greathouse has the potential to be an early impact guy. Ka- leb Smith has a well-rounded skill set. Rico Flores is one of the best route run- ners in the country. He's a guy who can get a high volume of targets out of the slot. And Braylon James is the most ath- letic of the group; he'll need some time to develop his receiver skills. But he has the speed and athleticism that Notre Dame doesn't have a ton of at receiver. "As a group, those four guys elevate and add depth to the receiver room. Notre Dame has had some good re- ceivers, but when you get to the sec- ond and third string, there's more of a drop-off. Bringing in four guys of this caliber not only raises the ceiling of the group but also the floor of it from a depth standpoint." Singer: "In this same article last year, I said that receiver was the posi- tion I was most disappointed with. The Irish — under then-receivers coach Del Alexander — signed just one player at Lawrence (Mass.) Central Catholic's Preston Zinter, a three-star player and the No. 62 linebacker in America, may outplay his ranking at Notre Dame. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER Prep Football Report recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said Irish linebacker signee Jaiden Ausberry "has tremendous instincts that remind me of Mike Stonebreaker, who came out of New Orleans and went to Notre Dame." PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER