Notre Dame 2025 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense

Notre Dame wrapped up an outstanding recruiting class today by landing a strong 25-man group for the 2025 recruiting cycle. Notre Dame 10 offensive players in the 2025 class and met their needs from a numbers standpoint. Hitting those goals is a key to a strong recruiting class, but the Irish also landed a talented group of players.

Taking a deeper look at the class and it's hard to miss how much of the class was built around northern prospects. The Irish landed two wide receivers from Georgia, but the rest of the class is made up of prospects from Canada (2), New Jersey (2), Wisconsin (2), Indiana (1) and Connecticut (1).

The class lacks elite top-level Top 100 skill players (QB, RB, WR), but it's a deep group of quality players. Notre Dame did land two players that graded out as Top 100 players on the Irish Breakdown board, landing a tight end and an offensive lineman that earned that grade. They landed three prospects that earned four-star Top 150 player grades, three more that earned four-star Top 250 player grades and two more than earned 3.5-star Top 350 player grades.

Four of the commits in this class were flipped from other schools, with the Irish flipping prospects from Clemson, Boston College, Iowa and South Florida.

With the group now signed it's time to hand out grades for the Irish class.

QUARTERBACK

Grade: B-
Signee: Blake Hebert

Notre Dame bounced back well from losing its long time commit at quarterback when it was able to flip Hebert from Clemson. He's a bit different than the last three quarterbacks that Notre Dame signed. Hebert is a thick-bodied quarterback that brings legit running ability to the system. He's not Riley Leonard, but he is a good athlete with speed and the physicality to impact the game on designed runs. 

As a passer, Hebert has a big arm, a quick release and he can make any throw Notre Dame would want him to make. The arm talent is outstanding and the potential is enormous, but Hebert is also a bit raw as a passer. His footwork causes him to lock his front leg quite a bit, and he'll rush through the throwing zone a bit too many times. Both cause him to be less accurate than you want from a ball placement standpoint. If he can clean those things up he'll have a chance to tap into his high ceiling and turn his potential into production.

RUNNING BACK

Grade: B
Signee: Nolan James Jr.

The running back class went through quite a change over the last two months. Long time commits Justin Thurman (Kansas) and Daniel Anderson (Northwestern) departed the class and were replaced by James, who was previously committed to Boston College. Thurman and Anderson were quality players, but James grades out as a much higher prospect. He was also far, far more productive as a senior, racking up 1,921 rushing yards, 340 receiving yards and 23 total touchdowns. James is a quick running back with a frame and cutting ability that reminds me of current Irish standout Jadarian Price. 

His vision, second level anticipation and instincts in space make him a dangerous runner in Notre Dame's Zone/Duo/Counter schemes. James is also an outstanding player in the pass game. He has potential as a blocker but he's a legit weapon in the pass game. James caught 100 passes for 1,159 yards and 11 touchdowns during his career.

WIDE RECEIVER

Grade: C+
Signees: Jerome Bettis Jr., Elijah Burress, Antavious Richardson

Notre Dame met its minimum needs number by landing three players, and the group overall gets a bad rap. It's not an elite group that all of a sudden allows Notre Dame to compete against the "big boys" in the pass game. It's also not some poor group that is a liability for a team that's trying to play for championships. The truth is in the middle. This group adds three players with very unique skillsets, it's a group with tools and there was a lot of senior year production from this group. It's a quality group that added a pair of four-star prospects to the roster.

Burress is my top graded receiver in the class and he had a much-improved senior season. The New Jersey native is a smart football player with top-notch route running potential. Burress has good foot quickness, strong body control and excellent ball skills. He'll need to get stronger and he doesn't have top-notch deep speed, but his potential to be a volume pass catcher and chain mover is impressive. Burress has the highest floor in this group and as he gets stronger his ability to be a highly productive college pass catcher will increase.

Richardson is a very intriguing player. He is without question the most athletic player in the group. Richardson has very good long speed, he's extremely quick with the ball in his hands and he's been a productive runner at quarterback. Richardson is a Power 5 level defensive back as well, but he's extremely raw as a receiver due to the fact he hasn't played the position. If he can track the ball well and if he works at learning the nuances of the position he could turn out to be a really good pass catcher.

