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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish remain HOT on the recruiting trail after they gained a commitment on Wednesday from 4-Star defensive lineman Boubacar Traore. The 6’5” 240 pounder from West Roxbury, Massachusetts, chose the Irish over an offer list that included the Michigan Wolverines and Pittsburgh Panthers.
BREAKING: #NotreDame has landed a commitment from Boubacar Traore, one of the top defensive linemen in the country.
— Tom Loy (@TomLoy247) April 27, 2022
A terrific win for Al Washington, Marcus Freeman, Al Golden and Chad Bowden.
Story: https://t.co/mwpgMSUzEX@24era24#IrishIllustrated @247Sports pic.twitter.com/kAwbh8EnLf
Boubacar Traore gave the Boston College Eagles a commitment back in August of 2020, but had a change of heart this past March when he finally decommitted in March.
Evaluation from 247’s Brian Dohn:
Verified size with nearly 80-inch wing span. High-level athlete with versatility as defensive end or interior defensive lineman. Has frame to play at 250 pounds or bulk up to 280. Brother of NFL offensive lineman Badara Traore. Missed much of junior season with foot injury. Sophomore season limited to four games because of pandemic so plenty of room for development. Shows twitch in firing off ball. Stays low and explodes up and into offensive lineman. Lower body flexibility allows for shoulder dip to gain edge. Effective in back side pursuit. Demonstrates body control in 1-on-1 tackling situations in space. Changes direction well. Shows some stack-and-shed ability. Has to continue to develop upper body strength. Relies heavily on speed so needs to work on technique, particularly with hands, and ability to get inside. All-conference potential at Power 5 level. Early round NFL draft potential.
Traore is the 11th commitment of the 2023 Notre Dame recruiting class and the second 4-Star player from the state of Massachusetts. (That Barry Gallup Jr. pipeline is strong). Currently Notre Dame has the #1 class in the country according to both the 247 Team Composite and the On3 Consensus Team rankings.
2023 Notre Dame Football Commit List (12)
POSITION | PLAYER | STATE | HT | WT | RIVALS | ESPN | 247 SPORTS | 247 COMPOSITE | On3 | On3 Consensus | COMMIT DATE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
POSITION | PLAYER | STATE | HT | WT | RIVALS | ESPN | 247 SPORTS | 247 COMPOSITE | On3 | On3 Consensus | COMMIT DATE |
DE | Keon Keeley | FL | 6'5" | 230 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 06/28/21 |
DE | Brenan Vernon | OH | 6'5" | 245 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 06/29/21 |
S | Adon Shuler | NJ | 6'0" | 190 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 08/15/21 |
TE | Cooper Flanagan | CA | 6'5" | 225 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 09/02/21 |
LB | Drayk Bowen | IN | 6'2" | 215 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 11/03/21 |
S | Peyton Bowen | TX | 6'0" | 185 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 01/01/22 |
LB | Preston Zinter | MA | 6'2" | 220 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 01/11/22 |
WR | Braylon James | TX | 6'3" | 185 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 04/19/22 |
OL | Sam Pendleton | NC | 6'4" | 295 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 04/25/22 |
DL | Boubacar Traore | MA | 6'5" | 240 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 04/27/22 |
DL | Devan Houstan | MD | 6'5" | 270 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 05/07/22 |
OL | Sullivan Absher | NC | 6'7" | 290 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 05/13/22 |
This #1 class is truly anchored right now by the defense — and in particular the defensive line. With 5-Star Keon Keeley as a VYPER and the ability of both Boubacar Traore and Brennan Vernon to play inside or outside, the Irish could be done along the line this cycle — but will still continue to go hard after a couple of Maryland 4-Star DL in Jason Moore and Devan Houstan.
2023 Notre Dame Football Scholarship Chart
Position / Year | Freshmen | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | 5th/6th Year |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position / Year | Freshmen | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | 5th/6th Year |
Quarterback | - | Steve Angeli | Tyler Buchner, Ron Powlus | Drew Pyne | - |
Running Back | - | Jadarian Price, Gi'Bran Payne | Audric Estime, Logan Diggs | Chris Tyree | - |
Tight End | Cooper Flanagan | Eli Raridon, Holden Staes | Cane Berrong, Mitchell Evans | Michael Mayer, Kevin Bauman | - |
Wide Receiver | Braylon James | Tobias Merriweather | Deion Colzie, Lorenzo Styles, Jayden Thomas | - | - |
Center | - | Ashton Craig | Pat Coogan | - | Zeke Correll |
Guard | Sam Pendleton | Billy Schrauth | Rocco Spindler | - | Andrew Kristofic |
Tackle | Sullivan Absher | Joey Tanona, Ty Chan, Aamil Wagner | Blake Fisher, Joe Alt, Caleb Johnson | Michael Carmody, Tosh Baker | - |
Defensive Tackle | Boubacar Traore, Devan Houstan | Tyson Ford, Donovan Hinish | Gabe Rubio | Rylie Mills, Aidan Keanaaina | Howard Cross, NaNa Osafo Mensah |
Defensive End | Keon Keeley, Brenan Vernon | Joshua Burnham, Aiden Gobaira | Jason Onye, Will Schweitzer | Alexander Ehrensberger | Isaiah Foskey, Osita Ekwonu |
Linebacker | Drayk Bowen, Preston Zinter | Nolan Ziegler, Junior Tuihalamaka, Jaylen Sneed | Prince Kollie | Jordan Botelho | Jack Kiser, Marist Liufau, JD Bertrand |
Safety | Adon Shuler, Peyton Bowen | Jayden Bellamy | Justin Walters | Xavier Watts, Ramon Henderson | - |
Cornerback | - | Jayden Mickey, Benjamin Morrison | Ryan Barnes, Philip Riley, Chance Tucker | Clarence Lewis | Cam Hart |
Specialists | - | Bryce McFerson (P) | Josh Bryan (K) | Alex Peitsch (LS) | - |
Totals | 12/85 (12) | 34/85 (22) | 57/85 (23) | 71/85 (14) | 81/85 (10) |
This is a fantastic pickup for the Irish — and one we have been waiting on for about a month now to be public. Traore is a top 100 overall player according to ESPN, 247 Sports, and On3. His small offer list is really only due to his longtime commitment to BC and because of the state that he resides. Traore is a huge win for the Irish in a class that will finish as one of the best on the nation come signing day.
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