Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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34 AUGUST 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY KYLE KELLY The Notre Dame football commit- ment train kept on chugging May 2 with another pledge from a Charlotte (N.C.) Christian standout. Four-star 2024 wide receiver Micah Gilbert announced his verbal commitment in favor of the Fighting Irish. Gilbert decided three days after his high school teammate, 2024 four-star edge Bryce Young, revealed his Notre Dame commitment April 29. Both vis- ited campus for the Blue-Gold Game April 22 and discovered that Notre Dame is the school they would like to call home. "What they can provide for me on the field and after football," said Gilbert, explaining why Notre Dame was the best choice. "They have a great football program but even more to provide off the field. That's very big for me." The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Gilbert chose Notre Dame over Duke, Michigan, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, South Car- olina and Virginia Tech. Each of those schools made his top seven schools list April 8. Gilbert is the No. 7 prospect in North Carolina, and the No. 44 wide receiver and No. 241 overall player nationally according to On3. He is slightly higher in the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average of four leading recruiting media services, as the No. 6 player in North Carolina, and the No. 37 wide receiver and No. 219 overall prospect nationally. Twenty-one schools offered Gil- b e r t , i n c l u d i n g BY U, C i n c i n n a t i , Georgia Tech, Louisville, Missouri, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. The Irish entered the mix for Gilbert on Feb. 13 when Notre Dame wide receiv- e rs c o a c h C h a n s i Stuckey offered him a scholarship. G i l b e r t j o i n s Young and four-star t i g h t e n d co m m i t Jack Larsen — a product of Charlotte (N.C.) Catholic — as Notre Dame's three pledges from North Carolina. When they sign with the Irish, it will mark the second consecutive year Notre Dame has added at least two commits from the Tar Heel State. In 2022, it signed offensive linemen Sullivan Absher from Belmont (N.C.) South Point and Sam Pendleton of Pfafftown (N.C.) Reagan. The Irish have never signed a wide receiver from North Carolina in the in- ternet recruiting era (since 2002). "It was just everything I wanted in a program and a school," Gilbert said. "A few things were a strong alumni base, strong conference, strong schedule and strong coach. How the players inter- acted with the coaches and how the coaches interacted with the players. "Those were just little things on the list, and everything was checked off." Gilbert is coming off a junior season in which he hauled in 39 passes for 486 yards and 6 touchdowns in seven games. How- ever, a finger injury cut his season short. Still, he earned first-team all-conference Charlotte Independent School Athletic Association accolades for his perfor- mance during the first seven games. He had 40 receptions for 534 yards and 3 touchdowns the year before. Gilbert also is a standout basketball player and received second-team all- conference honors on the hardwood last season. ✦ Notre Dame Lands Tar Heel State Wide Receiver FILM ANALYSIS "Micah Gilbert will come into college look- ing like a college receiver. He's not going to need a lot of time to necessarily develop and add size to get on the field early. He's going to have ready-made size, along with athleticism and just physical attributes. He plays like he's built. He's pretty powerful. A guy who can run routes pretty well and is explosive. "… He's fairly well rounded. He continued to improve his ball skills. He can make high-level contested catches with powerful hands and when in traffic. Continuing to become more consistent in catching the football is an area where he can continue to improve. With his physical skills and length, if he continues to im- prove there, he has the potential to be a pretty dynamic ball-winner as he polishes those skills." — On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power COMMITMENT PROFILE MICAH GILBERT "It was just everything I wanted in a program and a school. A few things were a strong alumni base, strong conference, strong schedule and strong coach." GILBERT ON PICKING NOTRE DAME On3 rates Gilbert as a four-star talent, the No. 7 recruit in North Carolina, and the No. 44 wide receiver and No. 241 overall player in the country. PHOTO COURTESY ON3.COM