Five things we learned about Notre Dame football recruiting in June
June was a busy month for Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish coaching staff. BlueandGold.com gives you five things it learned as the Irish enter July.
1. Notre Dame landed six new commitments
One of my phrases I often say is June official visits lead to July commitments. But that might not be the case this year. A lot of prospects will take their June trips and then make their declaration in July. But these prospects went ahead and locked in commitments.
Two safeties committed to the Irish in the span of a few days. On June 21 — less than a week after he picked up an offer from Notre Dame — West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West’s Taebron Bennie-Powell committed to the Irish. While he’s still ranked pretty low, Bennie-Powell already got a bump in the On3 Industry Ranking and is listed as the No. 899 overall player and No. 48 “athlete” in America.
Fort Wayne (Ind.) North Side’s Tae Johnson is listed as an “athlete” but in looking at his national ranking, he’s the highest-ranked player the Irish will have signed at safety since Kyle Hamilton if his current spot holds. He’s the No. 165 prospect and No. 5 athlete in the country per the On3 Industry Ranking. Johnson committed to the Irish June 24 over Purdue, Tennessee and others.
The same day in late May that Notre Dame parted ways with New Jersey defensive lineman Owen Wafle, the Irish got word of a commitment from Clearwater (Fla.) Academy International’s Sean Sevillano, who would announce his news June 2. The Irish wanted at least one true nose tackle in the 2024 class, and they got their man in Sevillano.
Notre Dame was finally able to add Fishers (Ind.) Hamilton Southeastern’s Styles Prescod, who On3 ranks as the No. 189 overall player and No. 10 interior lineman in America. The Irish are taking the four-star recruit as a tackle prospect.
We’re not talking enough about how big it was for the Irish to land Lufkin (Texas) High’s Kedren Young, the No. 172 overall player and No. 12 running back per the On3 Industry Ranking. Notre Dame beat out the Texas powers for the impressive athlete.
And the last prospect to mention is in the 2025 class. Washington (Okla.) High’s Nate Roberts, the No. 133 overall player and No. 3 tight end nationally per the On3 Industry Ranking, took several summer visits and enjoyed his time in South Bend the most. Roberts committed to the Irish over Oklahoma, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan and others June 17.
It was a strong month on the recruiting trail for the Fighting Irish.
2. The 2024 board shrank fast
And with all those new commitments, we saw the 2024 board nearly fill up. It should be noted that class size and what Notre Dame wants at each position is very much subject to change. The Irish are done at receiver with three commitments, but they could decide to go get a fourth at some point in the next few months.
But at quarterback, running back and safety, the Irish have hit their mark and are not recruiting any other prospects to our knowledge.
Notre Dame may also be done at tight end after Ainsworth (Neb.) High’s Carter Nelson committed to Nebraska in June. We’ve heard that Nelson would be the only tight end the staff looked to add go pair with Charlotte (N.C.) Catholic’s Jack Larsen, but that could change as early senior season film comes out on prospects this fall.
On the offensive and defensive lines, the Irish hit their mark in terms of numbers but are still looking to add too-good-to-turn-down talent. On the D-line, it’s of course Chicago St. Ignatius’ five-star Justin Scott. And on the O-line, the Irish are in hot pursuit of West Roxbury (Mass.) Catholic Memorial’s Guerby Lambert.
Linebacker is a position on the board where the Irish still have yet to reach their total. Notre Dame has two commitments at the position with two major targets left on the board in Hoover (Ala.) High’s Bradley Shaw and Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco’s Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa.
And over at cornerback, Notre Dame would love to flip Nashville (Tenn.) Lipscomb Academy’s Kaleb Beasley from Tennessee.
Notre Dame would also gladly accept a commitment from American Fork (Utah) High safety Davis Andrews, but because he’s taking a two-year Mormon mission trip right after he graduates from high school in December, he would count as a 2026 scholarship prospect.
On Saturday, Warner Robins (Ga.) High’s Isiah Canion decommitted from Notre Dame in what was a surprising move. Notre Dame will look to replace him as the staff wants three receivers in the class. The staff will circle back to some older targets, but it’s much more likely that Canion’s replacement is a new player who they’ll offer in the coming weeks.
3. The battle continues for top targets
My living has been in reporting on recruits for the past decade, and with each year that passes, the crazier the industry gets and the more wild the recruitments are. These class of 2024 prospects — especially the high-profile players — have been difficult to read.
In Lambert’s case, he’s down to Boston College, Harvard, Notre Dame and Ohio State. I recently logged a prediction for the Irish to land him, and intel I received from a source Friday made me feel even more confident in that pick.
I don’t see him landing at Ohio State. Boston College will remain in the mix because of the close-to-home factor. Harvard is actually an X-factor in the recruitment because of how important academics is to the Lambert family. But at the end of the day, I believe that the Irish will land Lambert in early August. Notre Dame truly has the best of both worlds for what he’s looking for in college.
Scott’s recruitment has been a wild one. I’ve had a few different sources tell me that reports of various schools leading for him have been a smokescreen. It makes gauging what the truth is very difficult. I heard Michigan buzz a few days ago, but a trusted source told me Friday that Notre Dame is right in the thick of it and that the Michigan buzz may not be accurate. Heck, Scott could commit in the next week or stretch things until February. This one won’t be over until he signs a letter of intent.
Moving over to linebacker, Shaw hasn’t been responsive with Notre Dame recently, but it’s my understanding that he’s not really talking with any school at this point. I’d guess he lands at Auburn, but Notre Dame is still in this one. It’s anyone’s guess as to where Viliamu-Asa ends up. USC is probably the safe bet, but Notre Dame has always felt good about landing him.
For Beasley, it’ll all hinge on if he takes the official visit for the Ohio State game or not. If he does, I believe Notre Dame will flip him.
4. Notre Dame set for big July BBQ recruiting event
One of the biggest recruiting dates for Notre Dame each year is at the end of July for its annual BBQ event. It will be mostly focused on the 2025 class, but I’m imaging that several 2024 commits will be there along with some 2024 targets.
Notre Dame has been working on getting Scott to campus, which would be monumental news.
As the month of July progresses, we’ll have reports on the players due in for the Irish staff.
5. QB recruiting is 2025 heating up
Two more prospects who the staff hopes to have for its July BBQ is at the quarterback position.
We learned near the end of the month that Notre Dame and Tennessee have pulled ahead of the pack for Lucedale (Miss.) George County’s Deuce Knight, the No. 61 overall player and No. 3 signal-caller per the On3 Industry Ranking. Knight told us that the Irish and Volunteers aren’t necessarily his top two schools though, as he’s also taking a strong look at Ole Miss and Alabama. Knight’s commitment timeline is wide open; he could commit this summer or stretch things out a while. Notre Dame hopes to get him on campus later this month and lock in his commitment.
Murrieta (Calif.) Valley’s Bear Bachmeier, the No. 111 overall player and No. 8 quarterback according to the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking, is also looking at visiting Notre Dame at the end of July, and the staff would like extend a scholarship offer to him if he makes it in. Bachmeier has been keeping in close contact with quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli the past few weeks.
For more 2025 quarterback recruiting nuggets, check out my Lucky Charms article from June 27.
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