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On Friday, 4-Star safety Ben Minich gave his public commitment to join the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and its 2023 recruiting class. The West Chester, Ohio, native (Lakota West) chose the Irish over the Cincinnati Bearcats, Louisville Cardinals, Kentucky Wildcats, Oklahoma Sooners, and many others.
BREAKING: #NotreDame adds a ton of speed in the secondary with its newest commit, safety Ben Minich.
— Tom Loy (@TomLoy247) August 5, 2022
He wanted the offer, impressed everyone at camp, landed it and committed shortly thereafter.
Secondary is loaded.
Story: https://t.co/3df2OoGBF3@BenMinich @247Sports pic.twitter.com/Y5Ayrt3SeQ
Minich’s player rating is all over the map with the recruiting services, but one thing that isn’t in question is that this kid can fly out on the football field.
Good athlete who has played both ways in high school as a wide receiver and safety, and has a track background which includes 100-meter dash times as fast as 10.47. Has good change of direction and short-area quickness along with that long speed. Good ball skills from playing offense. Willing tackler who can still get stronger and add some bulk in order to add more pop as a hitter. Between his athleticism and football I.Q., he is a safe bet to be a college starter and will have a chance to play beyond college.
Ben Minich is now the 22nd commitment in Notre Dame’s 2023 class — a class that is currently #1 according to the 247 Team Composite Rankings. He’s the second Irish commit that’s ranked in Ohio’s top ten for 2023 (Brenan Vernon is the other) which is still a big deal with how Ohio State recruits its backyard, the insurgency of Kentucky, and others out of the region looking to add that classic Ohioan athlete to its roster.
2023 Notre Dame Commit List (23)
SIGNED | POSITION | PLAYER | STATE | HT | WT | RIVALS | ESPN | 247 SPORTS | 247 COMPOSITE | On3 | On3 Consensus | COMMIT DATE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SIGNED | POSITION | PLAYER | STATE | HT | WT | RIVALS | ESPN | 247 SPORTS | 247 COMPOSITE | On3 | On3 Consensus | COMMIT DATE |
☘️ | 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 |
☘️ | 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 |
☘️ | OL | Joe Otting | KA | 6'4" | 275 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 06/07/22 |
☘️ | OL | Charles Jagusah | IL | 6'6" | 308 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 06/30/22 |
☘️ | CB | Micah Bell | TX | 5'11" | 170 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 07/01/22 |
☘️ | WR | Rico Flores | CA | 6'1" | 190 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 07/03/22 |
☘️ | CB | Christian Gray | MO | 6'0" | 170 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 07/04/22 |
☘️ | WR | Jaden Greathouse | TX | 6'2" | 215 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 07/15/22 |
☘️ | LB | Jaiden Ausberry | LA | 6'1" | 210 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 08/04/22 |
☘️ | S | Ben Minich | OH | 5'11" | 190 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 08/05/22 |
☘️ | DE | Armel Mukam | VA | 6'4" | 250 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 08/24/22 |
☘️ | RB | Jeremiyah Love | MO | 6'0" | 190 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 10/26/22 |
☘️ | QB | Kenny Minchey | TN | 6'3" | 215 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 11/22/22 |
☘️ | OL | Chris Terek | IL | 6'6" | 295 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 11/27/22 |
☘️ | WR | Kaleb Smith | TX | 6'1" | 180 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 12/01/22 |
This commitment has nothing to do with the Peyton Bowen situation. Notre Dame wanted five defensive backs in this class and now they have five defensive backs in this class.
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 | Kenny Minchey | Steve Angeli | - | - | Sam Hartman |
Running Back | Jeremiyah Love | Jadarian Price, Gi'Bran Payne | Audric Estime | - | Devyn Ford |
Tight End | Cooper Flanagan | Eli Raridon, Holden Staes | Mitchell Evans, Davis Sherwood | Kevin Bauman | - |
Wide Receiver | Braylon James, Rico Flores, Jaden Greathouse, Kaleb Smith | Tobias Merriweather | Deion Colzie, Jayden Thomas | Chris Tyree | Matt Salerno |
Center | - | Ashton Craig | Pat Coogan | - | Zeke Correll |
Guard | Sam Pendleton, Joe Otting, Chris Terek | Billy Schrauth | Rocco Spindler | - | Andrew Kristofic |
Tackle | Sullivan Absher, Charles Jagusah | Ty Chan, Aamil Wagner | Blake Fisher, Joe Alt | Michael Carmody, Tosh Baker | - |
Defensive Tackle | Boubacar Traore, Devan Houstan | Tyson Ford, Donovan Hinish | Gabe Rubio | Aidan Keanaaina, Rylie Mills | Howard Cross |
Defensive End | Brenan Vernon, Armel Mukam | Joshua Burnham, Aiden Gobaira, Junior Tuihalamaka | Jason Onye | Jordan Botelho | NaNa Osafo-Mensah, Javontae Jean-Baptiste |
Linebacker | Drayk Bowen, Preston Zinter, Jaiden Ausberry | Nolan Ziegler, Jaylen Sneed | - | - | Jack Kiser, Marist Liufau, JD Bertrand |
Safety | Adon Shuler, Ben Minich | - | - | Xavier Watts, Ramon Henderson | D.J. Brown, Thomas Harper, Antonio Carter |
Cornerback | Micah Bell, Christian Gray | Jayden Mickey, Benjamin Morrison | Ryan Barnes, Chance Tucker | Clarence Lewis | Cam Hart |
Specialists | - | Bryce McFerson (P) | - | - | Michael Vinson (LS), Spencer Shrader (K) |
Totals | 23/85 (23) | 43/85 (20) | 56/85 (13) | 66/85 (10) | 83/85 (17) |
As a proud Ohioan myself — I’m really excited about this addition to Notre Dame’s class and applaud 247 Sports and ESPN for the proper 4-Star ranking (while cursing everyone else). A really smart safety with speed and can bring the physicality... IS THIS OHIO’S ZIBBY?! Probably not — but it’s these types of players (Tommy Zbikowski, Alohi Gilman, etc) that have stolen my fandom and my heart for years. This is fantastic.
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