Which high school studs could end up committing to Notre Dame football?
Brian Kelly has brought Notre Dame football undoubtedly back to the forefront in the last decade.
We all firmly understand the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the most popular brand in college football. They’re a national independent program for a reason, as the NBC television contract is one of the sweetest things the Golden Domers have going for them. However, recruiting to a geographically Catholic school and academic power is more challenging than you’d expect.
Because the state of Indiana doesn’t offer as many blue-chip high school prospects as other neighboring states in the Midwest, Notre Dame has to recruit nationally. Fortunately, the Irish are one of the programs that are best equipped to do that. Though not every high school standout wants to play for the Irish, more than plenty do, as the rich tradition of the program rings true.
At this stage of the 2021 recruiting cycle, Notre Dame has the No. 15 class in the country towards the end of July. The Irish have 12 hard commits, including four-star dual-threat quarterback Tyler Buchner from La Mesa, California. If Notre Dame keeps it up, they can have another top-20 class in the country for 2021. Top-10 may be difficult, but top-15 is certainly doable in this cycle.
Here are five players who could sign with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
One player who could potentially make his way north from his native Conroe, Texas to play for Notre Dame is three-star running back Alton McCaskill. The Oak Ridge High School standout is 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds. He is the No. 32 running back in his class, the No. 78 player from Texas and the No. 553 overall prospect in his class. Notre Dame is one of 31 offers he’s garnered.
McCaskill’s primary recruiter to Notre Dame is running backs coach Lance Taylor. The four other programs seriously vying for McCaskill’s commitment are the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Michigan Wolverines, the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Virginia Tech Hokies. What is interesting is none of the major schools in Texas seem to be in on this running back prospect.
Overall, McCaskill could have great success at any of these five programs, with a shot of playing in conference championships and reaching the College Football Playoff at any of these five locations. What makes Notre Dame an interesting fit is McCaskill should know the Irish have become an offensive line factory of late. He be protected well and play alongside a strong quarterback, too.
For the sake of proximity, Oklahoma State feels like a pretty good bet to land him. Alabama does have a tendency to take three-star players and turn them into blue-chip NFL Draft prospects. Being interested in Michigan may indicate McCaskill is up for the academic workload playing for a school like that or at Notre Dame. He could go either way, but Notre Dame is firmly in the mix.