Why Adon Shuler said the Notre Dame recruiting class of 2023 is ‘unmatched’
Adon Shuler committed to Notre Dame because he wanted to be a part of something special. And while the four-star class of 2023 safety from Irivington (N.J.) High school is still just over a year away from officially stepping on campus as a member of the Fighting Irish football team, he can already sense what it will mean to him once he does.
For starters, Notre Dame currently ranks No. 1 in the On3 Consensus Football Team Recruiting Rankings. Shuler is a part of that, which is nothing to scoff at.
“The class is unmatched,” Shuler said on a recent Irish Players Club Twitter Space. “This is unheard of for a school like Notre Dame to have a class like this. It’s scary. It’s a really scary sight.”
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The Irish currently have 12 players committed in the class. Ten of them, including Shuler, are four-star prospects. One, Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep edge rusher Keon Keeley, is a five-star. Being this far along and only having one three-star commit is quite remarkable. That three-star, Lawrence (Mass.) Central Catholic linebacker Preston Zinter, has offers from Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio State, USC, Georgia and LSU, among others.
That’s nothing to scoff at either.
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There is talent from top to bottom, and there are still several more commitments to come.
“Being No. 1, it has a lot of weight behind it,” former Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire said in the IPC Twitter Space. “Especially since they’re talking national championships right now at Notre Dame.”
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Zaire asked Shuler what he thinks the Irish need in order to get over the hump and win it all for the first time since 1988.
“It’s definitely the grind and the grit,” Shuler said. “Everybody’s grit and grind is different. With everybody in our class are coming from programs in high school that have won many championships. They already know what they’re coming into. That will really help us keep that mindset going.”
Notre Dame isn’t accustomed to having the top recruiting class in the country, but it’s not new to have players come in with championship pedigree from high school. There’s just something about this bunch that feels different, though. Some intangible sense of swagger that must emanate from Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman being the frontman in every single one of the players’ recruitments.
“We love Marcus Freeman,” Zaire said. “We think he’s definitely going to bring the edge we need, that grind and the grit to get to that national championship.”
