Notre Dame Trending for 4-Star, Top-200 WR Rico Flores

Notre Dame’s first massive recruiting weekend wrapped up on Sunday has without netting the Irish a new commitment, but on the heels of the weekend, the Irish are trending for at least one crucial prospect. Rico Flores, a 4-star wide receiver out of California, had three Crystal Balls for Notre Dame placed last night with a July 3 announcement on the horizon.

It’s no secret that Notre Dame must load up on wide receivers in 2023. With just one commitment at the position already, landing Flores is imperative for Notre Dame, given the Irish’s current recruiting board. Notre Dame was already considered the leader for Flores ahead of the visit with a 97% predictor rating on On3, but seeing three different 247 Sports recruiting analysts also log predictions for Notre Dame following the visit should be comforting to Notre Dame fans.

Other Visits Still Loom

Despite all of the optimism for Notre Dame with Flores, he is still scheduled to visit Ohio State and Georgia before his July 3 announcement. Just like we always say that any time you get a prospect on campus, the Irish have a chance; the same can be said of other visits. Any time a prospect goes elsewhere, there’s a chance that their recruiting takes a turn. Just look at Nicolas Singleton last year, who looked like a lock for Notre Dame only to spur the Irish for Penn State a few weeks later.

Flores is at Georgia this weekend and Ohio State the next. Unlike Notre Dame, he has visited both unofficially already, so Notre Dame leading at this point is promising. If Flores hadn’t seen either before, there probably would be a little more reason to worry.

Notre Dame’s Small Margin for Error

Notre Dame only has Braylon James committed at wide receiver, but the Texas native was in town with Flores last weekend, and it looks like the two hit it off.

Family. @lil_reek_ pic.twitter.com/PukCOKcRd3

— Braylon James (@braylon_james14) June 13, 2022

In addition to James and Flores, Notre Dame’s best bets at receiver remain, Jaden Greathouse, who visits this weekend, and Ronin Hanafin, who visited last weekend with James and Flores. Outside of those prospects, however, the only other wide receiver currently scheduled to visit Notre Dame is 4-star Christian Hamilton. On3 has Notre Dame’s chances for the four as the following:

• Rico Flores: 97%
• Jaden Greathouse: 94%
• Ronin Hanafin: 80%
• Christian Hamilton: 8%

Locking up Flores, Greathouse, and Hanafin by early July would go a long way to ease the concerns of Notre Dame fans who saw the Irish sign just a single wide receiver in the 2022 cycle following high-profile decommitments from CJ Williams and Amorion Walker at the 11th-hour last year.