Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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42 MARCH 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2024 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY TODD D. BURLAGE W ith experience against elite high school competition, along with size and speed, Irish freshman wide receiver Micah Gilbert arrived at Notre Dame in January as an early enrollee impressively equipped to make an immediate impact this fall. Let's begin with the elite competi- tion that Gilbert played with and against while at Charlotte (N.C.) Christian High School. It was there that Gilbert had the op- portunity last season to cross state lines and test his talents against two of the best teams in Georgia and in the entire country — Calvary Day and Rabun Gap- Nacoochee. And while Gilbert's Knights lost both games, the new Irish addition managed 10 catches for 120 yards against Calvary Day and 9 grabs for 118 yards against Rabun Gap-Nacoochee. As a senior last season, Gilbert tal- lied 76 receptions for 1,105 yards with 10 touchdowns, and a boost of preparedness and confidence he carried into the next chapter of his football career. "Just playing against better players re- quired a lot more of me," explained Gil- bert. "It made the game more intense, made me more detailed in everything I did, and allowed me to perform better." And given the mass transfer exodus of four Irish wide receivers this offsea- son following the firing of position coach Chansi Stuckey, Gilbert could compete for a regular rotational role in the fall with a solid spring. "Some part of you says, 'Why is this whole transfer thing happening?'" Gil- bert shared. "But at the end of the day, it does create a shorter list for me to get on the playing field." Blessed with natural gifts and a ma- turity beyond his years, the 6-foot-2, 206-pounder looked physically ready to play the day he arrived on campus. "I would say I'm a bigger receiver and I have a physical frame," Gilbert said when asked to assess his game. "I create mis- matches with a very high catch radius, with my long arms and my speed that goes along with it." Add to that a family tree that includes a brother, Mark, who played cornerback at Duke and one year in the NFL; a cousin, Darrelle Revis, who was one of the best cornerbacks in NFL history and a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee; another cousin, Jordan Whitehead, who currently plays defensive back for the New York Jets; and an uncle, Sean Gilbert, who was the third overall pick in the 1992 draft and a standout NFL defensive tackle for 12 years. There is no reason to believe the youngest of this group won't set a similar NFL course while at Notre Dame. But until then, "I'm just trying to learn as much as I can from the older guys and people around me to try and hit the ground running," Gilbert said. "But it does help a little bit that I played against and performed against elite competition in high school." ✦ Gilbert's production skyrocketed as a senior, total- ing 1,105 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns. PHOTO COURTESY ON3 MICAH GILBERT WIDE RECEIVER 6-2 ∙ 206 CHARLOTTE CHRISTIAN H.S. CHARLOTTE, N.C. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 175 32 6 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 257 35 8 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 61 9 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 47 10 STATISTICS • Caught 76 passes for 1,105 yards (a single- season school record) and 10 touchdowns in 12 games as a senior. Also contributed 30 tackles (25 solo), 3 interceptions, 2 passes broken up and 1 fumble recovery as a defensive back. • Hauled in 39 passes for 486 yards and 6 scores in seven games as a junior. Also had 8 tackles and 2 passes broken up on defense. • Snagged 40 passes for 534 yards and 3 touch- downs in 10 games as a sophomore. NOTABLE • Invited to participate in the 2023 U.S. Army Bowl, an All-American showcase. Notched 4 re- ceptions for 41 yards for the Black team in a 62- 37 loss to the Gold squad Dec. 18 in Frisco, Texas. • Tabbed as a 2023 Charlotte Observer All-Star and a first-team All-Charlotte Observer performer on defense. • Earned first-team all-state from the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Associa- tion in 2023 and was a second-team pick in 2022. • Averaged 15.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in basketball en route to second-team all- conference honors as a junior. • His father, Mark, played basketball at Duquesne. • His brother, Mark Jr., played football at Duke and signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2021. RECRUITMENT • Committed to the Fighting Irish on May 2, 2023. • Enrolled at Notre Dame in January. • Also held offers from Michigan, Penn State, South Carolina and Tennessee. • Recruited by former wide receivers coach Chansi Stuckey and current wide receivers coach Mike Brown. • Visited Notre Dame four times, including his official visit on June 16, 2023. 2024 PROJECTION • Has college-ready size, which could help him see time at wide receiver during his freshman season. Is a boundary wide receiver candidate. THEY SAID IT Prep Football Report recruiting analyst Tom Lemming: "His size fits the type of receivers Notre Dame has gone after in the past — wide receivers with length. I thought he was a pretty good safety, too. He's a good route runner and quick-twitch athlete. He's a really good basketball player. When a football player plays basketball, that's a real plus because you know they're ath- letic and they have explosive moves. "He has the bloodlines. His cousin is Darrelle Revis. His uncle is Sean Gilbert, who went to Pittsburgh and played in the NFL for a long time. His family is super talented. "He's the real deal, and I like him a lot. He fits the pattern they've had in the past: big wide receivers with a wide catch radius. His speed is good, but not blazing." Micah Gilbert Ready To Take The Next Step