Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING ROUNDUP 44 NOV. 23, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED Quarterback Blake Hebert, HHH, 6-3, 215, Greenwich, Conn. (Brunswick School) Running Back Nolan James Jr., HHH, 5-10, 205, Wayne, N.J. (DePaul Catholic) Justin Thurman, HHH, 6-0, 180, Tampa, Fla. (Jesuit) Wide Receiver Jerome Bettis Jr., HHH, 6-3, 185, College Park, Ga. (Woodward Academy) Elijah Burress, HHH, 6-0½, 175, Wayne, N.J. (DePaul Catholic) Isaiah Mizell, HHH, 6-0, 160, Orlando, Fla. (Boone) — Arizona commit Derek Meadows, HHHH, 6-6, 205, Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) — LSU commit Antwaun Parham, HHH, 6-4, 200, Coconut Creek, Fla. (Monarch) — Tulane commit Antavious Richardson, HHHH, 6-2, 170, Greenville, Ga. (Greenville) Tight End James Flanigan, HHHH, 6-5½, 245, Green Bay, Wis. (Notre Dame de la Baie Academy) Andrew Olesh, HHHH, 6-5, 215, Center Valley, Pa. (Southern Lehigh) — Michigan commit Offensive Line Matty Augustine, HHH, 6-7, 295, Greenwich, Conn. (Brunswick School) Will Black, HHHHH, 6-7½, 283, Wallingford, Conn. (Choate Rosemary Hall) Cameron Herron, HHHH, 6-2½, 275, Indianapolis (Warren Central) Owen Strebig, HHH, 6-7, 295, Waukesha, Wis. (Catholic Memorial) Defensive End Christopher Burgess Jr., HHHH, 6-4, 240, Chicago (Simeon) Dominik Hulak, HHHH, 6-4, 240, Elmhurst, Ill. (Immaculate Conception) Defensive Tackle Davion Dixon, HHH, 6-3, 305, Miami (Palmetto) Joseph Reiff, HHHH, 6-5, 250, Elmhurst, Ill. (York Community) Gordy Sulfsted, HHH, 6-5, 235, Cincinnati (St. Xavier) Jalen Wiggins, HHHH, 6-4½, 270, Tallahassee, Fla. (James Rickards) — Florida commit Linebacker Madden Faraimo, HHHH, 6-2, 225, San Juan Capistrano, Calif. (JSerra Catholic) Ko'o Kia, HHH, 6-3, 220, Honolulu (Punahou) Anthony Sacca, HHH, 6-2½, 225, Philadelphia (St. Joseph's) Cornerback Dallas Golden, HHHH, 6-0, 188, Tampa, Fla. (Berkeley Prep) Cree Thomas, HHH, 6-1, 170, Phoenix (Brophy College Preparatory) Mark Zackery, HHHH, 5-10½, 160, Indianapolis (Ben Davis) Safety JaDon Blair, HHHH, 6-4½, 195, Winston-Salem, N.C. (Mount Tabor) Ethan Long, HHH, 6-2, 185, Milford, Conn. (Brunswick School) Brandon Logan, HHH, 6-1, 190, Fort Wayne, Ind. (Snider) Athlete None Star ratings are from On3 as of Nov. 15; Commitments in bold italics Class Of 2025 Scholarship Offer Master List RECRUITING NOTES • For the Florida State game Nov. 9, Notre Dame wel- comed Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy four-star linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, the younger half-brother of for- mer Fighting Irish linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, to campus on an unofficial visit. It was the 6-foot-0½, 200-pounder's third time in South Bend. From the sounds of it, it will be his last. The Irish bowed out of the race for On3's No. 40 prospect in Florida and No. 30 linebacker nationally in the 2025 class. The reports of Owusu-Boateng's visit indicated that it did not go well compared to the other recruits who were on campus. So, rather than trying to make up ground, Notre Dame will zero in on its other four-star linebacker target in the 2025 class, San Juan Capistrano (Calif.) JSerra Catholic's Madden Faraimo. Owusu-Boateng is expected to commit to Michigan, Colo- rado or Texas. • The Longhorns and Southern Cal are battling Notre Dame the hardest for Faraimo, On3's No. 13 linebacker and No. 130 overall player in the class. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Faraimo made it to South Bend for the Florida State game. It marked his fifth trip to campus. He hopes to announce his decision sometime around Thanksgiving. "It's definitely not like home being from Southern California," Faraimo told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "I think the people, coaches, players and what the school can offer you academically and spiritually as a per- son has really stuck out to me. Getting comfortable being out there is important to me." If the Irish were to land Faraimo, he would join a class that features three-star prospects Ko'o Kia and Anthony Sacca, the Nos. 33 and 64 linebackers in the class, respec- tively, per On3. Honolulu Punahou's Kia and Philadelphia St. Joseph's Prep's Sacca also rank as the Nos. 2 and 19 players in their respective states. • In addition to Owusu-Boateng and Fariamo, the Irish also hosted Tallahassee (Fla.) James Rickards four-star defensive lineman Jalen Wiggins, a Florida commit, on an official visit. The 6-4½, 270-pound Wiggins is the No. 14 prospect in Florida, and the No. 10 defensive lineman and the No. 95 overall player in the 2025 class according to On3. Wiggins has been pledged to the Gators since Jan. 15. How- ever, his first trip to South Bend left him with much to consider. "I really am considering Notre Dame," Wiggins told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "I want to think over it, pray about it and make the right decision for myself. I'm taking it day by day. If I don't make a decision quickly enough, then the decision will probably just be on signing day. "I have all the information I need. I have to put it together and compare it all to see what would be best for me. One thing about the recruiting process is that you have to be selfish." — Kyle Kelly ON3 INDUSTRY 2025 TEAM RECRUITING RANKINGS As of Nov. 15 1. Ohio State 26 2. Alabama 21 3. Georgia 24 4. LSU 27 5. Texas 23 6. Auburn 28 7. Oregon 16 8. Tennessee 24 9. Texas A&M 22 10. Miami 23 11. Michigan 19 12. Oklahoma 21 13. Notre Dame 24 14. USC 21 Rk. School Commits Rk. School Commits Notre Dame has bowed out of N a t h a n i e l O w u s u - B o a t e n g 's recruitment after the Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy 2025 four-star linebacker visited for the Florida State game Nov. 9. PHOTO BY CHAD SIMMONS/ON3 2025 Master List Changes Prospects Committed: RB Nolan James Jr. of Wayne, N.J. Prospects Decommitted: None. Prospects Removed: LB Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng of Bradenton, Fla. (no longer considering Notre Dame).