Meet the Notre Dame Fighting Irish class of 2023 commitments
Get to know the class of 2023 prospects committed to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in this feature from BlueandGold.com.
We have provided background info on each of the commits below (in chronological order from the newest pledge to the oldest), and will continue to update this article each time Notre Dame lands a new commitment.
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Derby (Kan.) High running back Dylan Edwards
Height: 5-8
Weight: 155
Commitment date: August 6, 2022
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 292 NATL, No. 17 RB and No. 2 player from Kansas.
Edwards committed to Kansas State, his father’s alma mater, in late June and seemed locked in with his pledge to the Wildcats. That was until Notre Dame extended an offer to him a month later, and on the day he received his scholarship, he set up an unofficial visit to campus the next day. He visited for two days and decommitted from Kansas State on the second day of his trip. A week later, he announced his pledge to the Irish. Edwards will play running back, slot receiver, help in the return game and be an overall weapon for the Irish offense and special teams.
He helped lead Derby to an undefeated regular season in 2021 before falling in the Kansas 6A state title game. In 12 contests last fall, Edwards rushed 208 times for 2,603 yards and 38 touchdowns. He also caught eight passes for 101 yards and a receiving score as well. He earned 2021 Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year honors for his performance as a junior. He was also named to the Sports in Kansas 2021 6A All-State first-team offense.
Cincinnati Lakota West safety Ben Minich
Height: 5-11.5
Weight: 185
Commitment date: August 5, 2022
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 528 NATL, No. 50 S and No. 15 player from Ohio.
Minich‘s commit came together quickly, as he didn’t hear from Notre Dame until the start of summer and informed the staff of his decision to commit less than two months later. He camped for the Irish staff in late June and stayed in close contact with them over the next few weeks before receiving an offer in late July. He visited campus and committed to the Irish staff the next morning. Minich picked the Irish over Kentucky, Oklahoma, Stanford and others.
During Minich’s junior season, he posted 45 tackles and two interceptions – returning one for a 76-yard touchdown — in helping lead Lakota West to an 11-2 record. Offensively, he caught 16 passes for 250 yards and five scores. Minich ran a blazing 10.47 100-meter dash in May — which broke his own school record — and scored a near-perfect 33 on his ACT test, which is in the 98th percentile nationally. He also has a grade-point average of over 4.0.
Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab linebacker Jaiden Ausberry
Height: 6-0.5
Weight: 202
Commitment date: August 4, 2022
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 117 NATL, No. 10 LB and No. 7 player from Louisiana.
Ausberry‘s father, Verge Ausberry, was a linebacker for LSU in the early 1990s and currently serves as the Tigers’ executive deputy director of athletics and executive director of external relations. Ausberry’s high school resides on LSU’s campus, too. But Notre Dame was able to quite literally go into Brian Kelly‘s backyard and pluck out a legacy recruit. Alabama, Michigan and Texas A&M were also top contenders for the four-star recruit.
Ausberry played a key role in University Lab’s undefeated season in 2021, capturing the Louisiana Division II state championship. The Louisiana Football Coaches Association and Louisiana Sports Writers Association both listed Ausberry on their respective first-team defense lists.He is committed to playing in the 2023 Under Armour All-America Game.
Austin (Texas) Westlake wide receiver Jaden Greathouse
Height: 6-2
Weight: 219
Commitment date: July 15, 2022
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 127 NATL, No. 20 WR and No. 21 player from Texas.
Notre Dame went into the Texas Longhorns’ backyard to land Greathouse, one of the most productive high school receivers you’ll find. Notre Dame made his final four along with Oklahoma, Texas and South Carolina, and his official visit in June put the Irish ahead of the other programs. He told Blue & Gold at the time of his commitment that he’s completely locked in with his Irish pledge, which is always good news to hear for Notre Dame fans.
In helping lead Westlake to a 16-0 record in 2021, Greathouse caught 66 passes for 1,274 yards with 20 touchdowns. The Chaparrals captured the Texas 6A Division II state championship, and Greathouse caught 7 passes for 236 yards and 3 scores in the 40-21 triumph over Denton (Texas) Guyer.
