Meet the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football class of 2024 commitments
Get to know the class of 2024 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.
West Roxbury (Mass.) Catholic Memorial OT Guerby Lambert
Height: 6-6
Weight: 290
Commitment date: Sept. 19, 2023
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 54 NATL, No. 4 OT and No. 1 player from Massachusetts.
It took Notre Dame 18 months to land their No. 1 offensive tackle on the 2024 board, and the Fighting Irish staff couldn’t be more excited about it. Lambert announced his pledge to the Irish in mid-September, three months after taking official visits to Boston College, Harvard, Notre Dame and Ohio State. He took a bit longer to announce his decision than expected, but it was expected for a while that he’d be pick the Irish, and Lambert has the potential to make an impact as a true freshman. He could play either tackle spot or as a guard at the next level.
Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa
Height: 6-2
Weight: 235
Commitment date: July 23, 2023
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 84 NATL, No. 7 LB and No. 9 player from California.
Leading up to Viliamu-Asa‘s decision, most pundits believed he would choose Ohio State, but the four-star recruit picked the Irish. USC was his other finalist. It’s a huge recruiting victory for the Irish, landing what we believe was their most coveted overall defensive target in the 2024 cycle.
Viliamu-Asa was named the Southern Section All-CIF Defensive Player of the Year as a junior. He finished 2022 with 111 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, two fumbles and one interception. He missed the 2021 season because of an ACL injury that occurred in Bosco’s final spring game of the 2021 COVID-19 make-up season.
Viliamu-Asa was named to the 2022 MaxPreps High School Football Junior All-America first-team defense. He helped lead St. John Bosco to a 13-1 record last fall that resulted in a CIF Open Division state title and being crowned MaxPreps national champions.
Salinas (Calif.) Palma WR Logan Saldate
Height: 5-11
Weight: 185
Commitment date: July 21, 2023
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 426 NATL, No. 73 WR and No. 34 player from California.
The Irish pursued Saldate because Isiah Canion decommitted and flipped his pledge to his home state Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Add Notre Dame worked quietly to pull off a flip of its own, with Saldate switching his allegiance from Oregon State to the Fighting Irish. There was no announcement of an offer. No commitment ceremony. Just a good old-fashioned flip.
Saldate, who also held offers from Arizona, California, Oklahoma State, Washington and Washington State, caught 54 passes for 713 yards and 9 touchdowns during the 2022 season. He added 114 yards and 2 scores on the ground. He plays defense as well and had an interception he returned for a touchdown last year.
Fort Wayne (Ind.) Northside ATH/DB Tae Johnson
Height: 6-3
Weight: 170
Commitment date: June 24, 2023
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 169 NATL, No. 6 ATH and No. 4 player from Indiana.
Notre Dame landed one of the top pound-for-pound athletes in the Midwest over the summer when Johnson pledged to the Fighting Irish. Johnson picked up an offer from the Irish in June 2022 but it wasn’t until late into the spring of 2023 that it became clear that Notre Dame would be his landing spot. He preferred receiver for a while, but Notre Dame sees his talents translating best at safety. He also held offers from Purdue, Tennessee, Penn State, Michigan State and others.
In 10 games during the 2022 season, Johnson had 23 tackles, 21 of which were solo. He also caught 69 passes for 1,081 yards and 16 touchdowns.
West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West ATH/DB Taebron Bennie-Powell
Height: 6-1
Weight: 170
Commitment date: June 21, 2023
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 505 NATL, No. 48 ATH and No. 21 player from Ohio.
Notre Dame hosted Bennie-Powell for a visit during the fall of 2022 but didn’t express a ton of interest in him. That changed over the summer when the Irish hosted him for a camp and loved what they saw. The staff offered him a scholarship, and it didn’t take Bennie-Powell long to make his decision to commit to the Irish over offers from West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Duke and others.
Bennie-Powell had 36 total tackles (26 solo), 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 13 games as a junior. He’ll transition to strong safety for his senior season after playing more of a rover type role in 2022.
