Notre Dame Class Impact: Breaking Down The Commitment Of Anthonie Knapp
In this story:
Notre Dame picked up a commitment from Roswell (Ga.) High School offensive lineman Anthonie Knapp. The Fighting Irish beat out Penn State, North Carolina, NC State and Georgia Tech for his commitment.
Let's break down what this commitment means for Notre Dame's 2024 class and how he fits into the Fighting Irish offense.
NOTRE DAME CLASS IMPACT
Knapp is the ninth player to commit to Notre Dame in the 2024 class, he's the sixth offensive commit and the second offensive lineman to join the class. Knapp joins Malvern (Pa.) Prep offensive tackle Peter Jones as the blockers in the 2024 class. Notre Dame also has commitments from elite quarterback CJ Carr, standout receiver Cam Williams, running back Aneyas Williams, tight end Jack Larsen, defensive tackle Owen Wafle and cornerbacks Leonard Moore and Karson Hobbs.
Notre Dame is looking to land four offensive linemen in the class, with the idea of landing two interior players and two offensive tackles. Landing Knapp gives Notre Dame an interior blocker in the class despite him playing left tackle in high school. How the rest of the class fills out will be determined by how Notre Dame views Jones. If they see him as an interior player then they are full inside and the focus will be on tackles.
NOTRE DAME FIT
A left tackle for Roswell, Knapp projects as a guard or center in the Notre Dame offense. Guard is where Notre Dame is recruiting him at the moment but he has plenty of skills that could thrive at center as well.
Right now, Knapp is a bit undersized at 265 pounds. He'll need to continue building up his upper body and filling out his core and lower body. Despite his lack of size he does show above average length, but more importantly he shows heavy hands. This allows Knapp to play with a lot of power at the prep level, and as he adds more weight and strength moving forward he has the potential to be a mover in the run game.
Knapp is a quality athlete that looks comfortable on the edge. He has a bad habit of narrowing his base, which tends to keep him from showing a consistent drive. When he keeps his pads low and does keep a good base you can see Knapp's combination of power and quickness make an impact in the run game. That is when you'll see Knapp drive a defender off the ball and onto the ground.
I like the attitude and demeanor that Knapp plays the game with, and in that regard he fits very well with last year's offensive line group. His length fits well inside, but that is what keeps him from projecting as a tackler at the next level. On the inside, Knapp should be able to be an effective run blocker and impact player in the pass game. He works quickly to the second level and should be really good as a puller, assuming he can do a better job staying low when moving off the ball.
Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge
Irish Breakdown Content
2023 Scholarship Chart
2023 Football Schedule
Notre Dame 2023 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense
———————
Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more.
Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!
Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes
Follow me on Twitter: @CoachD178
Follow me on Gettr: @IrishBreakdown
Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook