IdahoJudge

I have no insider information and I wouldn’t bet money on anything. But from reading other recruiting sites, my “educated” guess is the next two commitments will be Ronan Hanafin and Christian Gray. it will be fun to see how good my guess is!

I once read that Heistand doesn’t rank potential recruits #1, #2, #3 in order of his preference and wait for the higher ranked recruit to decide. Instead, following analyzation, Heistand places each recruit into a group of similarly talented players. Those in the “A” group have their commitment accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Those in the lesser groups have to wait. There is always the case of the exceptionally gifted lineman. (Realistically, the exceptional player is in his own “A+“ grouping.) If Heistand was taking four commits, he might stall in accepting the fourth commit if he realistically thought he could get the exceptional lineman. Still, the general rule is Heistand always accepts the commitment of a recruit in his “A” group. Does anyone know if this is the practice followed by Heistand?

So far this month, 247 has entered multiple crystal predictions for four 2023 Notre Dame recruits: Braylon James 6-2/175 TX WR. (Three crystal ball predictions) Charles Jagusah 6-6/308 IL OT. (Two crystal ball predictions) Jayden Limar 5-11/190 WA RB. (Three crystal ball predictions) Boubacar Traore 6-4/250 MA DL. (Four crystal ball predictions)

Boubacar Traore is a 6-4/250 DL from Massachusetts. On 247, he is ranked as the 149th player in the nation and as the 23rd best DL. Currently, two crystal balls predict Traore committing to Notre Dame. One is from Tom Loy.

Samuel M’Pemba grew up in Missouri but plays at IMG. He is 6-4/230. On 247, he is the 13th-ranked player nationally and the #1 athlete. I think Notre Dame offered him as a linebacker, but I’m not sure about that. Potentially, M’Pemba can play multiple defensive positions, from LB/Rover to Vyper. As an athlete, he also has legit offensive potential. Ausberry is most likely a LB/Rover. Recruiting sites suggest that Notre Dame will have 25 scholarships for 2023. I agree with SDIrishFan. You take both Ausberry and M’Pemba and figure it out later. What I like most is that Notre Dame could end up dropping top 100 football players from their board because they already have accepted commitments from other players filling the position.

Jaiden Ausberry, a 2023 6-2/205 Louisiana linebacker, plans to visit Notre Dame March 18-20. Ausberry is ranked on 247 as the 40th player in the nation and the 3rd-ranked linebacker.

Notre Dame offers 247 4-star prospect Stephiylan Green, a 6-4/267 defensive lineman from Georgia. Green is rated as the 256th ranked national prospect, and the 37th ranked defensive lineman.

Luke Montgomery (Ohio OL/DL) stated on Monday that he will announce his commitment on Feb. 17th.

I love reading the collective thought of this forum. Based on the comments, I now think Notre Dame would accept Zinter’s commitment. Notre Dame’s success in recruiting linebackers last year left me wanting Notre Dame to only swing for home runs at this stage of the 2023 recruiting process. The films of Jaiden Ausberry and Anthony Hill made them my favorite linebacker prospects. (Or look at the film of Nyckoles Harbor, although I don’t think Harbor has shown much interest in Notre Dame.) But my opinion is that of the casual, unpaid observer. I am far more fan than expert. The film shows Zinter is a talented prospect and I respect the coaching staff’s evaluation of players. If Coach Freeman wants Zinter’s commitment, that’s good enough for me. I’m excited to see Zinter’s choice.

I think Jagusah and Absher are legit players with interest in Notre Dame. I like their film. But it is Hiestand’s interest that matters. Until today, I had never heard of Preston Zinter. I doubt Zinter’s offer is committable at this time. I watched his sophomore Hudl film (it’s good) which listed him as 6-3/220 and playing at TE/DE. He is at an age of growth for many high schoolers, but I think he likely plays WR or LB in college. Still, I think Notre Dame has greater interest in other athletes. Ronan Hanafin, (MA, 6-3/205) has also been offered as an athlete by ND . His college position would be WR or LB. I think ND would accept Hanafin in a heartbeat and Hanafin is very interested. (Hanafin’s film is very good.)

Recent crystal ball predictions for Norte Dame: Preston Zinter. MA Athlete. (6-3/215) (He also has a crystal ball for Michigan.) Charles Jagusah IL OT (6-6/308) Sullivan Absher NC OT (6-7/275) (He also has a crystal ball for North Carolina.)

Yesterday, I watched film of Notre Dame defensive recruits even as the TV showed the NFL playoffs. The talent of the players being pursued by Notre Dame is amazing. It’s purely subjective, but I picked a player for each level of the defense that I like best. Nykoles Harbor, Washington D.C defensive end. 6-5/225. I doubt Harbor has ever played a game where he wasn’t the best athlete on the field. He’s my #1 choice for the defensive line because I feel that as good as he is at rushing the passer, he has the speed and athleticism to be equally good at dropping into coverage. (To me, he seemed the fastest of the linemen I watched.) Anthony Hill, Texas linebacker. 6-2/225. Hill is a violent athlete blessed with speed and football acumen. Players fly backwards when he hits them. (I love seeing a player lying on the field, arms and legs akimbo. Hill hits them that hard.) Malik Muhammad, Texas cornerback. 6/170. The highlight films show him at receiver and at cornerback. Either way, he is smooth, fast and football-savvy. He makes plays everywhere. Caleb Downs, Georgia safety. 6-1/185. WOW! (To have Peyton Bowen, Aiden Schuyler and Caleb Downs all committed would be the best safety recruiting class ever!) While all these players are talking to Notre Dame, I don’t know how high Notre Dame stands with any of them.

I believe schools like Boise State will see their brightest stars entering the transfer portal for financial opportunity. Why would a player like Leighton Vander Esch stay in Boise? Leighton would have started at any university that could afford him. (He chose the NFL over BSU.)

Alabama running back Alvin Henderson Pennsylvania safety Anthony Sacca Ohio quarterback Ryan Montgomery

Joseph playing for Notre Dame next year makes the safety position a strength. The transfer portal favored Notre Dame this year!