Notre Dame Football: Early look at top 5 targets in 2022 recruiting class

Notre Dame football signed one of the best recruiting classes for 2021, but the Irish need to do even better in 2022. And they probably can.

National Signing Day is officially in the books and Brian Kelly just signed one of the best recruiting classes in the country in 2021 but he knows he has plenty of work to do in 2022 and beyond if the Irish are ever going to match up favorably with the Clemsons and Alabamas of college football.

Much like the 2021 class, the Irish are in on quite a few blue-chip prospects and it’s hard to just list a handful of their top targets.

But here are the five guys the Irish need to make a priority before 2022 National Signing Day approaches.

Watching Kyren Williams break out for over 1,000 yards had to be intriguing for young running backs considering Notre Dame. That breakout paid off for the Irish in the 2021 class, flipping four-star Audric Estime from Michigan State and it might pay dividends in 2022 with four-star Nicholas Singleton from Pennsylvania.

The Irish had an identity on offense based around the run game in 2020 and that should continue with the type of talent coming into the backfield and on the offensive line.

Brian Kelly wants to run it down teams’ throats and that should continue, especially if he can land Singleton.

Singleton is one of the best running backs in the 2022 class, ranked No. 7 at the position and he’s the No. 111 overall prospect, according to the composite. Ohio State and Penn State will be Notre Dame’s biggest competition for him.