Five Notre Dame signees that can contribute as freshmen
By Jack Soble
Eight Notre Dame freshmen burned their redshirts in 2023. Five were regular contributors on offense or defense. Expect the class of 2024 to be just as impactful next season.
Here are the five players who signed with Notre Dame on Wednesday, listed in alphabetical order by last name, who can contribute right away.
Micah Gilbert, wide receiver, Charlotte (N.C.) Christian
Gilbert is athletic, physical and understands how to win routes better than most freshmen. Some believe he could have been a college prospect at safety if he wanted to, so he knows what defensive backs are thinking and knows how to beat them.
Notre Dame shouldn’t put as much responsibility on Gilbert as it did on Rico Flores Jr. and Jaden Greathouse as freshmen, but it did that with them more out of necessity than anything else. As a complementary option who can line up at multiple spots, Gilbert could be a factor in 2024.
Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, linebacker, Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco
Notre Dame has a ton of young talent for two, sometimes three spots at linebacker right now, but the depth chart is not set in stone for next season. Enter Viliamu-Asa, who Freeman believes is the most college-ready recruit in the class.
“He is a physical tackler, physical block destructor,” Freeman, a linebackers coach by trade and a former linebacker himself, said. “There are a lot of traits that he has that make him one of the highest-recruited linebackers in the country. But to get him here, get him here early, he’ll have a chance to compete right away, I’m sure.”
Viliamu-Asa will have a chance to show off his impressive play strength and instincts at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds in a system that does not typically ask its middle (“Mike”) linebacker to be the fastest player in the world. He’s a great fit with the Irish, and he can compete for a job right away.
Aneyas Williams, running back, Hannibal (Mo.) High
Notre Dame has a crowded and very talented running back room with Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price and Gi’Bran Payne projected to return as a sophomore and two juniors, respectively. But as we learned from Love’s freshman campaign, if you can play, you’re going to play. Williams can play, and Notre Dame is thrilled to have him.
“I remember when Aneyas came here for camp, we had not offered him,” Freeman said. “He was here with a lot of great prospects, and he was the best one. We offered him at that camp. Then he went on to get a whole bunch of offers.”
Like Gilbert, Williams is versatile. Notre Dame needs all the pass-catching weapons it can get, and if Williams can be an effective receiver out of the backfield, he’ll play as a freshman.
Cam Williams, wide receiver, Glen Ellyn (Ill.) Glenbard South
Like with Gilbert, Notre Dame doesn’t want to put too much on Williams as a freshman. But best believe it has a plan to utilize his speed and explosiveness early.
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“The thing that attracted us to Cam was his speed,” Freeman said. “We saw him, multiple times, run 4.4s [in the 40-yard dash].”
Williams has speed on the track, but it’s translating that speed to the field that makes him a special prospect. He is a threat to go to the house every time he touches the ball, with a long stride at 6-foot-2 but the quickness of a 5-foot-8 slot receiver.
Even if Williams isn’t quite ready to run the full route tree, Notre Dame should and will find ways to get him the football right away.
Kedren Young, running back, Lufkin (Texas) High
Young complements Williams well as a classmate at the same position, as he’s one of the best pure runners in the country. He can make you miss with his agility but he’ll run you over if need be. Power between the tackles is not Love, Price or Payne’s strength, so Young could be Notre Dame’s best inside running back right away.
“You talk about being close to a lot of schools in Texas that I know wanted [Young],” Freeman said. “For him to be committed to us for such a long time — he came on his official visit. He wasn’t committed then, and then right after the official visit, he said, ‘This is where I want to be. And this is who I believe in.’ For him to stay solid — I left his house saying, ‘We’ve got a special one there.’”
Honorable mentions
• Guerby Lambert, offensive tackle, West Roxbury (Mass.) Catholic Memorial. Lambert, by all accounts, is a monster who should start multiple years at tackle. He’s also extremely intelligent, which matters for an offensive lineman much more than most realize. It’s difficult for O-linemen to play right away, but — as Joe Alt and Blake Fisher showed in 2021 — not impossible.
• Jack Larsen, tight end, Charlotte (N.C.) Catholic. Larsen is versatile and can play multiple roles, whether it be in-line tight end, H-back or the slot. We don’t know whether or not junior tight end Mitchell Evans (knee) will be ready for Week 1, so a depth role could be in the cards for Larsen.
• Bryce Young, defensive end, Charlotte (N.C.) Christian. Young had a great senior year and he has the physical tools at 6-foot-5 1/2, 245 pounds to be a situational pass rusher from Day 1. Similarly to offensive linemen, defensive linemen fight an uphill battle to be ready right away but the second and third-string spots up front seem like they might be up for grabs.