Bettis is a prospect that I honestly didn't think was a Notre Dame caliber player when he committed. I truly felt that he was in the class because of who his dad was. His sophomore and junior film just didn't show the kind of athlete or player you need at a place like Notre Dame. His senior film shows a much, much different player. Bettis is long, he has good playing strength and the one thing he's always had is excellent ball skills. As a senior, however, he showed an improved get off, more burst out of his breaks, the ability to separate and more playmaking ability down the field. He now grades out as a player that adds a lot of value to the position and makes this class better. He has the most "boundary" skill in the group.

TIGHT END

Grade: A
Signee: James Flanigan

Flanigan is an outstanding prospect that is one of the nation's best tight ends. I don't love comps, but I can't help but think of Michael Mayer when I watch Flanigan. By that I mean he's more of a throwback tight end that can bully defenders as a blocker and pass catcher. Mayer was far more nuanced as a route runner, but Flanigan is a much better blocker, and he's faster. He's already a dominant blocker, and as he gets stronger at the next level it will only enhance this skill.

Flanigan is a big play weapon for his prep team, averaging over 20 yards per catch the last two seasons. He can impressive long speed and he's a quality athlete that shows impressive natural strength and power. Flanigan has strong hands and his length gives him a really impressive catch radius. He'll need a lot of work as a route runner, but Flanigan is a Top 100 talent that could make an early impact for the Irish.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Grade: A-
Signees: Matty Augustine, Will Black, Cameron Herron, Owen Strebig

Notre Dame landed yet another outstanding offensive line class that is filled with talent and prospects that meet the unique skill/position needs of the class. Notre Dame needed to add length and tackles to the class, and three of the signees can play on the edge. Notre Dame always needs to continue adding elite talent, and there's certainly plenty of that. Notre Dame also wanted to add another center, and they landed that as well.

Black is not only the top offensive player in the class, he's the highest graded overall player. His senior film was outstanding. Black is 6-7 and very long that has a massive frame that should allow him to get to at least 315-320 pounds. Black shows impressive power and the ability to eventually develop into a dominant run blocker. But it's his combination of size and athleticism that makes him truly special. Black is an easy mover that has elite athleticism in space on the edge, he's a quick puller and he is very natural on the second level. His projection as a player that could be dominant in the pass game and run game is unique. Black earned a five-star grade on the Irish Breakdown board.

Strebig is another massive prospect that is also listed at over 6-7 and 290 pounds. He's long, has a thick frame and shows the versatility to play both tackle and guard. Strebig is a bit long to play inside, but he bends well, he's good in tight areas and he shows the kind of physicality you want for a right tackle or an interior blocker. He's not the athlete that Black or Augustine are, but he moves well for his size and has one of the higher floors in this offensive class. 

Augustine is a very unique player that has gone through a massive body reshaping in the last three years. He initially went to Brunswick to play basketball, and the first year he was on the varsity football team he looked more like a basketball player. He was tall, very long and very lean. He looked more like a tight end than an offensive linemen, but he added a lot of good weight the last two years and he's now creeping up on 290 pounds and shows the frame to add at least 10-15 more pounds. Augustine handles the weight well and he remains an athletic edge blocker that is comfortable in space. What surprised me the most is the power and chip he shows as a run blocker, something I didn't expect to see from a converted basketball player. He's the most raw lineman in this class but his ceiling is very high.

Herron was a late addition to the class, and he looks a lot different from the other linemen. Black and Strebig are 6-7 and Augustine is 6-6, while Herron checks in at a short, stout 6-2 and 276 pounds. He projects to be the center in the class after playing all over for Warren Central. He did play a lot of center this season and he looked comfortable there. Herron is a good athlete in tight quarters, he plays with a great motor, he is a high football IQ player and he loves to battle. My question is will he be able to add the necessary weight needed to play the position. If he does Herron will at least be a strong depth player and at best a multi-year starter.

GRADE KEY

A — Elite / College Football Playoff caliber
B — Outstanding / Top 15 caliber
C — Solid / Borderline Top 25 caliber
D — Subpar / Not good enough
F — Disaster