Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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44 SEPT. 16, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY MIKE SINGER W hile college coaches have to decide on which players they want to take in their recruiting classes before they play a down as seniors (for the most part), websites such as On3 have the luxury of being able to watch senior film before making their final rankings list. Blue & Gold Illustrated checked in with Charles Power and Cody Bellaire of the On3 scouting and rankings department to ask them questions about Notre Dame's 2024 recruiting class with the 2023 season kicking off across the country. BGI: Which Notre Dame commit intrigues you most for the season? Charles Power: "There are a handful. I'm excited to see [Lufkin (Texas) High running back] Kedren Young as a senior. He's one who moved up for us in the last update [to the No. 6 running back and No. 92 overall player in the nation]. When you watch his junior film, there are a lot of translat- able tools and skills that we value at the position. His combination of size, speed and burst and his impressive moments stand out at running back. He plays pretty good competition at Lufkin, and he could be primed to take a jump as a senior. "[Charlotte (N.C.) Christian edge] Bryce Young as well. To this point, he's more of an upside projec- tion evaluation [No. 19 edge and No. 194 overall player in the country], but he's really progressed physically. I'm excited to see how that manifests on the field. He's a bit of a late bloomer growing into his body, but with the size he's added and what he did in the track season, I'm looking forward to see- ing how that all comes together this fall. "[Round Rock (Texas) High cornerback] Leonard Moore is one who could be an ascending prospect [No. 66 player in the Lone Star State and No. 33 cornerback nationally]. He had a really good state seven-on-seven tournament in July. He made plays at both wide receiver and defensive back. I'm look- ing forward to seeing him. "He's a longer, bouncy, twitchy corner. I think his best football is ahead of him. Those are the types of players who I like to watch as seniors to see their growth and progression. "I'd also say the entire offensive line class, which is a group that I'm pretty high on. [Roswell (Ga.) High interior offensive lineman] Anthonie Knapp, in particular, is a really good player [No. 9 interior offensive lineman and No. 184 overall in America]. I love watching him play." Cody Bellaire: "[Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward edge] Loghan Thomas is the most intriguing [No. 16 edge and No. 168 overall prospect in the nation]. When you look at his athletic body of work, he's a freak. He's running around a 11-flat in the 100-meters and a 23-flat in the 200-meters at 6-3 and over 215 pounds with length. That's not normal. "When you turn the tape on, you get it in flashes. At Paetow, he never really had a moment where he stood in the spotlight and was able to show that athleticism in full display because of the amount of talent also on that defense. I'm really excited to see how he looks at a new school without a guy like David Hicks next to him. I want to see him take over games his senior year." BGI: Who do you feel On3 might have ranked too low that should get a bump this fall? Power: "Bryce Young is in that group. [Salinas (Calif.) Palma wide receiver] Logan Saldate and [West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West athlete] Tae- bron Bennie-Powell have very encouraging athletic markers. We know more about Saldate since his last ranking [No. 81 player in California and No. 181 wide receiver in the land]. He's in a good position to make a move, especially with a good start to his senior season. Same with Bennie-Powell — we want to get a feel for how he stacks up at his posi- tion [No. 36 prospect in Ohio and No. 23 athlete in the country]. "Of the guys who are currently blue-chip pros- pects, Young probably has the most meat on the bone relative to making a jump as a player. He has a lot of physical tools, and I want to see more progression as a player. He could be primed to do that knowing what we know about him going into the fall." Bellaire: "Logan Saldate. From an athletic profile combined with this size and skill set, he more than deserves some type of ranking adjustment. "My biggest concern after seeing him in person at the Under Armour Los Angeles camp was how he handles being pressed at the line of scrimmage. If he shows improvement in that area, he should get quite a bump in our rankings." BGI: How good is the running back tandem of Hannibal (Mo.) High standout Aneyas Williams (On3's No. 24 ball carrier and No. 295 overall player nationally) and Kedren Young? Power: "It's a really good pairing. They comple- ment each other really well. Young is more of your early down back who can pick up tough yards. He's a physical presence and a bruiser. Williams has the third-down ability, and is a really good pass catcher and an overall athlete playing running back. His skill level is more suited for passing downs. "When you look at the overall context of Notre Dame's roster, running back is a position they've done really well with since Marcus Freeman took over. Landing Jeremiyah Love last year was huge. With the style of football Notre Dame plays and the talent they have on the offensive line, adding top talent at running back is the missing piece. "With true early-round talent at running back, you have to be encouraged with that room." Bellaire: "When I saw you wanted to ask me this question, I dove into it. I didn't realize that Georgia and Ohio State both have running back trios in the 2024 class. It's really impressive the groups they have. But if we're strictly talking about classes with just two running backs, Notre Dame has an argu- On3 Rankings Discussion: Questions Answered About Notre Dame's 2024 Commits On3 ranks Charlotte (N.C.) Christian's Bryce Young — who is listed as the nation's No. 19 edge and No. 194 overall player in the 2024 class, higher than the rest of the industry — but he could still be in line for a big rankings bump. PHOTO COURTESY ON3