He was named MVP of the state title game and holds every major receiving record at Westlake High. He set the record for most receiving yards in a Texas 6A state championship game. Through three seasons (46 total) games, Greathouse has snagged 182 passes for 3,134 yards and 43 touchdowns. Greathouse was named to the 2021 MaxPreps High School Football Junior All-America Team.
St. Louis De Smet cornerback Christian Gray
Height: 6-0.5
Weight: 175
Commitment date: July 4, 2022
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 65 NATL, No. 6 CB and No. 4 player from Missouri.
Notre Dame landed its top cornerback target on Independence Day, ending a long, back-and-forth recruitment. Gray’s process was long viewed as a battle between Notre Dame and Ohio State, but LSU entered his recruitment in January and made its mark. Tigers’ head coach Brian Kelly hired Robert Steeples as his cornerbacks coach; Steeples was Gray’s high school coach from 2019-20. But his relationships on the Irish staff were very strong and the academic component of Notre Dame was crucial.
Per STL Today, Gray posted 34 tackles, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions in 10 games last season. He also added a 30-yard rushing touchdown and three kickoff return scores, helping lead De Smet to an 8-3 record. Gray was a first-team 2021 All-Metro Catholic Conference performer.
Folsom (Calif.) High wide receiver Rico Flores Jr.
Height: 6-1
Weight: 195
Commitment date: July 3, 2022
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 186 NATL, No. 27 WR and No. 12 player from California.
Flores had a top-three schools list of Georgia, Notre Dame and Ohio State, and all it took for him was one visit to South Bend to know that it’s where he wanted to call home for his college days. The All-American pass catcher is a highly productive, skilled recruit who has the opportunity to play very early in his Notre Dame career.
He had an outstanding junior season, recording 81 receptions for 1,157 yards and 11 touchdowns in a 15-game season. Flores made the 2021 MaxPreps All Sac-Joaquin Section Football first-team offense.
Houston The Kinkaid School cornerback Micah Bell
Height: 5-11
Weight: 170
Commitment date: July 1, 2022
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 111 NATL, No. 11 CB and No. 19 player from Texas
Notre Dame’s football team got a lot faster when Bell announced his commitment to the Irish over Baylor, Harvard, Michigan State, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas and others. Bell was named the 2022 Texas Track & Field Private School Male Track Athlete of the Year. He set Southwest Preparatory Conference records in the 100-meter race at 10.46 seconds and 200-meter race at 20.89 seconds.
Based on some of the schools who there was mutual interest in, Bell is clearly a strong student and talented football player. Those two aspects were key in his decision to pick the Fighting Irish.
Rock Island (Ill.) Alleman offensive tackle Charles Jagusah
Height: 6-6
Weight: 300
Commitment date: June 10, 2022
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 40 NATL, No. 4 OT and No. 1 player from Illinois.
Notre Dame landed On3’s No. 1 offensive tackle nationally when Jagusah announced his pledge to the Irish over Arkansas, Michigan and Missouri. With Jagusah’s pledge, Notre Dame got to five offensive line commitments in the 2023 class. The Irish have signed five offensive linemen in the past two cycles as well.
Jagusah had a perfect 41-0 season in the heavyweight class in Illinois and was the 2021 champion in the class A state tournament. He was named the 2022 Quad-City Times Male Athlete of the Year. He is the first non-senior to be named the Male Athlete of the Year in more than a decade, per the QC Times.
Phoenix Pinnacle offensive tackle Elijah Paige
Height: 6-6.5
Weight: 307
Commitment date: June 10, 2022
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 355 NATL, No. 27 OT and No. 7 player from Arizona.
Going into his Notre Dame official visit during the first weekend of June, Paige didn’t have the Fighting Irish on top of his list of favorite schools. But the visit couldn’t have gone better, as he informed the staff the day after returning home from South Bend that he wanted to commit to Notre Dame. Paige committed to the Irish over USC, UCLA, Michigan State, Washington and others.
Paige was named to the Arizona Interscholastic Association 6A All-Conference first team for his efforts in 2021. The local NBC news affiliate in Phoenix listed Paige to its “All-Fever” first-team offensive line. He was also on the 2021 Desert Valley All-Region first-team offensive line.
