Notre Dame football is known for recruiting from coast to coast. That makes sense given that the recruiting forge is struggling in its home state of Indiana compared to the soccer worlds like Florida, Georgia, California and Texas.
Now on to that Texas thing. Notre Dame is doing something at Longhorn State that they just haven’t done in a long time. They’re putting down roots and making the high school football hotspot a priority.
Since 2000 and with the most recent addition 2024 recruitment Logan Thomas29 players eventually signed on to play at Notre Dame after playing prom in Texas. I’m no math expert, but that’s a little over one player a year on average.
Considering it’s the state that sends more talent to the NFL each year than any other 49, it’s a place you’d probably recruit talent from on a regular basis. That didn’t happen at Notre Dame for the most part from 2015 to 2021, when just five players came from Texas in a seven-year recruiting cycle.
However, it is due in large part to the efforts of the wide receiver coach Chansi Stuckey. Stuckey was instrumental in picking up three receivers from Texas in the 2023 class alone, and the Irish already have a commit while they work on more receivers for 2024.
Here are Notre Dame’s high school engagements from Texas since 2000. While the numbers aren’t huge, the percentage of those who have proven to be significant supporters at Notre Dame is impressive.
2000
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Class participants from Texas: Vontez Duff And Carlyle Holiday (above)
Duff was a star defenseman at Notre Dame, was named a third-team All-American, and went on to play in the NFL. Holiday was the starting quarterback at Notre Dame from parts of 2001 until Brady Quinn took over in the fourth game of the 2003 season.
2001
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Class participants from Texas: none
2002
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Class participants from Texas: Bob Morton (above) And Travis Leitko
Morton was a mainstay on Notre Dame’s offensive line in the early Weis years, while Leitko transitioned from a special team associate to defensive end and eventually defensive tackle during his Ireland tenure.
2003
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Class participants from Texas: Geoff Price
Price was a punter at Notre Dame during the 2006 season when he placed fifth in the national punting average and was a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award.
2004
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Class participants from Texas: none
2005
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Class participants from Texas: Kevin Washington (above)
Washington was a reserve during his time at Notre Dame as he was credited with four tackles in his career.
2006
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Class participants from Texas: none
2007
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Class participants from Texas: none
2008
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Class participants from Texas: Kapron Lewis-Moore (above)
Kapron Lewis-Moore recorded 180 tackles and sacked the quarterback 12 times in his four seasons at Notre Dame. He was captain and had six sacks in a memorable 2012 season.
2009
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Class participants from Texas: Nick Swap
Swap was Notre Dame’s main kicker in 2009, scoring 69 points for the Irish but only scored eight more in the three years that followed.
2010
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Class participants from Texas: none
2011
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Class participants from Texas: Cam McDaniel (above) and Jalen Brown
McDaniel rushed for 1,117 yards and eight touchdowns in his Notre Dame career while Brown struggled to ever see much playing time.
2012
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Class participants from Texas: Nicky Baratti (#29 above)
Baratti played in all 13 games as a freshman in 2012 but struggled to get onto the field in subsequent years.
2013
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Class participants from Texas: Durham Smythe (#80 above), Torii Hunter Jr., And Corey Robinson
Smythe caught 28 passes in a Notre Dame jersey, including 15 as a senior in 2017, and has played for the Miami Dolphins since being drafted by them in 2018. Hunter had 949 career receiving yards and seven touchdowns with the Irish doubles on the Notre Dame baseball team. Robinson was a solid receiver at Notre Dame before being forced to retire from football due to a concussion. In his senior year, Robinson became student president of Notre Dame.
2014
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Class participants from Texas: Grant Blakenship (above), Nick WatkinsAnd Kolin Hill
Watkins mainly contributed to special teams during his tenure, while Hill spent a season with the Irish before joining Texas Tech. Blankenship struggled off the field and ended up playing just 14 games for the Irish.
2015
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Class participants from Texas: Jalen Guyton
Guyton never played a losing effort at Notre Dame as he was kicked off the team after wearing the redshirt in his freshman season. He then transferred to Trinity Valley Community College and then to North Texas. He has been a receiver for the Chargers since 2019.
2016
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Class participants from Texas: none
2017
(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Class participants from Texas: Avery Davis (above) and Brock Wright
Davis was drafted as a star quarterback at Texas High School but transitioned to receiver where he eventually rose to stardom for the Irish and was named captain for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Wright spent most of his college days as a blocking tight end but has found success with the Detroit Lions since joining them in 2021.
2018
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Class participants from Texas: none
2019
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Class participants from Texas: hunter spears And Nana Osafo-Mensah (above)
Spears played three games as a freshman in 2019 before an injury sidelined him for 2020, and in turn he retired ahead of fall 2021 camp. Osafo-Mensah has played 25 games for Notre Dame in the last two years and has recorded 3.5 tackles with losses that tenure. He should be a key figure in Notre Dame’s full-back team this fall.
2020
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Class participants from Texas: none
2021
(Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
Class participants from Texas: none
2022
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Class participants from Texas: Jadarian Prize
Price was injured during the 2022 Blue Gold game, which he performed well. The injury cost him his 2022 season. He’s back in 2023 and is expected to fight for touches in Notre Dame’s backcourt.
2023
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Class participants from Texas: Micah Bell, Jaden Greathouse (above), Braylon James, And Caleb Smith
Of the four signings from Texas in Notre Dame’s most recently completed cycle, three are receivers, with the exception of Bell. Greathouse drew the most views this spring, but don’t be surprised to see a lot of Braylon James in 2023 as well. Smith seems to have some more work to do to find the field.
2024
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Class participants from Texas: Leonard Moore And Logan Thomas
Moore brings a three-star recruiting grade to Notre Dame’s 2024 class as a cornerback. Thomas signed on May 24, 2023, instantly becoming Notre Dame’s top-rated defensive player of the cycle.
Notes since 2000:
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- Since 2000, 29 players from Texas have signed for Notre Dame
- Prior to the 2023 class, who had four Texas appearances, no class at Notre Dame had more than three Texas appearances since 2000 (2013, 2014).
- Texas’ Notre Dame’s six commitments in the last two classes are the most in consecutive classes since 2013–14. Most commits over a three-year period in this window occurred in 2012-14 or 2013-15, as there was one commit in both classes 2012 and 2015. Notre Dame has already crossed that line with Classes 2022-24, with Class 2024 obviously not over yet.
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