One of the biggest successes Marcus Freeman has had in his time as Notre Dame’s head coach has been what he’s been able to do with recruiting. Freeman has done a lot to modernize it and bring Notre Dame recruiting to the same level as other top programs. This can be seen with the Irish adding four new scouts. As well as embrace analytics by bringing on Anthony Treash, an analyst at Pro Football Focus.
This overhaul has immensely increased Notre Dame’s success in landing high-level recruits. When Brian Kelly was at the helm, the Irish grabbed an average of 9.4 recruits in ESPN’s top 300. However, since Freeman has taken over that number has jumped to 11.7. They’re also up on the amount of four-star recruits going from 12.7 to 14.7.
One of the biggest gets for Freeman is Deuce Knight. Knight is a four-star recruit from Mississippi. He is the face of the 2025 recruiting class. However, in recent days, there have been reports that Knight might not be as committed to the Irish. A school like Auburn may be swooping in and making him de-commit. Here’s why Notre Dame has to do everything to keep Knight.
What’s Going on With Knight?
For those who aren’t following recruiting closely, you might be asking what happened. It seemed like a lock that Knight was the future of the quarterback position for Notre Dame. There weren’t any other teams interested or rumors of another school pursuing him. It seemed like the recruiting race was over and we were just waiting for Knight to sign the letter of intent.
Well, it all started last week with recurring experts Steve Wiltfong and Jeffery Lee both predicted that Knight would flip his commitment from Notre Dame to Auburn. They stated although he loves Freeman and the Irish program there is one thing keeping him from fully committing. That is a want to play in the SEC. This is reportedly a big factor in Knight’s decision and could be the one thing that causes him to flip. This rumor is only backed up when you remember that Ole Miss tried to flip Knight a few months ago.
Why Notre Dame Has To Keep Knight
There are two reasons why Knight has to come to Notre Dame next fall. The first one is how talented a quarterback he is. Knight has been described as a dual threat quarterback with an elite physical profile. He measures at 6’4″, 195 pounds. Last season, in his junior year, he threw for 2047 yards with 17 touchdowns to two interceptions. He also has 494 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. These are elite stats for a quarterback. If there is one thing the Irish has been missing is elite quarterback play. Knight can change that.
The second reason was what Knight has been doing to help Notre Dame recruitment. After announcing his attention to play for the Irish, Knight went to work. He began reaching out to other high level recruits trying to persuade them to join him in South Bend. This is a major advantage for Notre Dame when it comes to recruiting. Having a high level player recruiting for your school makes it much more appealing. If someone as talented as Knight thinks it’s the right option, then it could convince others to think it’s right for them as well.
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