Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1506454
42 SEPT. 2, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY MIKE SINGER I t might seem way too early to start talking about players in the 2025 class who are trend- ing toward a specific school be- cause of the amount of decom- mitments that occur these days. However, for every player who backs off an early Notre Dame pledge, there are several others who stick with their longtime Irish commitments. Whether the class of 2025 re- cruits end up committing and eventually signing with the Irish remains to be seen, but as of late August, Notre Dame looks good with the following quar- tet of players (who are listed in alphabetical order). There are, of course, other prospects that Notre Dame is in solid shape with, but these four come to mind right away. DANIEL ANDERSON Running Back • 5-11, 190 Class of 2025 Bryant (Ark.) High On3 Rankings: Currently unrated. The Skinny: Anderson was an un- known commodity before participating in Notre Dame's Irish Invasion camp at the beginning of June. Long Island was the only school to offer him at that point, but the Irish took the leap and ex- tended a scholarship to Anderson after he impressed at their camp. Since then, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Arkansas State and Colorado have joined his of- fer sheet. The expectation is that Anderson vis- its Notre Dame in September and could commit to the Irish if all goes well. An- derson's second visit to Notre Dame was for the "Grill and Chill" event July 30, and he raved about his time on campus. "I learned a lot of new information, especially about the running back group," Anderson said of his time spent with Notre Dame running backs coach Deland McCullough. "He told me that he likes to keep around five [scholar- ship] running backs, and even with that amount, he has a job for everyone to do. "No one gets left out; everyone has a position that they can fill in and do. I really liked that structure." JEROME BETTIS JR. Wide Receiver • 6-3, 185 Class of 2025 Atlanta Woodward Academy On3 Rankings: Three-star recruit, No. 39 player in Georgia and No. 60 wide receiver nationally. The Skinny: It shouldn't be a big surprise to hear that Notre Dame looks to be in strong position for the son of Irish legend Jerome Bettis Sr. The high school junior has been to Notre Dame's campus more times than he can count, including at the end of July. He made that trip with his mother, which was her first experience at Notre Dame as a mother of a recruit. And from what Bet- tis Jr. told Blue & Gold Illustrated, she had a great experience. "I wanted to make sure that she got to see it from a recruiting standpoint," Bettis said. "Obviously, she's been up there for games and what not before. She loved it." Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Missouri and Texas A&M are just a few of the programs already on Bettis' offer list. Whenever it comes time for him to commit, the Irish will be tough to beat for him. OWEN STREBIG Offensive Tackle • 6-7, 295 Class of 2025 Waukesha (Wis.) Catholic Memorial On3 Rankings: Four-star re- cruit, No. 1 player in Wisconsin, and No. 5 offensive tackle and No. 40 overall player nationally. The Skinny: The elite pros- pect visited South Bend once in the spring and returned to cam- pus twice in the fall. BGI has learned that Strebig will also be back on campus for the Ohio State game Sept. 23. Four visits in five months is a very good indica- tor for where Notre Dame stands with Strebig, and BGI sources be- lieve that logging a prediction at this point is a good call. "I really like Notre Dame," Strebig told BGI. "I'm really at a good point. They've done a good job of re- cruiting me. I'm really, really liking Notre Dame right now." IVAN TAYLOR Safety • 5-11, 163 Class of 2025 Winter Garden (Fla.) West Orange On3 Rankings: Four-star recruit, No. 24 player in Florida, and No. 12 safety and No. 134 overall player na- tionally. The Skinny: One of Jerome Bet- tis Sr.'s teammates for a couple years with the Pittsburgh Steelers was de- fensive back Ike Taylor, and the Irish are also recruiting Taylor's son in the 2025 class. Ivan Taylor participated in the Irish Invasion camp and picked up an offer after a stellar performance in front of the Notre Dame staff, and he also returned to campus at the end of July. Taylor raves about the Irish in his conversations with BGI. "The coaches can't get any better. I'll definitely, for sure, come back," Taylor said. "Coach [Chris] O'Leary and Coach [Marcus] Freeman are just good people to be around. "They want to get me better and see something that I don't think a lot of coaches see in me. They like the way I work, and I know I'll be back up there." ✦ Four Class Of 2025 Recruits Trending Toward Notre Dame Winter Garden (Fla.) West Orange's Ivan Taylor — the No. 24 player in Florida, and No. 12 safety and No. 134 overall player nationally per On3 — is strongly considering the Fighting Irish. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER