Notre Dame picked up two huge commitments at wide receiver this past week, landing Vancouver (Wash.) Union star Tobias Merriweather on Wednesday and Santa Ana (Calif.) Union standout CJ Williams on Sunday. Those pickups mean Notre Dame has landed the two top wideouts on their board, and it gives the Fighting Irish a dynamic wide receiver class in the 2022 class.
It gives the Irish offensive class a huge, huge shot in the arm. With those two standouts now in a class that already had Amorion Walker the Notre Dame staff now has some interesting decisions to make.
Three is the minimum need number in the class, so Notre Dame could shut things down at wide receiver in the class and focus on the 2023 class at the position, or it could look for one more dynamic player to add before focusing solely on the next class.
NOT YET DONE IN 2022
If Notre Dame still has a need at wide receiver in the 2022 class its for a player that can do more damage after the catch. Williams is a volume pass catcher in both the slot and out on the outside while both Merriweather and Walker are long, fast, stretch the field type of wideouts.
Merriweather can do damage after the catch but not in the way I'm envisioning. He is more Tee Higgins while I'm looking for more of an Amari Rodgers type of player, if we're going to use one of the programs that Notre Dame is currently trying to close the gap on.
Two players fit that mold: Bluefield (Va.) Graham athlete Xayvion Bradshaw and Amarillo (Texas) Tascosa speedster Major Everhart.
If Notre Dame wants Bradshaw they could probably get him, and I wish they would. Bradshaw needs to make visiting Notre Dame a priority and give the staff a reason to take him, both with the visit and with his early season play. He's a dynamic athlete that can stretch the field but he's at his best when he gets the ball in his hands.
Everhart and Notre Dame are still in the courting phase, and it's a bit too early to know just where each party stands with each other. The Texas athlete has truly elite, game-changing speed that manifests on the football and the track. He plays slot back in an option offense right now and he certainly knows how to do damage with the ball in his hands.
HARD SHIFT TO THE 2023 CLASS
Even if Notre Dame continues to make a push for Bradshaw or Everhart they will still be able to shift a great deal of their focus on the 2023 class, and there are some really talented early names on the board.
Arguably the top target on the board, and I would argue strongly for it, is Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy wideout Carnell Tate, who is originally from Chicago. Tate has been on Notre Dame's radar dating back to his freshman season when he shined at Chicago (Ill.) Marist. He's a long (6-2, 175), athletic pass catcher that also shows a great feel for the game that is beyond his age and experience. Tate also shows excellent hands and body control for a young player and as he gets older and fills out he's going to be incredibly hard to defend.
Ohio State is making a hard push for Tate as well, but this is a battle the Notre Dame coaching staff absolutely must win.
Another name to know is Miami (Fla.) Gulliver Prep wideout Jalen Brown. At 6-1 and 165 pounds, Brown doesn't have the size Notre Dame normally covets at the position but he brings attributes the staff absolutely wants and needs .... speed and playmaking ability. Brown has a similar frame and game to former Notre Dame star Will Fuller, but with better hands. I'm not saying Brown is a 4.32 guy yet, but he's certainly faster than Fuller was at the same age.
Getting Brown out of the South could be too challenging for the staff, but this is the kind of home run they absolutely must take a chance on. Brown is a smart, academic oriented young athlete (that's why he's at Gulliver Prep) and he already visited Notre Dame this summer, so there's clearly some interest there, which is a great place to start.
Notre Dame recently offered Chicago (Ill.) Simeon wideout Malik Elzy, and there are a number of other talented wideouts on the board, and I expect the list to start growing and top targets start to come into view as the staff begins to focus more of its attention on the 2023 class.
Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge
More must-reads: