Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM JANUARY 2025 53 F O O T B A L L R E C R U I T I N G both cornerback and safety in high school, too. However, the Irish see the 6-0, 180-pounder being a lockdown cornerback in South Bend. Golden, the No. 14 cornerback and No. 114 overall pros- pect nationally, is fast, twitchy and has a superb football IQ. When you talk about wanting Notre Dame to get more athletes to compete with the top SEC schools, Golden is just that. He was coveted by all those programs as well. Some tried to flip him late, but they were unsuccessful. — Singer 5. JAMES FLANIGAN TE • 6-5, 230 Green Bay, Wis. Notre Dame de la Baie Academy Flanigan might be better than his father, former Notre Dame defensive lineman Jim Flanigan. The younger Fla- nigan is an exceptional athlete, playing four years of varsity foot- ball and also excelling in varsity hockey and track and field. Because of his success in other sports and those abilities translating to the football field, Flanigan, the nation's No. 6 tight end and No. 117 overall player, is a favorite of On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power, who said the Notre Dame signee's "combination of explosive strength and athleticism at his size sticks out." Flanigan will arrive in South Bend with excep- tional blocking skills and the ability to contribute in the passing game, evidenced by his 85 career receptions for 1,832 yards and 28 touchdowns in high school. He could burn right through his red- shirt by playing offense and special teams. — Kelly 6. JADON BLAIR S • 6-4, 190 Winston-Salem, N.C. • Mount Tabor With many of these commit- ments that took place several months ago, fans tend to forget about just how talented these players are. A case in point is Blair, who the Fighting Irish landed in a dog fight over Penn State, Michi- gan, Virginia Tech, South Carolina and Louisville. At 6-4 and 190 pounds, Blair is a big-time safety recruit and has drawn plenty of Kyle Hamilton comparisons with their similar style of play. The No. 11 safety and No. 124 overall prospect is long and can cover a lot of ground in the blink of an eye, plus he shows off incredible ball skills on film. He has the potential to play early in his Notre Dame career. — Singer 7. MARK ZACKERY IV CB • 6-0, 170 Indianapolis • Ben Davis Zackery is one of the state's all-time great ath- letes, leading the Indianapolis Ben Davis football team to a state title as a junior and playing a key bench role for the state championship basketball team as a sophomore. The 6-0, 170-pound Zackery had an exceptional football ca- reer, compiling 140 tackles, 14 interceptions, 19 passes broken up, 3 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries and 2 blocked punts. As a junior and senior, he proved his worth as a wide receiver, catching 111 passes for 1,859 yards and 20 touchdowns. Above all else, the nation's No. 18 cornerback and No. 153 overall player is a playmaker and will be counted on to keep coming up with game- changing plays in the Irish secondary. He would like to contribute to the Irish men's basketball program in some capacity, too. — Kelly 8. SCRAP RICHARDSON WR • 6-2, 170 Greenville, Ga. • Greenville After Notre Dame finished the summer with two receiver com- mits, the staff identified a few pass catchers they wanted to tar- get. Richardson, the No. 6 ath- lete and No. 256 overall player in the country, was among them. The former South Florida commit also had Ala- bama and North Carolina in pursuit, but he sided with the Irish after officially visiting campus in September. Richardson is immensely talented as an athlete, but getting on the field as a receiver may take some time, considering he's never played the position. He's been a quarterback and lined up all over the field on defense at the high school level. Yet, he comes to Notre Dame with a ton of potential. — Singer 9. CAM HERRON OL • 6-2, 276 Indianapolis • W arren Central After about a year of evaluat- ing Herron, Irish offensive line coach Joe Rudolph was able to flip the 6-2, 276-pounder from Iowa. Herron, the No. 18 interior offensive lineman and No. 256 overall prospect in the land, proj- ects as a center for Notre Dame — the Irish love his ability to play the position. Though he's a few inches smaller than a few of Notre Dame's starting centers as of late, Herron compares to former Irish center Sam Mustipher and former Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum — two NFL standouts — with his stature. Where he has them beat is with his 35-inch arms, which gives him a great advantage over defenders. There is little doubt that he could find himself in the start- ing five in the future. — Kelly 10. OWEN STREBIG OL • 6-7, 292 Brookfield, Wis. • Waukesha Catholic Memorial Before Dec. 4, the only prospect the Irish had signed from Wisconsin in the internet recruiting era — which dates back to 2002 — was of- fensive lineman Billy Schrauth in the 2022 cycle. Today, the Irish can say they signed two more between Strebig and Flanigan, two of the top recruits in the state. Rudolph struck up a relationship with Strebig when he was in the eighth grade, and that ended up paying off in his commitment and signature. Strebig is one of three 6-foot-7 offensive tackles in the Irish class and might have to give playing on the interior offensive line some thought. Rudolph has shown that's possible with his usage of sopho- more Sullivan Absher, a 6-7, 321-pounder, who has seen snaps at guard this season. Regardless of where Strebig, the nation's No. 22 offensive tackle and No. 288 overall prospect, plays he was a great get for the Irish, considering how many other programs coveted him. — Kelly 11. ANTHONY SACCA LB • 6-3, 225 Delran, N.J. • St. Joseph's Prep School (Pa.) Sacca is one of the lesser talked about players in the class, but that shouldn't be the case. The four-star prospect and Penn State legacy recruit committed to the Irish over offers from the Nittany Lions, Ohio State, Geor- gia, Alabama and many others back in March. The country's No. 38 linebacker has a back- ground playing safety early in his high school career but bulked up to be an inside backer. He played for one of the top programs nationally and comes to Notre Dame with great experience and a high ceiling. Sacca is a heady player with athleticism and hits with pop. Don't be surprised to see him contribute on defense and/or special teams as a true fresh- man. — Singer 12. DOMINIK HULAK DL • 6-4, 240 Glendale Heights, Ill. • Immaculate Conception Hulak's recruitment was one of the most fascinating of the 2025 cycle. When the 6-4, 240-pounder and No. 36 edge in the land verbally committed to Notre Dame in November 2023, the program initially projected him to play a Marist Liufau-linebacker-type role. However, after a few months of growth, the Irish ultimately decided he was destined for vyper. And that's where he'll start his college career. Hulak will bring speed off the edge, considering his 4.65-second 40-yard dash at last June's Irish Invasion high school prospect camp. As a senior, he finished with 32 tackles, 10 sacks, 9 stops for loss and 1 forced fumble. The Irish are thrilled about his upside and pushed hard to get him in the fold 13 months ago. — Kelly