Notre Dame still has a path to a top 10 recruiting class in 2021, but their margin for error has gotten pretty narrow at this point. One pivotal recruit the Irish need to land to make a top 10 class a reality, 4-star WR Jayden Thomas, announced his final five schools on Friday, and the Irish made the cut.
It should not be a surprise to anyone that Notre Dame is one of the five schools that Thomas has zeroed in on along with Michigan, Arkansas, Penn State, and Georgia. The Irish have been one of Thomas’s favorites for a while with wide receivers coach Del Alexander and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees doing a great job of keeping the Irish firmly in the race despite the extended dead period.
Thomas specifically mentioned the relationship with Alexander and Rees when interviewed about his finalists by Rivals’ Chad Simmons on Friday.
“I have grown a close relationship with coach Alexander and coach Rees. They have been pushing hard for me too.”
Chad Simmons interview with Jayden Thomas
For Notre Dame to finish with a top-10 class, they need to make sure that the next time Thomas makes a cut, they are either still alive or are his decision. Right now, Notre Dame has just one wide receiver in the class, top-100 prospect Lorenzo Styles. They want to add at least two more pure wide receivers to the class.
If Thomas is one of those receivers, they’ll have a chance to affirm their spot towards the back end of the top-10.
Notre Dame’s baseball program could be vital in luring the talented multisport star out of the South and to South Bend. Thomas wants to play both baseball and football on the next level. Notre Dame’s success with baseball/football dual-sport stars such as Cole Kmet, Golden Tate, Torii Hunter Jr, and Jeff Samardzija has been part of Notre Dame’s pitch.
Thomas has indicated that he will be making his decision at some point during his senior season – if there is one. If there isn’t, he told Chad Simmons in that same Rivals interview that he might wait until December and announced his decision on his mother’s birthday – December 22.
Either way, it looks like Notre Dame fans will have to wait a bit longer to know whether or not the Irish can pull Thomas out of Georgia and add him to their class of 2021. The good news, however, is that they are one step closer to making that happen by making his cut as one of the finalists in his recruitment.
