Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly and his staff aren’t settling for College Football Playoff appearances in South Bend. They want more.
And it’s showing on the recruiting trail.
Coming off a second playoff appearance in the last three years, the Irish currently hold the 247Sports Composite’s No. 2 recruiting class in 2022 and they’re off and running in 2023, the latest pledge coming from five-star defensive end Brenan Vernon. The Mentor (Ohio) High blue-chipper chose to play in South Bend over an offer list that included Ohio State, Alabama and several others. ND is sitting at No. 3 very early in that cycle.
“When I went down there the sixth of June, oh man it clicked and I knew right away,” Vernon said. He is the No. 6 defensive lineman and No. 18 prospect overall in the 2023 class.
“Everything there is authentic. It’s such a low-key community and they’re all family. You go into a classroom with 20 people and you’re going to know everyone’s name in that classroom. That’s the best atmosphere for myself. I can stay in my bubble and my own mental path and go about business.”
The 6-foot-5, 245-pound Vernon is part of a recruiting run that could help the Irish seize those two wins they’re seeking to end the season. He is a high-motored, fluid, defensive lineman that plays some of the best competition in the Buckeye State. He joins a class that includes another talented defensive lineman in Keon Keeley.
“I’m just going to go in busting my ass and working as hard as I possibly can simple as that,” Vernon said.
That’s what Brian Kelly and his staff are doing on the trail, trending for several more top targets in 2022 and they’re hitting the 2023 class hard sitting in a good position for guys like five-star athlete Sonny Styles, five-star linebacker Drayk Bowen and coveted Top247 defensive lineman Luke Montgomery.
“I started feeling Notre Dame probably at the beginning of the year when they picked up Coach (Marcus) Freeman and Chad (Bowden) and stuff like that,” Vernon said, adding he had a long-standing relationship with defensive line coach Mike Elston.
“Coach Elston me and him went over a presentation and I like the way I fit into their defense. Of course they’ve been balling and doing their thing.”
Vernon called Elston last weekend and told him he was coming.
“Coach Elston was like holy (expletive),” Vernon laughed. “It was crazy man, Coach Elston and all them were ecstatic and weren’t expecting it at all.”
Kelly is the type of head coach Vernon was looking to play for.
“He’s done a lot,” Vernon said. “He’s an authentic, caring guy, he cares about his players. He’s evolved with recruiting but he cares about his players, the present guys more than anything and he’s a guy I can see being comfortable talking to him about anything with what I have going on. They’re authentic down there and it starts with Coach Kelly and branches down.”
