After landing a commitment from talented forward JR Konieczny a little over a year ago, Notre Dame's class of 2021 recruiting efforts were quiet for months. Late in the spring after missing out on Forward Caleb Furst to Purdue many questioned if Konieczny would be the only commitment in the class. Everyone looked to the 2022 class in which the Irish have 9 offers out. With the recruitment of Blake Wesley picking up and seemingly trending more towards the Irish than it ever has before and JR Konieczny turning into the Blake Fisher of the basketball program in terms of recruiting along with the recent offers going out to top 50 recruits, things are looking up.
A few months ago the staff threw out offers to Dematha guard Jordan Hawkins along with Monteverde forward/center Daron Holmes. Although they missed out on Hawkins to Uconn, Daron Holmes seems to have legitimate interest in Notre Dame. The top 30 prospect projects as a 4 at the next level and his tape reminds me a lot of Juwan Durham's high school tape. As of now the 6'8 forward holds offers from Arizona, Oregon, Virginia, Arizona State, Kansas, Wake Forest, along with a few other big schools. Holmes will be playing at Montverde academy in the winter which is one of the top high school programs in the country. Naturally playing at Montverde will get Holmes more exposure which will lead to more offers. Many times when we hear of a recruit having this many potential suitors we write Notre Dame off, but this time it could be different. The Arizona player of the year has a family connection to Notre Dame as his dad attended the school. Sometimes family ties don't influence players' decisions but it seems as if Holmes' connection to Notre Dame will effect his decision, he has also told multiple people he plans on visiting the school. It is way too early to get a read on Holmes because he will not be committing until the spring but as of now he's definitely a guy the Irish have a chance with.
Bryce Hopkins (not to be confused with Brycen Hopkins) was offered by Notre Dame immediately after his decommitment from Louisville. Hopkins is a guy who can attack the basket, defend a lot of positions, and make plays with his athleticism. The 6'7 Forward reminds me of a taller version of Tony Sanders JR. Hopkins would have been a great get for the Irish but the Four Star ended up at Kentucky. Although Hopkins didn't come to Notre Dame it is encouraging that Brey is going after top talent and not shying away from top talent.
While Hopkins seemed to be a lock to Kentucky from day one, someone that is realistic for the Irish to land in the class of 21' is South Bend native Blake Wesley. The guard recently cut his list to 12 and the Irish were included. Wesley is a guard who can score at all three levels consistently, along with defend multiple positions, he is also one of the most athletic players Notre Dame has recruited in recent memory. This summer when playing for the Indy Heat you could see how much better Wesley has gotten as a scorer since the high school season which was a very exciting sight to see. There were rumors going around of Wesley transferring before the start of the season but it seems like the guard will finish his high school career in Notre Dame's backyard at South Bend Riley High school which can only help Notre Dame. Another thing that can only help Notre Dame is his friendship with JR Konieczny along with current Irish players, this seems big but Blake knows people at most schools recruiting him so it isn't a huge deal in terms of his recruitment. For now Wesley will probably release a top 5 list which Notre Dame should be on along with schools like Louisville, Ohio State, Purdue, and maybe Maryland or Texas. We will know a lot about how this class will be when Wesley commits later this fall.
IF Notre Dame can land one of Wesley or Holmes or maybe even both this will be one of their best classes in recent memory especially considering that the outlook on it wasn't great in the spring. Landing Holmes or Wesley will add to a team in 2021-2022 that is already shaping up to be one of Brey's deepest in years and they can get the two top 100 recruits on top of that it could take that team to another level. The future is definitely bright in South Bend!
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