Can Notre Dame football close with 5-star D-line Justin Scott?

Notre Dame football is hosting five-star defensive lineman Justin Scott on Sunday and it’s worth asking if the Irish can close. 

Notre Dame football is off to a really strong start in the 2024 recruiting class. It’s very early but the Irish are ranked third according to the 247 sports team composite rankings.

CJ Carr is the big prize right now. The four-star quarterback is ranked 31st overall according to the 247 sports composite rankings and has been committed since last summer. He is Lloyd Carr’s grandson and landing him was huge for Marcus Freeman.

Yet, you need to have elite players up front and Notre Dame football is hosting one of the top defensive linemen in the 2024 class Justin Scott on Sunday.

Can Notre Dame football close with Justin Scott?

Scott is 6-foot-5, 310 pounds, and out of Chicago, which has always been a fertile recruiting ground for Notre Dame football. Scott is ranked as the No. 3 defensive lineman overall in the 2024 class and would be a massive land for the Irish.

He was recently given a crystal ball projection from Tom Loy of Irish Illustrated but that’s been the only crystal ball projection at this point. Carr has been making a social media push for the elite defensive lineman, but Georgia just jumped into the mix with an offer.

Scott has already announced that he will be making a decision on Jan. 31 but you wonder if he might delay with the Bulldogs and other programs like Michigan trying to make a push. Jim Harbaugh’s uncertainty didn’t help the Wolverines at all, but Michigan is also in the top 8 and Scott has made multiple trips to Ann Arbor.

Notre Dame football is the leader right now according to the On3 prediciton machine which gives the Irish a 67-percent chance to land the commitment of Scott, who would give Notre Dame a cornerstone piece on both sides of the ball in the 2024 class.

It seems like if the commitment comes on Jan. 31, Notre Dame is likely going to be the winner of this recruitment. He’s going to be in South Bend today and I would be hoping for projections to come after that visit if I was a Notre Dame football fan.

Otherwise, I’d be worried about a delay and that’s the last thing the Irish want to see as they are close to finishing with one of their top remaining target on the board in 2024.