With Blake Wesley's commitment looming over the Notre Dame basketball program, it is almost time for the staff to shift their focus to the class of '22 recruiting. Although it is extremely early in the recruiting process, some of these prospects have spoken about their interest in the Irish, and there are a couple with connections to the program. The class of 2022 has the potential to be one of Brey's best, as they have already offered 9 prospects in the class, which is the most this early into a class in recent memory. It is obvious that the staff is aiming big in 2022 as all 9 of the offerees are top 150 prospects or better. With the departure of Prentiss Hubb, Dane Goodwin, and Nate Laszewski all on the way, the Notre Dame staff may need to hit big in 2022 recruiting to maintain a competitive team. While Ryan Ayers' departure will probably complicate the recruitment of some of the guards the Irish have offered, they should still be in the running for multiple recruits so here is a preseason update on all of them and their connections to Notre Dame.
Jaden Bradley
When Mike Brey and the staff decided to offer Jaden Bradley this summer, it confirmed that they are serious about aiming high with this class. Bradley is the ranked as the number 7 player and the number one point guard in the class by 247 composite. Just like most 5 star recruits, the playmaking guard has a huge offer sheet that includes powerhouses such as North Carolina (the supposed frontrunner for now) and Kansas, along with other big schools such as Auburn, Florida State, Michigan, and Louisville. So, he will be an extremely hard guy to land for the Irish. However the staff hasn't given up yet. In his most recent blog post for Sports Illustrated (that came out September 25th) Bradley said that Notre Dame and George Washington were the last schools to reach out to him and that he is still getting to know all the college coaches. He is trying to build bonds with a lot of schools before committing. One other connection Brey and the staff have to Bradley is with his IMG teammate Jarace Walker and that is Kyle Brey (Mike's son). Bradley recently enrolled at IMG academy where Mike Brey's son is the head football coach. While we don't know how big of a relationship Brey and Bradley will have, or if they will have one at all, it could pay dividends for the Irish down the road. Considering Brey has never landed a 5 star recruit in his time at Notre Dame, landing Bradley is anything but a guarantee, but for now it seems he has interest in the Irish and the staff is doing their best to stay in the running for the guard.
Jarace Walker
The other 5 star the Irish have offered in the class of 22 already has ties to the first one. Jarace Walker and Jaden Bradley will unite at IMG academy this fall to form one of the best duos in all of high school basketball and Brey along with the rest of the staff are clearly intrigued with the idea of continuing this partnership at the next level. While Walker is ranked 2 spots lower than Bradley by 247 sports his size, athleticism, and ability on both ends of the floor make him one of the most coveted prospects in the class and a commitment from him could make Notre Dame a legitimate contender. Obviously with offers from schools like North Carolina, Auburn, Maryland, Michigan, and Florida State the IMG forward seems like a bit of a long shot for Brey and the staff to land but the Irish also have the Kyle Brey connection with Walker so if they can take advantage of that maybe they have the chance to make Walker the first 5 star recruit the program has ever had.
Donovan Clingan
As soon as the contact period opened for the class of 22, the Notre Dame staff immediately offered 7 footer Donovan Clingan. While Clingan hasn't recently updated anyone on his recruitment, he told Stockrisers on September 28th that he was in contact with the Notre Dame staff along with UConn, Rutgers, and Georgetown. As for his game, Clingan has had an extremely productive offseason. While it may not be easily noticed as he is mainly used as a low post threat on his high school team, the seven footer has developed a three point shot that will allow him to stretch the floor and score at all three levels. Clingan told Nathan Erbach of Irish Breakdown that Notre Dame's four-out-one-in offense is appealing to him and even went as far as saying that it is his favorite offense. It allows him to be a threat in the low post, and use his passing ability to kick the ball outside to shooters when the defense collapses on him. Overall Clingan seems to like the fit at Notre Dame both on the court and academically, so he could be a guy the Irish land next offseason if they play their cards right.
Prince Aligbe
Just hours after Brey and the staff sent out their first offer in the class of 22' to Donovan Clingan, Minnehaha Academy swingman Prince Aligbe heard from the staff and received his offer. Based on how early the Irish were to offer Aligbe, it seemed he would be one of their main priorities in the class. But in August, he told Stockrisers that Ohio State, Cal, Florida, Villanova, and Arkansas were the schools recruiting him the hardest. While he said this almost two months ago, and things could have changed since then, things aren't looking good for the Irish right now when it comes to Aligbe's recruitment. With the swingman recently playing on national television alongside Chet Holmgren his recruitment is starting to heat up again as he received an offer from Memphis less than a week ago. As for Aligbe on the court, he was able to play for Grassroots Sizzle this offseason and he has played extremely well with them. In addition to his ability as an off the dribble scorer and defender, the 6'6" swingman has also shown off his ability in the post as a bruiser, and it will be interesting to see how he develops offensively over the high school season. While it is looking like Aligbe will be a tough land for the Irish it is still early in his recruiting process and there is still a possibility they can make a move for him.