Bennie-Powell junior highlights
Fishers (Ind.) Hamilton Southeastern OL Styles Prescod
Height: 6-5.5
Weight: 270
Commitment date: June 6, 2023
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 319 NATL, No. 24 IOL and No. 5 player from Indiana.
Prescod picked up an offer from Notre Dame in January, and it seemed like it would just be a matter of time until he committed to the Fighting Irish. However, he let his recruiting process play out, and he picked up offers from the likes of Alabama, Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee and Wisconsin. Following his official visit — which took place during the first weekend of June — the in-state talent announced for the Irish.
Lufkin (Texas) High RB Kedren Young
Height: 5-11
Weight: 225
Commitment date: June 5, 2023
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 159 NATL, No. 12 RB and No. 29 player from Texas.
Notre Dame pulled off an impressive recruiting win when it landed Young over the heavy-hitters in the state of Texas. He officially visited Notre Dame from June 2-4 — which was his first experience in South Bend — and the trip couldn’t have gone better. The four-star prospect also held offers from Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor, Michigan, Miami, Nebraska and others.
During his junior season, Young ran for 1,762 yards with 19 touchdowns on 237 carries. He accounted for 975 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground during his sophomore campaign.
Clearwater (Fla.) Academy International DT Sean Sevillano
Height: 6-1.5
Weight: 325
Commitment date: June 2, 2023
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 551 NATL, No. 49 DT and No. 67 player from Florida.
The same day that New Jersey defensive lineman Owen Wafle decommitted to the Irish, Sevillano informed the staff that he wanted to pledge to Notre Dame. Sevillano picked up an offer from Notre Dame March 13 and visited campus less than two weeks later, and although it was a short visit, he loved it. The Canadian native picked Notre Dame over finalists Auburn, Miami and Ohio State.
The Irish wanted a true nose tackle in the 2024 cycle, and Sevillano is their man. He helped lead Clearwater Academy to back-to-back Sunshine State Independent Association state titles in 2021 and 2022. During his junior campaign, he totaled 75 stops, 21 tackles for loss, 19 sacks and 3 forced fumbles in 11 games.
Katy (Texas) Paetow EDGE Loghan Thomas
Height: 6-3
Weight: 210
Commitment date: May 24, 2023
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 178 NATL, No. 13 EDGE and No. 8 player from Ohio.
Notre Dame landed a top vyper target on its 2024 board when Thomas pledged to the Irish in late May. He visited campus in March, a trip that made ND a major contender in his recruitment. His trip in May put Marcus Freeman’s program over the top, beating out the likes of Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Georgia, LSU, USC and others.
Loghan Thomas shined at the All-American Bowl combine in San Antonio, Texas, in January of 2023, posting a 4.7 40-yard dash time and a 42-inch vertical. On3 named him its MVP of the event.
“I’ll bring athleticism and competitiveness on the field, and I’m a nice guy off it,” Thomas said. “I want to help better my community and everyone around me.”
Roanoke (Va.) Patrick Henry linebacker Bodie Kahoun
Height: 6-3
Weight: 215
Commitment date: May 15, 2023
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 468 NATL, No. 48 LB and No. 8 player from Virginia.
Before 8 a.m. on a typical Monday in May, Kahoun announced an out-of-the-blue commitment to Notre Dame. The Hoosier State native was going to take a few official visits in June, but Kahoun talked matters over with his family and came to the conclusion that Notre Dame was his best fit. Kahoun was previously an Ohio State lacrosse commit; he picked up his first football offer from Virginia Tech on Jan. 16.
He has quite the athletic family background. His grandfather, Errol Kahoun, played under legendary college football coach Bo Schembechler at Miami (Ohio) in the 1960s before being drafted by the Denver Broncos. Errol passed away in June 2022. Kahoun’s other grandfather, Pete Bodine, played football at Purdue. His sister, Gracie, is on the Pittsburgh women’s lacrosse team, and his father, Craig, played Lacrosse at Butler University and professionally for the Rochester Rattlers.
Omaha (Neb.) Westside linebacker Teddy Rezac
Height: 6-3.5
Weight: 185
Commitment date: May 12, 2023
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 758 NATL, No. 32 ATH and No. 6 player from Nebraska.
