What’s Notre Dame’s status? A 2023 athlete prospect RPM check-in
Recruiting is ramping up for the class of 2023, as many prospects will travel all over the country in the coming months to view practice and spring games. Then they will begin taking official visits.
Notre Dame’s 2023 recruiting class is currently ranked No. 2 in the country according to On3, and the Irish still have a number of big-time prospects considering making South Bend their next home. This piece is the third and final in a series examining offensive, defensive and athlete prospects on Notre Dame’s list in the 2023 class.
Note: This list includes uncommitted players only, and prospects are listed in order of decreasing RPM in favor of the Irish.
Three-star athlete Ronan Hanafin
School: Cambridge (Mass.) Buckingham Browne & Nichols School
On3 Consensus ranking: No. 5 prospect in Massachusetts, and No. 18 athlete and No. 404 overall player nationally
On3 RPM: Notre Dame 87.3%, Boston College 7.1%
The On3 RPM projects that Hanafin is likely to choose ND. The 6-2, 200-pound rising senior currently plays wide receiver, but the Irish are looking at him for both sides of the ball; wideout, rover or safety are the most likely options. In addition to Notre Dame and Boston College, offers from Ohio State and Wisconsin are two that have stuck out to Hanafin. He made a surprise visit to Notre Dame in early March.
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Per The Boston Herald, Hanafin caught 20 passes for 389 yards and five touchdowns this past season. Defensively, he recorded 68 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries while also breaking up five passes. He was named his team’s defensive MVP for the 2021 season.
Hanafin is great friends with fellow Massachusetts native and Notre Dame commit Preston Zinter. Will the two team up for their college days?
Four-star athlete Kaden Feagin
School: Arthur (Ill.) High
On3 Consensus ranking: No. 3 recruit in Illinois, and No. 28 linebacker and No. 290 overall player nationally
On3 RPM: Notre Dame 49.5%, Illinois 35.5%
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On3 lists Feagin as a linebacker, but Notre Dame is primarily interested in him for the running back position. The On300 has Feagin even higher in the rankings than the Consensus: No. 19 linebacker, No. 2 player from Illinois, No. 217 nationally. Offensive tackle Charles Jagusah and wide receiver Malik Elzy are the No. 1 and No. 5 players from Illinois, respectively, according to On3 Consensus.
Given the Irish already have running back Sedrick Irvin Jr. committed in this class and they are still looking at taking other backs, the position group is getting a little crowded. While there is still a chance Feagin ends up at Notre Dame, chances are starting to drop.
Four-star athlete Samuel M’Pemba
School: Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy
On3 Consensus ranking: No. 8 prospect in Florida, and No. 1 athlete and No. 31 overall player nationally
On3 RPM: Notre Dame 47.3%, Miami 19.7%, Missouri 15.9%
Although M’Pemba is playing high school football in Florida, he is originally from St. Louis, hence the interest in Missouri. He visited Columbia on Tuesday and has visits to Michigan (March 18) and Notre Dame (March 19) looming. After a trip to Florida on March 5, the Gators also improved in M’Pemba’s standings. The 6-4, 245-pound athlete almost committed last November, and reports said he was choosing between Alabama and Notre Dame at the time.
The Irish are looking at M’Pemba to play in the front seven, but he could really play almost anywhere on the field. Pretty impressive for a prospect who did not play football until seventh grade.
