Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1515937
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MARCH 2024 31 2024 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE a coach. Don't choose this place because of just what you believe in NIL.' "There's so many different reasons to choose this place. When they make the decision, we remind them of that." It wasn't just about getting guys Free- man knew wouldn't pull any hijinks on signing day, either. Some of the Irish's signees are among the very best recruits in their class. They're players who could have chosen the 10 schools ranked ahead of Notre Dame in the team rankings, from Georgia and Alabama in the SEC to new SEC members Texas and Oklahoma to traditional powers like Ohio State and Oregon. Notre Dame is better when it is in head-to-head recruiting wars with those programs. Here is a look at how Notre Dame fared at each position group in the class of 2024, including a letter grade assigned by Blue & Gold Illustrated, according to this scale: A — College Football Playoff/Na- tional Title Contention B — Top-10 Viability C — Top 25 Viability D — Trying to Be Bowl Eligible QUARTERBACK Signee: Four-star CJ Carr of Saline (Mich.) High Synopsis: Notre Dame wanted Carr all along. The Fighting Irish went out and got their guy in a commitment pe- riod that spanned a year and a half. The Michigan legacy never wavered. Not even with the Wolverines making three straight trips to the College Football Playoff on their way to the program's first national championship in 26 years. Carr was even the glue guy of this Notre Dame class, constantly enticing other recruits to choose the Irish. He is the No. 8 quarterback in the class per the On3 Industry Ranking. You can't do much better than that. He's the type of signal-caller signee you expect to play in your team's uniform from the very start. Sure, Notre Dame has welcomed transfer Riley Leonard of Duke to cam- pus and junior Steve Angeli just put forth a dazzling debut as a starter in the Sun Bowl. Sophomore Kenny Minchey has a ton of arm talent fans are itching to see in action. But there are also going to be whispers from fans calling for a rapid as- cension of Carr up the depth chart. That comes with the territory of bringing in such a highly ranked recruit. And you take the territory every single time you can. On Paper Grade: A RUNNING BACK Signees: Four-star Kedren Young of Lufkin (Texas) High and four-star An- eyas Williams of Hannibal (Mo.) High Synopsis: Freeman recalled specific recruitment anecdotes for both Young and Williams during his early signing day press conference. Although he didn't because of time constraints, it became increasingly clear Freeman could recite one for all 23 signees. That's how much he cares. The fact that he brought to memory specific stories about Young and Wil- liams, though, says it all. He really likes what Notre Dame got in that duo. Irish fans should, too. They're both multi-tool players who add versatility to an already stacked running back room. An interesting note from the early spring semester roster reveal from Notre Dame's official website, too: Young and Williams are the Irish's two heavi- est running backs. Young checked in at 217 pounds, and Williams weighs 207. Neither of them is a bruiser with Au- dric Estimé's size, and Notre Dame used Gi'Bran Payne or Estimé in some short- yardage situations anyway. But it'll be interesting to see if even in a crowded unit the freshmen get some run because of their desirable frames. On Paper Grade: A Tight end Jack Larsen is not one of the most heralded signees in his class, but he could follow the lead of Cooper Flanagan and be a contributor right away for Notre Dame. PHOTO BY MIKE SINGER