On May 1, Rezac had not spoken with the Irish and was unaware they were interested in him. Notre Dame’s Al Golden and Chad Bowden made it to his school that week to evaluate him and extended an offer to him. The Rezac family made it to South Bend May 7, and by the end of the two-day trip, Rezac informed Irish head coach Marcus Freeman that he’d be committing to Notre Dame. It was a commitment that came together very quickly for the Irish.
Rezac totaled 62 stops, 4 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble and 2 interceptions during his junior season in which he helped Westside capture the Nebraska Class A state championship. Offensively, Rezac hauled in 32 passes for 414 yards with 4 receiving touchdowns.
Charlotte (N.C.) Christian wide receiver Micah Gilbert
Height: 6-2
Weight: 205
Commitment date: May 2, 2023
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 216 NATL, No. 39 WR and No. 6 player from North Carolina.
Gilbert picked up an offer from Notre Dame in mid-February, connected well with the staff, visited for the Blue-Gold Game and the rest is history. It wasn’t a complicated recruiting win for the Irish; Gilbert is a prospect who quickly found everything he was looking for in a college. He picked the Irish over Duke, Michigan, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, South Carolina and Virginia Tech — the programs that made his final cut along with Notre Dame.
Gilbert hauled in 39 passes for 486 yards and six touchdowns in seven games as a junior in 2022. However, a finger injury cut his season short. Still, he earned first-team all-conference Charlotte Independent School Athletic Association (CISAA) accolades for his performance during the first seven games.
Chandler (Ariz.) High safety Kennedy Urlacher
Height: 6-1
Weight: 180
Commitment date: May 1, 2023
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 609 NATL, No. 60 S and No. 13 player from Arizona.
Notre Dame’s first safety commitment in the 2024 class came from Urlacher, who is the son of NFL Hall of Famer and Chicago Bears legend Brian Urlacher. Urlacher picked up an offer from Notre Dame Jan. 23 and quickly set up a campus visit for the weekend of April 15. The 6-1, 180-pounder loved his experience in South Bend, and a couple weeks afterwards announced a top-six schools list of Illinois, Kansas State, Miami, Notre Dame, Penn State and TCU with a commitment date of May 1. He picked the Irish.
During his junior season at Chandler — a top program in Arizona — Urlacher had 34 tackles (1 for loss), 1 interception, 2 passes broken up, 1 fumble recovery returned for a score and 1 blocked field goal. Urlacher was named to the 2022 Sports360AZ All-Academic Football Team for Division 6A with a 4.0 weighted grade-point average.
Charlotte (N.C.) Christian EDGE Bryce Young
Height: 6-6
Weight: 245
Commitment date: April 29, 2023
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 270 NATL, No. 20 EDGE and No. 8 player from North Carolina.
Notre Dame was the first school to offer Young after seeing him perform in its prospect camp last June, and the Irish were in hot pursuit of his commitment. He visited for the Blue-Gold Game, committed to the staff while on campus and announced it publicly a week later. His father is former Notre Dame defensive lineman Bryant Young, an Irish legend who was inducted in the NFL Hall of Fame in 2022. Young was never a lock to follow in his father’s footsteps, but it was still the Irish in the end.
During his junior season in which he helped lead the Knights to a 10-3 record, Young recorded 92 stops, 6.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, 11 quarterback hurries, 1 pass break up and 2 forced fumbles. Young also runs track and has a personal-best time of 11.45 in the 100-meter race.
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Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek EDGE Cole Mullins
Height: 6-4
Weight: 240
Commitment date: April 22, 2023
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 621 NATL, No. 45 LB and No. 71 player from Georgia.
Mullins listed as a linebacker but is expected to be a defensive end for the Irish. He visited Notre Dame for the first time in mid-April, and it went so well that he knew South Bend was home for him. Mullins also closely considered Duke and Wake Forest and also held offers from the likes of USC, Miami, North Carolina, Stanford, Northwestern and West Virginia.
Mullins posted 58 stops, 10 tackles for loss, 6 sacks and 2 pass break ups during his junior season. His father, Pat, played quarterback at Utah State in the mid 1990s. He completed 287 of 517 passes for 3,759 yards with 19 touchdowns and 25 interceptions in two seasons. His mother, Suzette, ran track at Utah State.