Kyle Filipowski
When a recruit describes himself as a mix of Kevin Durant and Kevin Love, most of the time it is worth taking a look at him. Kyle Filipowski has the rare combination of shooting ability and also ability in the post which makes him one of the top big men in the class of 2022. He isn't the only one in his family who fits that description. Kyle's brother Matthew Filipowski is also picking up offers left and right, with his most recent ones coming from Illinois and Pittsburgh who have also offered Kyle. Obviously this brings up the possibility that the brothers may want to team up in college which would not bode for Notre Dame because they have only offered Kyle. Another thing that doesn't bode well for Notre Dame is that the Wilbraham and Monson Academy forward said today that he is mostly hearing from UCLA, Marquette, Louisville, Iowa, Providence, Pittsburgh, and Illinois. As for his game, Kyle has been able to play AAU this offseason and he is picking up right where he left off when the season shut down and showing why he can be special at the next level. While the Notre Dame staff may have their work cut out for them in regards to landing Filipowski the New York native says he is "absolutely interested in them" and is "always open to learning more about a program and finding out what they have to offer.” For now Filipowski is one of the more realistic targets for Brey and the rest of the staff but they may need to step up their pursuit if they want to land him.
Ben Middlebrooks
Out of any Notre Dame offeree in the class of 2022, Ben Middlebrooks has definitely been the most under the radar prospect. While Middlebrooks is one of the more talented big men in the entire class, there has been little to no film of him this offseason, and he hasn't spoken much on Notre Dame since they offered. What we do know is that the Westminster Academy forward seems to have a real interest in staying near home as his only two warm interests on 247 sports are Auburn and Florida who he said he grew up a fan of. The top 100 recruit recently picked up an offer from Dayton so his recruitment is still ongoing. While he looks like he may be favoring the southern schools there is still time for the Irish to get to the top of his list.
Fletcher Loyer
As a result of Prentiss Hubb, Dane Goodwin, and Nate Laszewski's projected graduation in 2022, recruiting in the class of '22 will be extremely important for the Irish. Luckily for them, they could have Dane Goodwin's replacement waiting in the wings in Fletcher Loyer. In his sophomore season at Clarkston High School the 6'4" guard shot 48% from three which cements him as one of the best shooters in the class. This summer the prolific shooter transferred to Homestead High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana which is just a few hours away from Notre Dame's campus. Loyer also played his AAU season with the Indy Heat which is the same program as Notre Dame target Blake Wesley. Although they play on different teams within the program, it is clear they have some sort of familiarity with each other. The sharpshooter also has a good relationship with the Goodwin family which could help the Irish even if they won't be at Notre Dame at the same time. Just last week, Loyer told 247 Sports that he is focusing his recruitment on Notre Dame, Michigan, Utah, Purdue, and Missouri which confirms that the Irish are in a good spot when it comes to Loyer's recruitment. For what it's worth if I were to put my money on one recruit in this class coming to Notre Dame it would be Fletcher Loyer.
J.J. Starling
When a player is shooting 48% from three, it is typically pretty hard to find somebody who can go shot for shot with them. But, the Irish may have been able to find somebody who can shoot it as well as Fletcher Loyer and that is J.J. Starling. Former Notre Dame assistant Ryan Ayers (feels weird to say former) described Starling as the best shooter in the class and he definitely isn't far off. The guard can hit tough shots from deep consistently and he can create his own shot better than most guards in the class, which is nearly as valuable as his shooting ability. As of now, Starling doesn't have a huge offer sheet but it is going to be hard for the Irish to compete with his former hometown team in Syracuse, even with his connection to the Irish. While he grew up in the shadows of the Carrier Dome, Starling is now playing less than an hour away from the Notre Dame campus at national powerhouse La Lumiere. Notre Dame has not had success recruiting from LaLu in the past but their head basketball coach Pat Holmes is a Notre Dame graduate and that connection could end up helping the Irish with Starling.
Isaac Traudt
During the summer, Lincoln Supreme forward Isaac Traudt showed once again why he is going to be a force to be reckoned with at the next level. Since the season got shutdown, the top 60 prospect has put on 15 pounds of muscle and has improved at getting to the basket and finishing through contact. This hasn't gone without notice either. Since receiving his offer from the Irish back in July, the top recruit in Nebraska has picked up offers from accomplished programs such as Oregon, Louisville, Purdue, Ohio State, and Marquette, along with interest from Duke, Kansas, and Virginia. While these are all appealing programs, Traudt told Breaking Down Brey's Boys that he is "still very interested in Notre Dame and think(s) it could be a really good fit" so hope should not be lost when other big programs enter the mix. Traudt also added that he likes what the Irish have done with skilled wings similar to him, and along with the academics that Notre Dame has to offer. Despite the talented prospects' long offer sheet, he seems to have legitimate interest in joining the program and is definitely somebody for Irish fans to look out for.
As of now Notre Dame is in a good position with most of these recruits and could end up landing a big class which will be a huge key to the program's success in the coming years.
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