Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MARCH 2024 35 2024 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE class. It fits into what they've been do- ing and with [Brian] Kelly's classes at Notre Dame, too. Part of it is that Mar- cus is up against it with the NIL stuff; Kelly didn't have that problem at Notre Dame. Notre Dame is solidly from the No. 7 to No. 15 range under Freeman, but they need a top-five class. Led by CJ Carr, it's a very good class. They got Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, the in- side linebacker who is a five-star type of player. And the big surprise is Bryce Young, who has outstanding athletic ability as a pass rusher. He gives them that defensive end they haven't had since Justin Tuck." BGI: Which Notre Dame signee could you see having the biggest instant impact? Powe r : " I i m m e d i a te ly l o o k a t Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa. Not every day you see true freshman linebackers get on the field, but he's very well equipped to make an impact this fall. First of all, you look at what Notre Dame is losing at the linebacker position with Marist Liufau and JD Bertrand, so there is an opportunity there. And Viliamu-Asa is the most advanced of these top line- backers. He's going to come in with a high level of development and has elite instincts for the position. Viliamu-Asa has received great coaching at St. John Bosco and is physically developed at 230 pounds. With his ability to see the play and quickly trigger, he's a great fit in Notre Dame's defense potentially for next fall. He's a very strong tackler and is high instinctive." Bellaire: "There's two that come to mind — the first is Kedren Young. With Audric Estimé leaving, Notre Dame has a near clone with Young, in my opin- ion — the way they look, the way they play and how they're tough and physical as inside runners. In comparing them, Kedren has a little bit more twitch and juice coming out of the backfield. He catches the ball well and is comfortable in space. He has a little bit more wiggle than Estimé had, and with Estimé leav- ing and losing production there, Ke- dren has the opportunity and ability to walk in and play a significant amount of snaps for the offense. "On the defensive side of the ball, I had the pleasure of seeing Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa at the All-American Bowl. His floor might be as high as any defen- sive player in the country. His ability to diagnose and sniff plays off — it feels like he knows where some plays are go- ing before the offensive guys do. It was fascinating to watch him read and react and trigger to the football in person. I still think there are some limitations to his game from space, sideline to sideline and a carrying-guys-down-field per- spective. I think playing man coverage will be new for him. But on first and second down, I don't know if there's a freshman linebacker who will be able to walk in and function in that setting as well as Viliamu-Asa." Lemming: "Cam Williams would be the one. He's such an impact player with his 10.8 100-meter speed, and he aver- aged 25 yards per catch. He's going to be a star. They have to play him right away. They have depth now at receiver but not enough depth to not play him. One of the running backs could play a lot, particularly if there are injuries. I really like Kedren Young and Aneyas Williams. Both of them could play right away." BGI: Which prospect do you think could outplay his ranking? Power: "Taebron Bennie-Powell is one who we bumped to a four-star later in the cycle. Given the strides he made and his athletic profile, it wouldn't be a surprise if he outplayed his ranking. Someone like Karson Hobbs is a very solid player, and I think given Mike Mickens' track record at the position, you have to trust his evaluation if you're Notre Dame had four of its signees at the All-American Bowl, (from left to right) Kedren Young, Bryce Young, Cam Williams and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, each of whom is an On3 Top 100 prospect with the potential to make an early impact for the Irish in 2024. PHOTO BY MIKE SINGER