Notre Dame signing Marcus Freeman as its next defensive coordinator provides a unique opportunity for the Irish to start doing more damage in the state of Ohio for recruits.
Ohio has long been one of the nation’s premier prep football states. It continually sends players across the country to play football at Power Five programs. Notre Dame lands a few top Ohio prospects, but that trend could see a jump start with Freeman coming to South Bend and Notre Dame.
There are several areas that Freeman can help Notre Dame. It’s a long process, but his name recognition and ties to the Buckeye State will help Notre Dame with recruiting. Here’s a look at some of the trends to follow.
Battling Ohio State
Coach Freeman is not going to suddenly hammer his alma mater and sign the top two or three targets in Ohio that Ohio State wants, at least not consistently. Ohio State has an extremely strong following in Ohio. For the most part, the Buckeyes can pick and choose amongst the top five prep players in the state each year. That’s just reality. There are two additional areas to consider, however.
If Coach Freeman can help the Irish land even one stud from Ohio, per year, that the Irish do not normally sign, it’s a positive step for the Notre Dame program. That one guy that’s a difference-maker at cornerback or defensive end could be the final piece to Notre Dame making headway in the college football playoffs. The second part is more of a long-term effect.
Once Coach Freeman makes inroads into Ohio, the Irish need to be able to continue that trend with other assistant coaches. Keep in mind that Ohio State has truly started recruiting nationally much the same way Alabama does. The Buckeyes used to recruit 10 or more players from inside the state of Ohio, but that’s no longer the case. Five, maybe six in-state players a year sign with Ohio State, give or take, each year. There’s still plenty of top-notch talent to be signed.
That trend will help Notre Dame as there are so many really good prospects in Ohio year after year, and several of the Notre Dame assistant coaches need to be involved with Ohio recruiting to take advantage of Ohio State not prioritizing the in-state talent pool to its fullest capabilities. In the near future, that fact should benefit Notre Dame.
Inroads to Cincinnati Talent
This area is quite simple. With direct access to the local talent, Coach Freeman knows the local high school coaches well. Coaching clinics, visiting the local high schools during recruiting visits, and the high school coaches visiting Cincinnati when bringing recruits to see the Cincinnati game day atmosphere all are a part of getting to know the greater Cincinnati high school landscape.
Will the Irish target any particular Cincinnati prospects? That’s tough to say. More importantly, Coach Freeman will bring working knowledge of an area that Notre Dame used to do very well with recruiting in the 1970s and 1980s. That trend waned since the 1990s, but again, even if it’s just that one big-time player, it can change Notre Dame’s fortunes for the better.
The strong Catholic school tradition in the Cincinnati area certainly helps.
Connections to Cities and Programs Close to Cincinnati
Whether it's a city like Florence, just across the Ohio River in Kentucky, or cities just to the north of Cincinnati like Middletown, Miamisburg, Dayton, and Huber Heights, all of them are cities Coach Freeman has recruited. Each city is an hour or less from the University of Cincinnati campus. In fact, Coach Freeman played his prep football at Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne.
It’s a prominent prep football program that’s located on the edge of Dayton. Just having contacts into that program and the surrounding area provides a leg up on the competition. Coach Freeman will have insights into underclassmen, transfers and the overall recruiting landscape of Dayton, a city that always has power five talent.
Ironically, two of Notre Dame’s offers for the class of 2022 come from the same high school that Coach Freeman once starred for while playing linebacker, Wayne High School. Tight end recruit Elijah Brown is an intriguing prospect because he’s not yet filled out. He’s as much an athlete as he is a football player.
Listed at 6-5, 230-pounds, Brown could be a player that splits out and causes defenses issues. Length and athleticism are coveted by all the major programs across the country because it creates mismatches. Ironically, Ohio State already secured the commitments of two out of state tight end commitments, so Brown could be a viable option for the Irish. His teammate at Wayne High School is also a coveted prospect.
One of the most athletic left tackle prospects from the class of 2022, Aamil Wagner checks in at a reported 6-6, 255-pounds. A very aggressive player that climbs to the second level very well, Wagner is a player with great potential. He’s going to need a year to gain the necessary weight, but he’s athletic enough to play the all-important left tackle position.
On the recruiting front, Wagner does not yet possess an Ohio State offer. The Irish, however, already extended an offer.
As the class of 2022 truly begins to take shape, the greater Cincinnati to Dayton area should be one to monitor. Notre Dame could do some damage here. There are several other prospects to consider and Irish Breakdown will cover more of these players in the near future.
Familiarity With Ohio High School Coaches in General
Even outside of the greater Cincinnati area, Coach Freeman is going to know high school coaches from across the state of Ohio. Cleveland, Akron, Toledo, Youngstown, Warren, Lima, and so on and so forth; bringing more connections to Notre Dame will be a bonus for the Irish.
Notre Dame could make some headway in Cleveland and eastern Ohio, areas that the Irish have not maximized during the past 25 years. The greater Cleveland to Youngstown area produces a lot of talent and the Irish do occasionally land a private school player that’s really good like Liam Eichenberg or Shaun Crawford. Hopefully, Notre Dame can once again raid that area, and not just the Catholic and private schools.
Notre Dame needs to be able to land public school players from those areas, too. The Irish have been abysmal at landing top-level Ohio public school players for a very long time. That trend needs to end.
With Ohio State looking more and more for out of state talent, it’s quite possible that Notre Dame could finally make a breakthrough with top public school talent from the state of Ohio. That development would be huge for the Notre Dame Football program.
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