Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1515937
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MARCH 2024 37 2024 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE of a hole in the class. Larsen isn't what you think of for a classic Notre Dame tight end." Bellaire: "The interior defensive line is the first I'll point to. I mentioned one of the strongest groups being the edge prospects, but I would've liked more beef on the interior. They took a guy in Sean Sevillano Jr. who is strong but is more capped physically. You won't see him tack on athleticism and get juiced up. He's a big, interior space-eater. I would like to see a dynamic threat on the inte- rior. You could argue that Bryce Young or Cole Mullins beef up and kick inside, but I'm not sure that's the best idea. "The other group you could point at is the defensive backs in general. There are safe players on the back end, but I'm struggling to see guys with pure up- side. However, the class in general is very strong, so someone has to be at the bottom. Their position groups are very good in the grand scheme of the classes in the country." Lemming: "They have to have a re- ally good defensive back class in 2025, and it looks like they will. And I'd like to see them do a better job with the de- fensive line. You need impact players on the defensive line. They're doing decent at it now, but they need five-star guys and get players who can contribute right away. Notre Dame isn't doing that." BGI: Do you believe Notre Dame is recruiting at a level where they can win a national championship? Power: "They're recruiting at a level where they can get to the College Foot- ball Playoff. Once you get to that level, there are a lot of factors at play — the quarterback position is huge. And obvi- ously, it becomes about team depth and X's and O's. I would term Notre Dame's recruiting level as requisite to make the College Football Playoff. The over- all depth is encouraging, and they're bringing in quality players at every level. If you're a Notre Dame fan, you hope that they hit at quarterback. Bellaire: "The philosophy through- out the class is there. They're betting on traits and guys with great size. They're doing a good job of getting projectable NFL-draftable-traits players. There are guys with very high upside but also landing players who are plug and play, like Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa. Is his NFL Draft ceiling as high as some other line- backers in the class? Not necessarily, but his floor is of a third- or fourth-round pick. But everyone in the country would be happy to take a team full of third- and fourth-rounders. "If you sign two or three classes like this — top-10-caliber groups in the country — then there's no reason this Notre Dame team can't be in the hunt for a national title and especially the College Football Playoff. The biggest piece of it that we're going to have to wait and see on is the quarterback position. "CJ Carr is a great player, and the tools are there. If you can get him to reach his full potential and let his physical tools shine, then in two or three years, you could see Notre Dame pushing for a title. If they can get the quarterback posi- tion right, the depth is there on offense and defense. It needs to line up with a quarterback who can lead the charge, whether it's Carr, Kenny Minchey, Deuce Knight or someone in the portal. This program absolutely has the chance to make it there." Lemming: "Absolutely, yes — es- pecially with the early results in 2025. They're among the big boys. This year they can compete on the field. If Mike Denbrock can do with Riley Leonard what he did with Jayden Daniels and beat Texas A&M to start the season, then Notre Dame can run the table and be in the championship game. They're not as athletic as Alabama and Georgia, but they're not as far as they used to be. And they're a little bit more athletic than Michigan, and Michigan beat Ala- bama. Michigan had an efficient quar- terback, and if Notre Dame gets that, then they can surprise everyone and run the table." ✦ Four-star running back Aneyas Williams brings great versatility to the Notre Dame backfield, and our expert panel sees him as an impact player in the running and passing game. PHOTO COURTESY WILLIAMS "Notre Dame is recruiting at a College Football Playoff level. When you look at Marcus Freeman's first two years, you have to be encouraged by the strides they've made from a recruiting perspective." CHARLES POWER, ON3 DIRECTOR OF SCOUTING AND RANKINGS