On3 Outliers: Which 2022 Notre Dame recruits earned intriguing industry recruiting rankings?

Now that the members of the class of 2022 have wrapped up their postseason all-star games, recruiting rankings across the major sites have been finalized.

The On3 Consensus — a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies — does an excellent job of combining the rankings, but how do the On3 experts themselves feel about each member of Notre Dame’s 2022 class?

Let’s take a look at those who earned intriguing grades from On3, which are listed in no particular order.

LB Jaylen Sneed

On300 ranking: 26
Next highest ranking: 41 (247Sports)

On3 lists Sneed as a five-star recruit out of Hilton Head (S.C.) High, and he is the No. 1 prospect from South Carolina and No. 2 linebacker.

The other three recruiting sites have Sneed as a four-star prospect and the No. 2 recruit from the state. Clemson enrollee and cornerback Jeadyn Lukus is the top recruit from South Carolina in the eyes of Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN.

Sneed is the only On3 Consensus five-star recruit in Notre Dame’s 2022 class.

TE Holden Staes

On300 ranking: 199
Next highest ranking: 277 (ESPN)

On3 is particularly high on Staes, as they are the only major recruiting service with the 6-foot-4, 230-pound tight end ranked in their top 200. In the On3 rankings, Staes comes in at No. 199 nationally, No. 21 from the state of Georgia and No. 9 at his position. All four sites, however, have him listed as a four-star recruit.

IOL Joey Tanona

On300 ranking: 62
Next highest ranking: 150 (ESPN)

Like Staes, On3 really likes Tanona, who they ranked second in the state of Indiana, third at the interior offensive line position and 62nd nationally. Tanona’s national rankings from the other three recruiting websites range from No. 150 to No. 175, and 247Sports even has the Indiana native listed as their No. 16 offensive tackle in the 2022 class.

OT Aamil Wagner

On300 ranking: 29
Next highest ranking: 112 (ESPN)

In addition to Sneed, Wagner earned a five-star ranking from On3. Unlike Sneed, he did not finish as an On3 Consensus five-star recruit.

On3’s final rankings for Wagner were No. 3 tackle and player from Ohio and No. 29 player nationally. Outside of On3, the sites believe the Ohio native is a high four-star prospect. His lowest national ranking was 124th.

CB Jaden Mickey

On300 ranking: 146
Next highest ranking: 190 (Rivals)

All four top recruiting sites have Mickey as a four-star prospect, but On3 is the only one with Mickey ranked in the top 10 in the state of California. They also gave him the highest national ranking at No. 146. On3 lists Mickey as the No. 7 cornerback from California and the No. 16 player at the position overall.

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While the five players listed above are higher on the On3 list than they are on the Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN sites, there are a few Irish players in the newest class who have gotten more favorable looks from those outside of On3.

WR Tobias Merriweather

On300 ranking: 218
Highest ranking: 79 (247Sports)

The four recruiting sites believe Merriweather is a four-star recruit, but On3 experts list Merriweather as their No. 218 player nationally, the lowest of the group. 247Sports gave him the most favorable rankings: No. 2 player from Washington, No. 14 receiver and No. 79 player nationally. On3 believes he is the third-best player from his state, but his position ranking is significantly lower than that of 247Sports (No. 33).

OL Ty Chan

On300 ranking: N/A
Highest ranking: 172 (247Sports)

Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN believe Chan is the best player in the class of 2022 out of the state of Massachusetts, while On3 listed him at No. 5. Additionally, the three aforementioned sites outside of On3 list Chan as a four-star prospect, while On3’s final determination was that he is a three-star recruit. Chan does not have a national ranking from On3, and his highest national ranking is 172nd.

DB Benjamin Morrison

On300 ranking: N/A
Highest ranking: Four-star (247Sports, ESPN, Rivals)

Morrison is in Chan’s boat: he is a four-star recruit everywhere except for On3. He differs, however, from Chan in that he does not hold a national ranking from any of the four major recruiting sites, which is somewhat surprising given an impressive offer list which included Alabama, LSU, Michigan and Oregon, among others. Each site believes he is a top-five player out of the state of Arizona, with three No. 3 rankings (including On3) and a No. 5 ranking from ESPN.

LB Niuafe Tuihalamaka

On300 ranking: N/A
Highest ranking: 94 (ESPN)

Tuihalamaka does not have a national ranking from On3, while ESPN has him No. 94. That’s a pretty wide gap. ESPN loves the California native’s body of work, giving him a No. 5 ranking in the state and naming him the No. 4 linebacker in the class overall. On3 gave him the least favorable state (No. 29) and position (No. 39) grades as well. On3 is the only major recruiting site with Tuihalamaka listed as a three-star recruit.