Notre Dame 2025 Commits Board: Offense Edition

When Marcus Freeman came to Notre Dame the expectation was that defensive recruiting would take a jump, and it certainly has. One of the surprises of Freeman's early tenure is how well the staff has built up the offense, and a case could be made offensive recruiting has actually been the best part of the program's talent acquisition since Freeman arrived.

Notre Dame is looking to add another talented group of offensive players in 2025. Below is my ranking and analysis of each Notre Dame commit. It begins with the current grade and ranking of each prospect, a breakdown of each player, and at the bottom of the breakdown is the upside grade. As more players join the class we'll update the rankings and add them to this breakdown.

CLASS RANKING

1. QB Deuce Knight - 6-5, 190 - Lucedale (Miss.) George County
2. TE James Flanigan - 6-5, 225 - Green Bay (Wis.) Notre Dame Academy
3. OL Will Black - 6-7, 295 - Wallingford (Conn.) Choate Rosemary Hall
4. RB Justin Thurman - 6-0, 185 - Tampa (Fla.) Jesuit
5. RB Daniel Anderson - 5-11, 190 - Bryant (Ark.) High School

COMMIT BREAKDOWNS

1. DEUCE KNIGHT, QUARTERBACK

Hometown/High School: Lucedale, Miss./George County
Height/Weight: 6-5, 190

IB Grade: 4.5 (Top 50 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 5.0

Analysis: This is a very talented and deep quarterback class, and Knight is clearly one of the best. While others are more advanced now, a strong case could be made that Knight has a ceiling as high as any signal caller in the country. The lefty gunslinger has a strong arm and can make any throw on the field. His deep ball skills are impressive, and he thrives in the RPO game. Knight is willing to take chances as a passer, and he has the arm talent to pull it off. He'll need to continue improving his footwork and going through progressions with the proper timing are areas where he must continue to improve. Knight is a Top 100 quarterback as just as a passer, but when you throw in his dynamic running ability you see why he's ranked so high. Knight can punish teams as a scrambler, and as he fills out his frame and adds strength his ability to dominate on designed runs at the next level will also take off. The Mississippi star is a pure playmaker, and Notre Dame wants and needs a dynamic playmaker at quarterback.

ND Fit: Notre Dame wants a quarterback that can make plays from the pocket, and while Knight is still a work in progress from a technical standpoint, he has all the tools to eventually be an impact player from the pocket, so in that regard he fits the Notre Dame offense quite well. New offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock has thrived with quarterbacks that are playmakers with their legs as well, and Knight has elite tools as a runner, both as a scrambler and with designed runs. His throwing + passing combination is as good as any quarterback in the country.

Comp: Hendon Hooker, Tennessee

2. JAMES FLANIGAN, TIGHT END

Hometown/High School: Green Bay, Wis./Notre Dame Academy
Height/Weight: 6-5, 225

IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 100 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 4.5

Analysis: Flanigan has gotten better and better each season, and after grading his junior film he jumped into the Top 100 player range. There's so much to like about his game. The Wisconsin native has an impressive frame, possessing long arms and the ability to get to at least 250 pounds. He has really, really good vertical speed as a route runner and with the ball. Flanigan can be a little stiff at times as a route runner, but he separates well with that speed and he's a legit big play weapon, evidenced by his 20.4 yards per catch average during his career. The pass game work is good enough to get him into the Top 100, but what really makes Flanigan one of the best tight ends in the country is that he's also a punishing blocker. He plans the game with a lot of force, his leg drive is outstanding and he really enjoys punishing people. Imagine what his blocking will look like when he adds 25 pounds and spends a couple of seasons in the strength program. This is a big time tight end prospect.

ND Fit: Flanigan projects to the more traditional tight end (Y) role in the offense. He thrives lining up attached to the line of scrimmage and handling business in the run game. He gets to the second level well and he can also block well on the perimeter. He should thrive in Notre Dame's movement blocks as well on the counter/power schemes. As a pass catcher, Flanigan can stretch the field and is averaging over 20 YPC during his career. Athletically he reminds me a lot of former BC tight end Hunter Long, but Flanigan is a far, far more punishing blocker.

