Blue and Gold Illustrated

January 2025

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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52 JANUARY 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2 0 2 4 E A R L Y S I G N I N G D A Y BY KYLE KELLY AND MIKE SINGER O n Dec. 4, the first day of the early signing window, the Notre Dame football program signed 25 high school seniors to its 2025 recruiting class. Elite offen- sive tackle talent, dominant defensive backs and underrated Notre Dame leg- acy recruits comprise the 2025 class. Below is a breakdown of each Notre Dame class of 2025 signee, listed in or- der of their ratings in the On3 Indus- try Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. 1. WILL BLACK OT • 6-7, 292 London, Ontario • Choate Rosemary Hall (Conn.) It was a mild surprise when Notre Dame landed Black's com- mitment in December 2023 — he previously called Michigan his "dream school." But it was the Fighting Irish he committed to and never looked back. He is the No. 6 offensive tackle and No. 26 overall player in the nation. His rise in the offseason was meteoric, and he followed that up with excellent play as a senior. The elite prospect won't enroll at Notre Dame until the summer, but that was the same with Irish legend Joe Alt. Black — a product of London, Ontario — is the prototypical left tackle prospect and has all the makings of a future first-round selection in the NFL Draft. He has athleticism, size and strength — you name it. Black has it all. — Singer 2. MADDEN FARAIMO LB • 6-2, 219 Oceanside, Calif. • JSerra Catholic There was no bigger moment in the 2025 recruiting cycle than when Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman casually stepped onto the podium at the start of his signing day news con- ference to announce Faraimo, the country's No. 4 linebacker and No. 77 overall prospect, had signed with the Irish. They battled to the finish to steal one of USC's top prospects in Southern California. Despite missing two games due to a hand injury this past season, he posted 113 tackles (43 solo), 3 stops for loss, 1 sack, 1 interception, 1 pass broken up, 1 forced fumble and 2 blocked field goals in nine outings. His performance helped him become a Butkus Award finalist, presented to the nation's top high school linebacker. They also honor one in college and the NFL. Faraimo has all the potential to be a finalist in both those leagues as his career progresses. He should play Day 1 for Notre Dame. — Kelly 3. CHRISTOPHER BURGESS JR. DL • 6-3, 245 Chicago • Simeon Despite only beginning his football career as a high school freshman, Burgess, the No. 11 edge and No. 111 overall player in the land, was offered by most Power Four college football pro- grams. Irish defensive line coach Al Washington and assistant defensive line coach Nick Sebastian were smart to prioritize building a relationship with the Chicago standout and his family when he was a sophomore, considering the nationwide interest from schools. Burgess has played out of position the last two seasons, limiting his defensive end development. Still, he had 101 tackles (51 solo), 8 stops for loss, 5 sacks, 8 quarterback hurries, 1 pass broken up, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery while playing middle linebacker as a senior. It would not be a surprise if Burgess made a jump in the offseason to put himself in contention to see snaps as a freshman. — Kelly 4. DALLAS GOLDEN CB • 6-0, 180 Tampa, Fla. • Berkeley Prep I would argue that Golden is the best pound-for-pound ath- lete in Notre Dame's class and one of the best in the country. Former Irish captain Mike Goolsby is adamant that he be- lieves Golden's highest upside is on the offensive side of the ball, where he primar- ily lined up in high school, playing both receiver and running back. Golden has gotten snaps at RATING THE RECRUITS Blue & Gold Illustrated's insights on Notre Dame's 2025 signees Five-star offensive tackle Will Black is rated as the No. 1 player at his position and the No. 2 overall prospect nationally by On3. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER

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