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Clemson football: The best recruiting classes in the 2023 cycle

By John Chancey

Aug 29, 2019; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson Tigers mascot carries the National Championship trophy down the hill prior to the game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 29, 2019; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson Tigers mascot carries the National Championship trophy down the hill prior to the game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports /
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#2: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

  • Verbal Commitments: 20
  • 247 Composite Rank: #2
  • 247 Composite Score: 285.35
  • 247 Composite Average Rating: 93.29

Recruit rankings:

  • 1-50: 2
  • 51-100: 3
  • 101-200: 7
  • 201-400: 6
  • 400+: 2
  • Quarterback commitments: 0

I questioned the wisdom of the Marcus Freeman hire this past winter. Most head coaches at Notre Dame aren’t successful unless they have previous head coaching experience, and 2022 will be Freeman’s first campaign as the head guy. We will see how things go on the field this season, but we are already seeing one of the reasons the Irish elevated him when Brian Kelly left for LSU: he can recruit.

Kelly’s best finish during his years in South Bend was 5th in the Composite. Most of his tenure he was recruiting outside the Top 10, and not a lot of national analysts criticized those results heavily because Notre Dame has higher academic standards than most programs. Freeman already has the #2 class in 2023. He has 20 recruits and are still in the hunt for more highly rated recruits. If Freeman can coach on the field as well as Kelly, the Irish have upgraded at the position.

The one deficiency is a quarterback recruit. The Irish have been in contention with some good quarterbacks, but they haven’t landed a 2023 guy. This doesn’t bother a lot of Irish fans because they do have a commitment already from 5-star 2024 quarterback CJ Carr.

As I have noted, I expect Alabama and Georgia to make a charge before too long, so I am not sure if Notre Dame stays Top 2, but I do think they are going to be Top 5 when the 2023 cycle concludes.

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