Topeka (Kan.) Hayden interior offensive lineman Joe Otting
Height: 6-4
Weight: 270
Commitment date: June 7, 2022
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 524 NATL, No. 39 IOL and No. 5 player from Kansas.
Otting’s recruitment with the Fighting Irish came together pretty quickly and without drama. He grew up loving Notre Dame, received an offer from the Irish in May, camped for the staff the first weekend of June at the Lineman’s Challenge and announced his pledge a few days later. Iowa, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Baylor and Minnesota are among the other schools that were after Otting.
KHSAA Covered and Sports In Kansas list him on their respective 2021 Kansas All-Class 3A first-team offensive line. He’s on the second-team offensive line for the 2021 All-Gannett Kansas High School Football Teams. Otting was also listed in the inaugural TopSports.news Top 22 All-Shawnee County football team following his junior campaign.
Lake Stevens (Wash.) High running back Jayden Limar
Height: 5-11
Weight: 190
Commitment date: May 26, 2022
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 290 NATL, No. 14 RB and No. 4 player from Washington.
Lake Stevens (Wash.) High running back Jayden Limar picked Notre Dame over finalists Arizona, Michigan and Oregon. Limar was on campus for the Blue-Gold Game April 23, but a couple weeks before that visit, he had already informed the staff that he’d be committing to Notre Dame. It’s a big recruiting win for the Irish, landing a player who is drawing playing style comparisons to former Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams.
He helped lead Lake Stevens to an undefeated regular season, but his team fell in the 2021 4A Washington State title game. Limar totaled 1,918 yards from scrimmage and 25 scores on his way to earning The Herald‘s 2021 all-area first-team offense. He totaled 1,549 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns, plus 369 yards and four receiving scores. He also had a kickoff return touchdown.
Belmont (N.C.) South Point offensive tackle Sullivan Absher
Height: 6-6
Weight: 297
Commitment date: May 13, 2022
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 187 NATL, No. 15 OT and No. 6 player from North Carolina.
Some pundits felt that Absher was leaning towards Clemson, but it was actually Notre Dame that held a lead for the impressive offensive tackle prospect for much of the calendar year. While he was wanting to stretch his recruitment into the fall, Absher knew that he wanted to play for the Fighting Irish during his spring game visit in April. He committed to Notre Dame a few weeks later.
Absher was named to the 2021 Big South 3A first-team all-conference team. He helped pave the way for South Point to reach the 2021 North Carolina 3A state semifinals as a No. 16 seed. The Red Raiders finished the season 11-4 with their run-heavy offense, rushing for 3,973 yards and 50 touchdowns.
Hagerstown (Md.) St. James School defensive lineman Devan Houstan
Height: 6-5
Weight: 270
Commitment date: May 7, 2022
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 225 NATL, No. 29 DL and No. 6 player from Maryland.
Notre Dame beat out the likes of Michigan, Northwestern, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers and Wake Forest for Houstan. Houstan, who is actually from Mississauga, Ontario in Canada, only needed one visit to know that Notre Dame was the place for him. He was on campus in late January.
Houstan was named to the 2021 All-Mid-Atlantic Conference team for his efforts as a junior. He recorded 50 tackles (8.0 for loss), 7.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in leading St. James School to a 7-1 record. He was also listed on the 2021 Washington County Athletics Association first-team defense. He received the Yellott Award, which goes to his county’s top defensive lineman. Houstan’s older brother, Caleb, averaged 10 points and four rebounds per game for the Michigan basketball team in 2021.
West Roxbury (Mass.) Catholic Memorial defensive lineman Boubacar Traore
Height: 6-4
Weight: 254
Commitment date: April 27, 2022
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 123 NATL, No. 15 DL and No. 3 player from Massachusetts.
Boubacar Traore committed to Boston College back in August of 2020 when he was just a sophomore and held onto that pledge until his decommitment March 12. At that point, it seemed like just a matter of time before he’d end up on Notre Dame’s commitment list. The Irish offered him in the fall of 2021 and built a strong connection with him. He committed to the Irish during his first visit to South Bend in late April.