Roswell (Ga.) High offensive lineman Anthonie Knapp
Height: 6-4
Weight: 265
Commitment date: March 29, 2023
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 352 NATL, No. 29 IOL and No. 39 player from Georgia.
It didn’t take long for Knapp to go from a recruit without an Irish offer to being on the Notre Dame commitment list. He picked up an offer from the Irish March 24 during a campus visit, and just five days later, Knapp announced his pledge to the Fighting Irish. Penn State, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Duke, Missouri and Louisville were among his other scholarship offers.
As a sophomore in 2021, Knapp was named to the Georgia Region 5-7A All-Region football first-team offense. Knapp, who was a team captain as a junior, reports that he totaled 81 knockdowns during his 2022 season. He was listed on the Georgia Region 5-6A All-Region football first-team offense. Knapp also made it on the 2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Fulton County first-team offense.
Round Rock (Texas) High cornerback Leonard Moore
Height: 6-2
Weight: 175
Commitment date: February 4, 2023
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 391 NATL, No. 36 CB and No. 65 player from Texas.
On Jan. 18, Moore picked up an offer from Notre Dame, and 11 days later, he was on Notre Dame’s campus to meet with the coaching staff and get a look at campus with his family. Moore announced Feb. 4 — just six days after the visit — that he would be committing to Notre Dame. Moore’s quick decision to Notre Dame showed that he “gets” Notre Dame.
During his junior season, Moore posted 31 tackles, 3 interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), 4 pass break ups and 2 forced fumbles. Moore reports that in 232 coverage snaps this past fall, he was targeted just 18 times and allowed 3 receptions. He also returned one punt return for a score. Moore was a unanimous selection for the 2022 Texas District 25-6A first-team defense. As a sophomore in 2021, Moore had 40 tackles, 1.0 for loss, 4 interceptions and 11 pass break ups. He was named the 2021 Texas District 25-6A Defensive Newcomer of the Year.
Hannibal (Mo.) High running back Aneyas Williams
Height: 5-10
Weight: 195
Commitment date: December 16, 2022
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 215 NATL, No. 17 RB and No. 6 player from Missouri.
Williams picked up an offer from Notre Dame June 5, 2022 while on campus for the Irish Invasion camp, as he showed out in front of position coach Deland McCullough and Co. It was around that time that he saw his recruitment explode, landing offers from the likes of Alabama, Michigan State, Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida and Ohio State. He visited Notre Dame twice in November — leading to his commitment — as Williams felt that the Fighting Irish football program was the place for him to be.
His junior season was fantastic, posting 1,999 all-purpose yards and 34 touchdowns in just 9 games. He earned Class 4 first-team all-state honors. Through three seasons of high school ball, Williams has accounted for 6,035 all-purpose yards and 102 touchdowns.
Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller cornerback Karson Hobbs
Height: 6-1
Weight: 180
Commitment date: November 9, 2022
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 550 NATL, No. 56 CB and No. 22 player from Ohio.
Hobbs committed to South Carolina in July of 2022 and was content with that pledge but knew in the back of his mind that if Notre Dame offered him, it’d be tough for him to turn that down. He had even said that the Fighting Irish were the only program he’d look at besides the Gamecocks. Hobbs grew up a diehard Notre Dame fan and wasn’t afraid to admit that despite being committed to South Carolina. He visited Notre Dame for the Clemson game, and a couple days later, Hobbs announced his decommitment from the Gamecocks. The following morning, he committed to Notre Dame.
Hobbs was named to the 2022 Ohio All-Greater Catholic League-South second-team defense. Across 10 games of his junior season, Hobbs has recorded 19 tackles, 6 pass deflections and 1 interception. Hobbs participates in the 100 meter, long jump and 4×100 relay in track & field. It’s been reported that he ran a 4.47 40-yard dash at Kentucky’s prospect camp over the summer.
Malvern (Pa.) Prep offensive lineman Peter Jones
Height: 6-5
Weight: 285
Commitment date: August 7, 2022
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 343 NATL, No. 258 IOL and No. 6 player from Pennsylvania.