Comp: Hunter Long, Boston College

3. WILL BLACK, OFFENSIVE LINE

Hometown/High School: Wallingford, Conn./Choate Rosemary Hall
Height/Weight: 6-7, 295

IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 250 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 4.5

Analysis: Black went through a bit of a body transformation as a junior, going from a tall, relatively skinny sophomore playing in Canada to a borderline 300-pounder as a junior. My concern was that he would lose his athleticism, but that wasn't the case. Black moves well in space, showing the ability to handle speed on the edge and to get around on movement blocks. His lateral quickness in the run game impressed me and he is really good at always moving his feet through the point of contact. I like his pop in the run game, but there is certainly room for him to add more punch and strength. He could develop into a really good run game mover in college, but I'm impressed with his advanced feel in pass protection. He's still a work in progress, but Black has a lot of upside. It's easy to see why Notre Dame, Michigan and Penn State all worked so hard to land him.

ND Fit: It would seem that Joe Rudolph has a similar recruiting strategy as Harry Hiestand in that he likes to recruit a lot of tackles with versatility. That is Black, who is a massive young blocker that has all the tools to play on the edge, but could also move inside to guard if the need arose. Black moves well for his size and he has some punch. Whether or not he's a left tackle or right tackle remains to be seen, but from what he's shown far I believe he could in fact develop into a left tackle.

Comp: Kaleb McGary, Washington

4. JUSTIN THURMAN, RUNNING BACK

Hometown/High School: Tampa, Fla./Jesuit
Height/Weight: 6-0, 185

IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 200 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 4.5

Analysis: Thurman is one of the most intriguing prospects in the class for Notre Dame. In many ways he's still developing his game, but as a junior he showed some really impressive flashes. He looked more and more comfortable as a back from a technique, decision making and anticipation standpoint. His game still needs a lot of technical work and he needs more experience running the football, but I love a lot of his tools. The first that stands out is his speed. Make no mistake, Thurman is a pure home run hitter. He has the ideal combination of initial burst and acceleration that you want in a home run hitting running back. Thurman is a bit tight hipped, but he can plan and explode as a cutter, and as he becomes more efficient with his footwork you'll see his ability to make people miss get even better.

ND Fit: Thurman has the tools to be an every down back at the next level, even though he still has plenty to prove at the prep level. He got off to a slow start in 2023, but his game took off as he got more experience and comfort in the offense. Thurman has pure running back skill, but he can do more than just carry the football. On top of being a threat out of the backfield, Thurman also has experience in the return game, which is another area where he can use his speed at Notre Dame.

Comp: Bryce Young, Stanford

5. DANIEL ANDERSON, RUNNING BACK

Hometown/High School: Bryant, Ark./Bryant
Height/Weight: 5-11, 190

IB Grade: 3.5 (Top 350 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 4.0

Analysis: Anderson isn't a flashy player, and that's likely going to tamp down excitement about this pickup. The Arkansas standout lacks big time speed, he's smooth but not explosive and he doesn't have those "pop" plays on film. What Anderson has, however, is a lot of impressive traits that translate well to running back. Anderson is a smooth athlete that makes clean, natural cuts, which allow him to quickly plant and drive into the hole. While he's not a burner, he has enough juice to turn openings into big plays. His contact balance is impressive and he shows the lower body frame and strength to maximize available yards.

ND Fit: Notre Dame is likely going to move to a more zone oriented offense under Mike Denbrock, and Anderson fits that offense very well. Although I like his fit in a zone offense, the patience and smooth running style that Anderson shows also projects well to the gap schemes that Joe Rudolph likes to implement as well. Anderson doesn't do a lot in the pass game but he does show skills that will translate to the Notre Dame offense.

Comp: Tony Jones Jr., Notre Dame

UPSIDE GRADE

1. QB Deuce Knight - 5.0
2. TE James Flanigan - 4.5
3. RB Justin Thurman - 4.5
4. OL Will Black - 4.5
5. RB Daniel Anderson - 4.0

GRADE KEY

5.0 - Top 25 Caliber Prospect
4.5 - Top 75 Caliber Prospect
4.0 - Top 250 Caliber Prospect
3.5 - Top 400 Caliber Prospect
3.0 - Top 600 Caliber Prospect