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Traore helped lead Catholic Memorial to a 13-0 season in 2021 capped off by a Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 2 championship — the program’s first in 43 years. He made 40 stops and 10 sacks.
Pfafftown (N.C.) Reagan offensive lineman Sam Pendleton
Height: 6-4
Weight: 295
Commitment date: April 25, 2022
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 415 NATL, No. 30 IOL and No. 14 player from North Carolina.
Sam Pendleton announced a top-five schools list of Clemson, Michigan, N.C. State, Penn State and Virginia Tech on Feb. 1. Notre Dame offered him about six weeks later and instantly became a contender. He set a visit to see South Bend April 8, and it was his only trip to Notre Dame before his commitment later that month. The high-level combination of offensive line tradition and academics at Notre Dame made it a slam-dunk decision for Pendleton.
Pendleton was named to the 2021 Central Piedmont Conference All-Conference Football Team. He was also listed as a 2021 HSOT North Carolina All-State football first-team performer. Reagan High went 8-3 in 2021, and Pendleton helped pave the way for the Raiders to rush for 2,338 yards and 25 touchdowns on 307 carries as a team. Reagan High averaged 212.5 yards per game and 7.6 yards per carry.
Round Rock (Texas) Stony Point wide receiver Braylon James
Height: 6-3
Weight: 174
Commitment date: April 19, 2022
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 146 NATL, No. 24 WR and No. 25 player from Texas.
Notre Dame landing a pledge from four-star pass catcher Braylon James is a big deal. The Irish have struggled building strong depth and talent in the receiver room, and James helps the Irish in both departments right away. It was a strong recruiting win for the new position coach Chansi Stuckey.
James visited Notre Dame during the weekend of March 18 for the first time. He was leaning towards the Irish going into the weekend, and the Lone Star State product informed the staff during the visit that he’d be committing to them. He made that news public April 19.
James was named to the Texas All-District 26-6A first-team offense for his efforts in 2021. In 10 games as a junior last fall, James caught 47 passes for 568 yards and six touchdowns. He made 39 receptions for 419 yards and five scores as a sophomore. He is committed to playing in the 2023 Under Armour All-America Game in April 2021.
Lawrence (Mass.) Central Catholic linebacker Preston Zinter
Height: 6-2
Weight: 220
Commitment date: Feb. 12, 2022
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 449 NATL, No. 43 LB and No. 6 player from Massachusetts.
Preston Zinter visited Notre Dame as many times as he saw local Boston College, just to give folks an idea of how much he valued getting out to South Bend. He was at Notre Dame twice last summer, saw the Irish knock off USC 31-16 and made it back at the end of January for the visit that sealed the deal. It was a full staff effort in recruiting Zinter, and the lead recruiter was analyst Nick Lezynski, who actually took a position at Vanderbilt the day that Zinter committed to the Irish. Still, Zinter is expected to remain solid with Notre Dame.
Zinter, who was the 2021 Merrimack Valley Defensive Player of the Year and was named to the Massachusetts Super 26 all-state team, held offers from the likes of Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State.
Denton (Texas) Guyer safety Peyton Bowen
Height: 6-0
Weight: 180
Commitment date: Jan. 1, 2022
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 55 NATL, No. 6 safety and No. 9 player from Texas.
It came down to Alabama, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and USC for Denton (Texas) Guyer’s Peyton Bowen, and it was a rather easy choice for him to choose the Fighting Irish, especially after Lincoln Riley left the Sooners for the Trojans, plus the fact that Marcus Freeman was elevated to head coach. After committing to Notre Dame, Bowen has visited Ole Miss and Oklahoma, so there’s still a battle for the Irish to hold on to his pledge.
Bowen is an impressive prospect with his range, athleticism and playmaking ability, and he comes from one of the very best programs in Texas. He was named to the 2021 MaxPreps High School Football Junior All-America Team.
Merrillville (Ind.) Andrean linebacker Drayk Bowen
Height: 6-2
Weight: 215
Commitment date: Nov. 3, 2021
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 75 NATL, No. 3 linebacker and No. 1 player from Indiana.