Jones intended on stretching his recruitment well into the fall of his junior season, but after a visit to Notre Dame in late July, he knew where he wanted to play his college football and didn’t want to wait any longer. He’s in a family full of Penn State fans and graduates, but the Notre Dame’s offensive line history and academic prestige was too strong of a draw for Jones to turn down. He picked the Irish over the Nittany Lions and also held offers from the likes of Michigan, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Stanford and Texas A&M.
The four-star recruit helped pave the way for Malvern Prep to run for 1,608 yards and 28 touchdowns in 10 games in 2022. Jones was named to the 2021 Inter-Academic League second-team offense and first-team offense in 2022.
Glen Ellyn (Ill.) Glenbard South wide receiver Cam Williams
Height: 6-2
Weight: 190
Commitment date: June 29, 2022
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 37 NATL, No. 10 WR and No. 2 player from Illinois.
Notre Dame is landing a big-time talent at a position of need, but the fact that Williams grew up a Michigan fan and is now switching his allegiance to the Fighting Irish only makes this commitment sweeter for his new school’s fans. Cincinnati, Iowa and Wisconsin were also on Williams’ short list before announcing his pledge to the Irish.
Williams had a productive nine-game junior season, helping lead the Raiders to a 7-3 record. He caught 44 passes for 882 yards and 14 total touchdowns. He’s also a track star, as he reached the 2022 Illinois Class 2A State Track Meet in the long jump, the high jump, and the 100-meter and 200-meter races. He was named all-state in the long jump and 200-meter race. Williams also earned 2021 and 2022 Illinois High School Football Coaches Association All-State Academic team honors.
Charlotte (N.C.) Catholic tight end Jack Larsen
Height: 6-3
Weight: 212
Commitment date: June 24, 2022
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 473 NATL, No. 31 TE and No. 14 player from North Carolina.
Larsen visited Notre Dame on four occasions before making his Irish commitment over Alabama, Clemson, Michigan and others. He performed at a camp last July and returned in October to watch the Irish knock off his home-state North Carolina Tar Heels. He made it back to campus April 12 — a few weeks after he received the Notre Dame scholarship offer — and made visit No. 4 during the first weekend of June.
Larsen was named to the 2021 North Carolina Southwestern 4A all-conference team. He caught six touchdowns as a freshman, helping lead Charlotte Catholic to a North Carolina 3A state championship victory. Larsen caught 37 passes for 686 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior. Former Notre Dame offensive lineman Mark Harrell (2012-16) played his prep ball at Charlotte Catholic and is currently on the Cougars’ coaching staff.
Saline (Mich.) High quarterback CJ Carr
Height: 6-2.5
Weight: 195
Commitment date: June 9, 2022
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 50 NATL, No. 6 QB and No. 1 player from Michigan.
Landing Carr was and still is a big recruiting win for the Irish landing such an elite talent at the all-important quarterback position, and they beat out Michigan — the program at which his father and two grandfathers starred — for him. In addition to Notre Dame and the Wolverines, Georgia, LSU, Michigan State and Wisconsin rounded out Carr’s finalists.
Carr is the grandson of legendary Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, who guided the program from 1995-2007, compiled a 122-40 record, and won the 1997 national championship. Carr’s maternal grandfather is Tom Curtis, a former All-American and College Football Hall of Fame Michigan safety. Jason Carr, Lloyd’s son and CJ’s father, was a quarterback at Michigan in the 1990s. His mother, Tammi, also graduated from Michigan.
He completed 222 of 326 passes (68.1 percent) for 2,685 yards with 26 touchdowns and 5 interceptions during his junior season. He also added 70 rushes for 221 yards and 7 scores. He was named to the Detroit Free Press Division 1 all-state first-team and the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association Dream Team for his efforts in 2022.
Carr was named to the 2021 Associated Press Michigan Division 1-2 first-team offense. He was also listed on the 2021 Michigan Division 1 Region 2 first team. Carr has been invited to play in the 2024 All-American Bowl and Under Armour All-American Game.
