Notre Dame Weekend Visit Preview: Irish Hosting Several Key Recruits
For back to back weekends, the Notre Dame staff is set to host a flurry of talented recruits in the 2024 and 2025 recruiting classes. Once again, the list is extremely gifted with a few being priorities for the staff.
The next few weeks will be vital for the Irish staff to really make an impact with the 2024 recruits who are visiting. They have a chance to gain a ton of momentum throughout the month of April.
The same can be said for the 2025 group, although it is much more about getting sound footing with some of their top targets on the board. Let’s take a look at the visitors Notre Dame is expecting this weekend.
FRIDAY VISITORS
On Friday, Notre Dame is expecting a host of talented 2024 recruits to make the trip to South Bend. That includes the Smith twins, Jacob and Jerod, from Cheshire (Conn.) Academy who are repeat visitors to campus. Notre Dame has been in a good position with the brothers for some time now but it still remains unclear when they will officially make a decision. With another great visit, it’ll be interesting to see if that becomes more clear.
There are a couple of talented offensive lineman who are set to make their first trips to campus. One is Reading (Pa.) Wyomissing offensive lineman Caleb Brewer, who has been looking forward to this particular trip for some time now. Harry Hiestand seemed very fond of Brewer and his fit but it’ll be worth keeping an eye on just how much Joe Rudolph will want to push for him. Brewer brings an impressive blend of athleticism, physicality and size at 6-5 and 300 pounds. This trip will be very telling for just how interested each side is.
The other talented offensive lineman is Royersford (Pa.) Pope John Paul II standout Kevin Heywood. At 6-7 and 295 pounds, Heywood is a mauling presence on the offensive line with a ready made college frame. Heywood has a long list of visitors set up over the next few weeks. Clarity for legitimate interest will probably not surface until after those visits are concluded.
A linebacker on the board that the staff really likes is Pittsburgh (Pa.) Central Catholic star Cole Sullivan, who brings a nice combination of length, athleticism and football IQ. Sullivan appears very interested in Notre Dame, visiting for two games last season. This visit will be a true indicator for how serious interest is for both sides. Other schools like Penn State and Michigan also seem to be making Sullivan a priority.
A player making his first visit to campus is Las Vegas (Nev.) Arbor View wide receiver David Washington. While it’ll be Washington’s first visit to Notre Dame, he actually does have some ties to the Midwest. He has family in both Chicago and Gary, Indiana. The plan is for him and his family to spend a few days in the area to see his different family members. Washington is a part of an extremely talented wide receiver board so seeing him in person should be important.
Here is the list of recruits set to visit on Friday.
WR David Washington - Las Vegas (Nev.) Arbor View
OL Caleb Brewer - Reading (Pa.) Wyomissing
OL Kevin Heywood - Royersford (Pa.) Pope John Paul II
EDGE Jacob Smith - Cheshire (Conn.) Academy
DL Jerod Smith - Cheshire (Conn.) Academy
LB Cole Sullivan - Pittsburgh (Pa.) Central Catholic
SATURDAY VISITORS
KEY 2024 TARGETS
It’s a great sign to see the Smith twins staying for two days on the visit. Notre Dame has a chance to make a big push this weekend, hoping to close on a pair of defensive line recruits that they have been in good position for a long time.
Notre Dame is also set to welcome two outstanding cornerbacks to town on Saturday in Springfield (Oh.) High School standout Aaron Scott and Nashville (Tenn.) Lipscomb Academy star Kaleb Beasley, who is currently committed to the University of Tennessee. Getting Scott out of Ohio would be a massive challenge but one that the Irish staff is not backing down from. Anytime you can get a player on campus, there is a shot. The Notre Dame staff must impress to make a legitimate move this weekend.
Beasley is a name that Irish fans have known for some time now. Things appear to be trending in a great direction but unfortunately the success of the state Tennessee program earned a commitment. Notre Dame isn’t letting up. Beasley is still a top priority and they hope to continue to keep the Tennessee standout thinking after a tremendous visit.
One of the most gifted pass rushers on the board, Olney (Md.) Good Counsel defender Darien Mayo brings a tremendous skill set to the table at 6-6 and 240 pounds. This will be his first visit to campus. Mayo definitely has some intrigue in Notre Dame but just how much remains to be seen. That's what this weekend is for.
Here is the list of 2024 recruits set to visit on Saturday.
EDGE Darien Mayo - Olney (Md.) Good Counsel
EDGE Jacob Smith - Cheshire (Conn.) Academy
DL Jerod Smith - Cheshire (Conn.) Academy
CB Kaleb Beasley - Nashville (Tenn.) Lipscomb Academy (Tennessee commit)
CB Aaron Scott - Springfield (Oh.) High School
KEY 2025 TARGETS
For the second straight weekend, Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton tight end Ryan Ghea will be heading to South Bend. He has such a tremendous trip last weekend with his mom that he wanted to be able to show his dad and little brother around this weekend. There is clear interest early from Ghea, who has a relationship with current Notre Dame tight end Holden Staes.
One of the key quarterback targets for Notre Dame in 2025 is Lucedale (Miss.) George County signal caller Deuce Knight, who will be making his first trip to campus. The quarterback board for the team is loaded right now and Knight is right near the top. This weekend’s visit has a chance to turn intrigue into substantial interest quickly. Knight is also the younger brother of former Indiana wide receiver Ty Fryfogle so clearly playing in the state is not foreign to the family.
Notre Dame is hoping to continue their impact in Missouri over the last couple of cycles and moving forward. Lee’s Summit (Mo.) North wide receiver Isaiah Mozee is set to make the trip to campus and the team hopes to strike a good chord with one of the more talented pass catchers in the 2025 class.
Making an impact in Maryland is also another priority for this coaching staff. That includes Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances Academy defender Carlton Smith, who is one of the more gifted athletes at linebacker on the board for the Irish. Smith will also be making his first trip to campus on Saturday.
Here is the list of 2025 recruits set to visit on Saturday.
QB Deuce Knight - Lucedale (Miss.) George County
WR Isaiah Mozee - Lee’s Summit (Mo.) North
TE Ryan Ghea - Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton
LB Carlton Smith - Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances Academy
COMMITS ON CAMPUS
Notre Dame has a pair of commits set to be on campus this Saturday in 2024 Round Rock (Texas) High School cornerback Leonard Moore and Cincinnati (Oh.) Archbishop Moeller cornerback Karson Hobbs. Getting both cornerbacks on campus the same weekend is a crafty move by the Irish staff.
With both Scott and Beasley set to make the visit, seeing how they mesh with the cornerbacks already committed in the 2024 recruiting class is a very wise decision. Hobbs also brings a big personality that should be inviting to the other recruits on campus. He’s also an Ohio kid like Scott, which shouldn’t hurt.
For Moore, this is the first of two visits this month for the Texas standout. He will also be in attendance for the Blue-Gold Game on April 22nd. These will be his first visits back to campus since publicly committing back in early February.
The future of the Notre Dame cornerback room is bright. What better to sell that than having a couple future Irish cornerbacks on campus?
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