When Notre Dame offered Merrillville (Ind.) Andrean linebacker Drayk Bowen back on Feb. 12, 2021, it seemed like just a matter of time before the four-star recruit would eventually choose the Fighting Irish. While that ended up being true, it wasn’t as clear of a slam dunk as many thought it would be, as Auburn and Clemson were strong contenders throughout Bowen’s recruitment. But the option of staying close to home and strong recruiting efforts by Freeman and Co. proved to be too much for the Southern schools to overcome.
Bowen will also play baseball at Notre Dame. During his sophomore baseball season, Bowen played every position except catcher, and hit .400 with 26 runs scored, 16 runs batted in and a team-high 23 stolen bases, per NWI.com. He’s played both in the infield and outfield at the high school level.
Concord (Calif.) De La Salle tight end Cooper Flanagan
Height: 6-5
Weight: 222
Commitment date: Sept. 2, 2021
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 209 NATL, No. 11 tight end and No. 14 player from California.
Notre Dame wants to keep its tight end tradition strong and should be able to do so with the addition of Concord (Calif.) De La Salle’s Cooper Flanagan in the 2023 cycle. Flanagan received his Notre Dame scholarship offer on Aug. 6, 2021 after a few months of building a relationship with former Irish tight ends coach John McNulty. Flanagan visited Notre Dame’s campus in June and loved his experience. At that point, it was clear that if Notre Dame offered Flanagan, he would end up choosing the Irish. Alabama, LSU and others are still pushing for Flanagan and hope to flip him, but by all accounts, he’s locked in with his Notre Dame pledge.
Flanagan also held scholarship offers from Arizona, California, Colorado, Michigan, Michigan State, San Jose State, Tennessee, Utah and Washington.
Irvington (N.J.) High safety Adon Shuler
Height: 5-11
Weight: 187
Commitment date: Aug. 15, 2021
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 226 NATL, No. 19 safety and No. 2 player from New Jersey.
Notre Dame offered Irvington (N.J.) High’s Adon Shuler in May 2021, and the coaching staff loved the four-star prospect even more after seeing him in person at their camp in late July. Notre Dame’s life after football pitch and relationship with the coaching staff were big factors for Shuler in picking the Fighting Irish.
He was named to the 2020 All-Essex County first-team defense and the 2020 Liberty Red Division first-team defense. He erupted as a junior, leading his team to a state title and being named a USA Today first-team all-state performer. Shuler held scholarship offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Florida, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Temple and West Virginia.
Mentor (Ohio) High defensive end Brenan Vernon
Height: 6-5
Weight: 240
Commitment date: June 29, 2021
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 80 NATL, No. 9 defensive lineman and No. 2 player from Ohio.
Notre Dame pulled off a massive recruiting upset June 29 when Mentor (Ohio) High’s Brenan Vernon announced his pledge to the Irish over Ohio State, the long-perceived favorite. Notre Dame offered Vernon on Jan. 31, 2020 during a conversation with former defensive line coach Mike Elston. The Irish staff kept things steady with Vernon throughout 2020 and into 2021, but it didn’t really heat up until May 2021. The Irish staff started having weekly Zoom calls with the four-star prospect, which went very well. Some coaching staff changes have not affected Vernon’s status with Notre Dame, as he’s still locked in with his commitment.
Vernon visited campus twice last June and wrapped up his recruitment early. Alabama, Cincinnati, Duke, Indiana, Iowa State, Kent State, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Notre Dame and Ohio State made up Vernon’s offer list.
Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep defensive end Keon Keeley
Height: 6-5
Weight: 220
Commitment date: June 28, 2021
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 11 NATL, No. 1 EDGE and No. 3 player from Florida.
Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep defensive end Keon Keeley became Notre Dame’s first commitment of the 2023 class when he gave his pledge June 28 over Florida, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, North Carolina and others. The Fighting Irish offered Keeley during its Pot of Gold recruiting initiative on March 17, 2021, and the staff recruited him hard in the following three months. Keeley made his way up to Notre Dame for a visit the weekend of June 11 and was blown away. It was at that point that Keeley knew he wanted to call Notre Dame home.
Keeley still has other programs in pursuit, and the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Ohio State offered him a scholarship after his commitment to Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish will have to hold off other powerhouse schools to keep Keeley in the class.
