5-star Sonny Styles highlights big recruiting weekend for Notre Dame

With Cincinnati coming to town in one of the most anticipated games of the weekend, Notre Dame is using the opportunity to bring some of its most important recruits to South Bend.

Other than Arch Manning, five-star athlete Sonny Styles of Pickerington (Ohio) Central may be the most coveted recruit in the nation, and he’ll be at Notre Dame this weekend.

Other top juniors expected at Notre Dame include On3 Top 100 prospects like CB Malik Muhammad of Dallas South Oak Cliff, receiver Carnell Tate of IMG Academy and offensive tackle Luke Montgomery of Findlay (Ohio) High. Consensus four-star juniors LB Drayk Bowen and ATH Samuel M’Pemba are other names to look for this weekend in South Bend.

The Irish feel good about their chances will all of the 2023 targets, especially Muhammad and Bowen.

LSU QB commit Walker Howard expected to visit

Notre Dame has put together another top-10 class in 2022, including four-star quarterback Tyler Buchner. But a major 2022 visitor will be on campus this weekend for an unofficial visit: LSU quarterback commit Walker Howard.

Howard, the No. 7 quarterback in the 2022 On300, has been committed to LSU since June, but On3’s Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons reports that Howard will trip to South Bend instead of going to LSU’s game against No. 22 Auburn. What that means for Buchner is still unknown, but getting an LSU legacy like Howard on campus is no small feat.

Notre Dame gets another chance to impress Styles

Called a unicorn by On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power, Styles is the No. 3 player in the 2023 On3 Top 100. Ohio State and Notre Dame are the favorites for his signature, and both consider him their No. 1 priority in the 2023 class.

South Bend this weekend 👀 pic.twitter.com/654Y4iHDQP

— Alex “Sonny” Styles (@sonnystyles_) September 28, 2021

Styles’ brother, Lorenzo Jr., is a freshman wide receiver at Notre Dame. Styles’ father played for the Buckeyes in the 1990s before playing in the NFL for six seasons. In addition, Pickerington is a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, and only a half-hour drive from Ohio State’s campus.

Lettermen Row’s Jeremy Birmingham called Styles the most important recruit for Ohio State in the 2023. “Styles is, quite simply, one of the most versatile and talented Ohio-born football prospects in the last few decades,” Birmingham wrote. “If there’s ever been a must-get recruit for Ohio State, it’s Sonny Styles.”

In addition to Notre Dame and Ohio State, Styles has offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas and others. He is also athletic enough to have offers to play basketball at Ohio, Kent State, Toledo and Akron.

Styles has incredible potential

Styles is the No. 1 non-quarterback in the 2023 class. He is skilled, athletic and strong enough to play all over a defense, so much so that people have no idea where he could end up. That’s why Notre Dame, and others, covet him.

“Sonny Styles has the fluidity of a defensive back in the body of a potential pass rusher. He is a loose, highly coordinated athlete. A quick look at his backpedal and change-of-direction in defensive back drills should answer any questions in that regard,” Power wrote last month.

“Most importantly, the burst and movement skills show up on the field on Friday nights. Styles was an explosive presence on the back end of a defense of a nationally ranked high school team. He showed deep range as a safety and some vicious striking power.”