Notre Dame is looking to add a few major pieces to its already impressive class of 2021 commit list. The Fighting Irish have 23 commits in the fold at this time and the group is ranked No. 8 nationally according to the 247Sports Composite Team Recruiting Rankings.
On Monday, a few members of the Notre Dame coaching staff was on a call with a top of the board target. Here’s the latest from Irish Illustrated and 247Sports.
As Irish Illustrated reported early on Monday, Notre Dame spent some time on a call Monday evening with West Bloomfield (Mich.) high school four-star running back Donovan Edwards, arguably the top back in the entire country this cycle. Edwards was joined by his father, as well as his head coach, Ron Bellamy.
Irish Illustrated gathered some information about the call. We’re told the it went well and Edwards continues to say nothing but positive things about the No. 2-ranked Notre Dame football team. We’re told that the impressive on-field performance by the Fighting Irish this season has helped Notre Dame’s chances. In addition, both the talented roster currently on campus, as well as the loaded commit list headed to town in Edwards’ 2021 class has positively impacted ND’s recruiting efforts with the elite running back. Also, the fact that Notre Dame is running the ball so well is a plus too.
Regarding Edwards’ recruitment, his Top 7 includes Notre Dame, Michigan, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Penn State and Oklahoma. However, as we’ve said for a while, our belief is that the Fighting Irish, Wolverines, Bulldogs and Nittany Lions remain the top competitors in this recruitment. Beyond that, in talking with our sources, we still believe he will remain in the midwest at either Notre Dame or Michigan, but Penn State is surely a dark horse. Nothing is set either way, but that is the pulse we’ve gathered based on conversations with multiple people connected to this recruitment. We’ll see how that plays out moving forward.
Regarding a potential visit to Notre Dame, the Irish are still working hard to get Edwards back on campus for a visit on his own. No, the staff can’t properly host him or even meet with him at all if he makes it to South Bend due to the dead period still in affect, but there will be some commits and targets in town in early December when Notre Dame takes on Syracuse, so the staff is hopeful that Edwards makes his way to the area to hangout with those prospects and watch the game together as a group on their own.
Look for Edwards to sign early in mid-December and then enroll early at the school of his choice in January. Per 247Sports, Edwards is the No. 29 overall player in America, No. 2 running back in the land and No. 1 recruit in Michigan from the 2021 class. The 247Sports Composite Rankings have him pegged as the No. 36 talent this cycle.
Michigan remains the heavy, heavy favorite for Edwards according to the 247Sports Crystal Ball. No question the Wolverines are going to be tough to beat here, but the Fighting Irish will continue to work hard to try and land the top overall remaining target on the board this cycle.
