Justyn Rhett Commitment Gives Notre Dame Another Elite Defender in ’23 Class
Notre Dame now has five commitments from defensive players in the top-150 overall for the class of 2023.
Notre Dame is set to sign its best defensive recruiting class in years next week. At the rate Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish are going, it won’t take years to top the haul for 2022. It’ll take about 12 months after the Irish picked up yet another elite defender for the class of 2023 on Saturday night when elite cornerback Justyn Rhett committed to Notre Dame.
After Rhett’s commitment to Notre Dame on Saturday, the Irish have five defensive commitments for 2023. All five of them are currently in the 247 Composite Sports top 150. Rhett sits at #101 overall and #10 rated cornerback in the class. He selected Notre Dame over Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, but the Bishop Gorman product had offers from the likes of LSU, Texas A&M, Michigan, Oregon, USC, and Florida State as well.
Rhett is Notre Dame’s first commitment from powerhouse Bishop Gorman since 2015 when Notre Dame signed Alize Mack and Nicco Fertitta, who just so happens to be Rhett’s position coach. He’ll come to Notre Dame with great size (6’1″) and incredible speed (legit 4.43 speed) and will be ready to play early in his career.
Even though he is rated as the #101 overall prospect, Rhett is only the fourth highest-rated commitment for the Irish at the moment. Defensive ends Keon Keeley and Brenan Vernon, and linebacker Drayk Bowen are all ranked 62nd or higher. Notre Dame’s fifth defensive commitment, safety Adon Shuler, is ranked #149 overall and is seen as an ascending prospect.
Five defensive commits in the top-150 would have been considered good for the Irish in an entire class in some years. But, for 2023, Notre Dame is just getting started. At the moment, Notre Dame has just four top-150 defenders in the class of 2022, and that class will be one of the best on the defensive side of the ball in a while.
The addition of Rhett continues the upward trajectory of recruiting at the cornerback position. Former Notre Dame CB coach Todd Lyght did not excel on the recruiting trail, but Mike Mickens elevated cornerback recruiting quickly. Assuming all goes as planned next week, Notre Dame will sign 4-star corners Benjamin Morrison and Jaden Mickey, along with 3-star Jayden Bellamy, who is on the cusp of 4-star status. There is also a chance they reel back in 4-star CB Devin Moore, who decommited recently though some list Moore as a safety.
There is a long way to go between now and next December’s Early Signing Period, but if Marcus Freeman’s first season is a success on the field, Notre Dame could have its best class since the Holtz days. And Freeman is only just getting started recruiting offensive recruits. The Irish already have two 4-star commitments on offense – TE Cooper Flanagan and RB Sedrick Irvin Jr. Expect that total to rise in a hurry with Freeman’s aggressive approach to recruiting that he has said he will expect from every single assistant.
Frank Vitovitch has been Co-Owner and Editor in Chief of UHND.com since joining forces with Kyle Flavin in 1999. Since that time, he has written over 2,000 articles covering Notre Dame football, recruiting, and basketball. He also works with all staff and external writers on all articles published on UHND.com. Frank's love for Notre Dame football started at a young age watching Rocket Ismail give opposing coaches ulcers in the late 1980's. By day Frank works in marketing and holds a degree in Digital Media from Drexel University. Frank's work has been cited by online/print editions of NBC Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated and has been quoted on air by ESPN's Collin Cowherd. He's conducted interviews with Notre Dame legends Rocket Ismail, Randy Kinder, Lee Becton, Reggie Brooks, Michael Stonebreaker, and Ned Bolcar among others over his 20+ years of covering Notre Dame football. He's also been published in the print edition of USA Today Sports Weekly and the USA Today College Football Preview multiple times. Other Published Works/Citations for Frank Three Reasons Notre Dame Will Beat Alabama - USA Today Notre Dame Suspends WR Kevin Stepherson, RB C.J. Holmes Indefinitely - Bleacher Report Notre Dame / Ohio State Fiesta Bowl Preview - Eleven Warriors Brace Yourself: The Fighting Irish are Relevant Again - Sports on Earth Interviews with the Enemy: A Q&A with Frank Vitovitch of UHND - Yahoo! Sports Five Good Minutes: Notre Dame Football Preview With UHND.com - BC Interruption Vicious Electronic Questioning with UHND - MGO Blog
So its sounds as if CJ Williams has decommitted from ND and will be committing to USC. Big loss.
It is refreshing to see “…selected Notre Dame over Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma” instead of Duke, Rutgers, Michigan, State, etc.
Hi, I was wondering if anyone posting on here can explain to me what is allowed and not allowed during the dead period of recruiting? I heard that starting tomorrow December 13 begins a dead period in recruiting. I hope everyone who is currently committed to Notredame signs. However there always seems to be a surprise or 2 positive or negative.