Writing in the Atheltic, Pete Sampson and Grace Raynor outlined the 'unenviable' task facing Notre Dame as they try to recruit a quarterback ahead of next season.
"Losing Knight is arguably bigger than Notre Dame’s two most recent high-profile decommitments, defensive end Keon Keeley (Alabama) and safety Peyton Bowen (Oklahoma) from the 2023 cycle," the experts at The Athletic wrote.
With so many of the best prospects committed to other programs, Notre Dame's task to find a high caliber quarterback is a stark one. "Replacing a quarterback at this stage of the recruiting cycle is harder, given the scarcity of blue-chip prospects, nearly all of whom have made their college choices. Knight, even with advanced notice of his potential decommitment and the decision coming two months before the early signing period, will be hard to replace," wrote Sampson and Raynor.
"Of the top 65 ranked quarterbacks in the 247Sports Composite, 64 of them have already made verbal commitments. That leaves Notre Dame to attempt to create its own flip, which it did two years ago with Kenny Minchey after pulling out of the Dante Moore sweepstakes."
The question now turns to who the Fighting Irish may target, having already made offers to eight quarterbacks, all of whom have committed elsewhere. However, the Athletic's Notre Dame experts believe that the Irish may take their time before making their next move.
"Eight other quarterbacks listed Irish offers earlier in their recruitments, with all eight now committed elsewhere. From that group, Notre Dame was closest with four-star Bear Bachmeier, a four-star prospect from Murrieta, Calif., who committed to Stanford in February. Bachmeier also listed offers from Alabama, Oregon, Texas A&M, and Michigan," wrote Sampson and Raynor.
"Considering the state of Stanford football, with its move to the ACC and three consecutive 3-9 seasons, could Notre Dame push its way back into Bachmeier’s recruitment?
"Notre Dame could also take its time in reevaluating its quarterback board, then bet on the rest of its season to move the needle with prospects committed elsewhere. Would a run to the College Football Playoff with improvement from Riley Leonard make other quarterbacks think twice about the Irish?
"Regardless, Notre Dame will have to flip a quarterback from another program if it wants to sign one this cycle."
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