National Signing Day: Fighting Irish Land a Top 10 Recruiting Class
While planning for the game Saturday vs Clemson, Notre Dame also worked on its future next season. Early signing was this past Wednesday for the 2021 recruiting class, and Notre Dame landed 24 National Letters of Intent. There were no real surprises on Wednesday, and thats a good thing sometimes when it comes to college recruiting. Notre Dame was ranked by ESPN as having the 8th best class currently, and the Irish signed 11 four-star recruits and 14 three-star recruits – another great haul of talent to keep the success rolling in South Bend.
Out of the 24 recruits who signed on Wednesday, here are the 4 that I am most excited about:
- Tyler Buchner – QB La Mesa, CA: The Irish will need to address a big hole in the offense next year when Ian Book moves on. The Irish could have found Books’ replacement with Buchner, who comes in as a 4-star recruit. Look for Buchner to compete with Drew Pyne and Brendon Clark for the QB1 spot. As far as quarterback prospects, Buchner was listed as the 3rd best in the country at his position. The off-season quarterback competition is going to be a good one.
- Blake Fisher – OT Avon, IN: Notre Dame found an outstanding offensive tackle prospect right in their own backyard. Fisher is from Avon, Indiana and comes to South Bend as a 4-star recruit. Notre Dame will lose a ton of talent on the O-line and there is a chance Fisher could find playing time in his first season. Fisher comes to Notre Dame as the top-ranked recruit at his position in the state and 8th in the country. I like to consider Notre Dame “O-line U” and they may have just found another lineman who will find his way to the NFL.
- Gabriel Rubio – DT Saint Peters, MO: Over the past couple of seasons, Notre Dame has had a very strong defense, and on Wednesday they added a great prospect with Rubio on the defensive line. Rubio is a 4-star recruit who was ranked 8th at his position in the country. The Irish will have a lot of guys to replace on the D-line next season, and Rubio could possibly find some playing time as a freshman.
- Lorenzo Styles Jr – WR Pickerington, OH: The Irish found a playmaker in Styles. Styles was ranked in the top 20 of wide outs in the country. Notre Dame is going to have a ton of speed on offense next year with Kyren Williams, Braden Lenzy, Jordan Johnson and Styles. The Irish will look a lot different next year on offense when they lose a lot of key parts, but that doesn’t mean they will take a step back at all. Look for Styles to make an impact right off the bat.
I think Notre Dame put itself in a great spot with the guys they landed on Wednesday to keep the success going on the football field for seasons to come. If Notre Dame wants to keep having a chance to be in the playoffs year after year, they will have to make sure the guys they do get to South Bend produce. Having a top 10 recruiting class is great, but it doesn’t mean much if the success does not continue. Wednesday was just the start of the National Signing period, and there is still a chance that Notre Dame could land more recruits. Now, with the early signing period behind them, the Irish can get back to focusing on Saturday and beating Clemson.