Marcus Freeman has to be pleased with his 2024 recruiting class. Heading into his third year as Notre Dame football coach, he's bringing in a solid transfer class, but also a top-10 recruiting class. He's setting the program up for success and to pick up where it left off in 2023.
The Irish ended the season with a Sun Bowl win over Oregon State where Steve Angeli looked like a star at quarterback which will undoubtedly make the position battle interesting this spring with Riley Leonard (presumed starter) transferring in along with four-star CJ Carr.
Speaking of that incoming recruiting class, which incoming freshmen could start in 2024?
3. Guerby Lambert, 4-star OT
One of the easiest choices as a potential starter this upcoming season is four-star offensive tackle Guerby Lambert from West Roxbury, Mass.
Lambert is joining the team after spring ball which could set him back in his quest to replace Blake Fisher and Joe Alt, he's one of the most impressive offensive line recruits in the nation. He's a physically-imposing 6-foot-6, 280-pound tackle from the East Coast who will likely be in consideration for one of the starting tackle jobs with Alt and Fisher gone.
Charles Jagusah and Tosh Baker are the projected starters before the entire 2024 recruiting class gets to campus, but I can bet that once Lambert is in South Bend this summer, he's going to make some noise.
The four-star is ranked the No. 88 overall recruit and No. 8 offensive tackle in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports.
2. Kedren Young, 4-star RB
Gone is Audric Estime after a huge season with the Irish. He finished with 1,341 yards and 18 touchdowns on 6.4 yards per rush. He was one of the best running backs in the country and a legit contender for the Doak Walker Award, but he came up just short. Heck, he was even a Heisman contender at the beginning of the season.
Replacing him won't be easy.
The early favorites to do so are Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price, and Gi'Bran Payne. These three are going to do an excellent job of replacing Estime, but are any of them truly capable of being that workhorse back? Love had just 385 yards last season, Price had 272, and Payne finished with 168. Not exactly proof that any of them are workhorse material.
Enter, Kedren Young, a four-star running back from Lufkin, Texas. He is the No. 111 prospect in the 2024 class as well as the fourth-best running back, per 247Sports.
Young has a strong 5-foot-10, 217-pound frame that should give defenses problems. He could enter the regular rotation right away and even replace one of the three aformentioned backs. I wouldn't be surprised to see him start at some point as a true freshman.
1. Bryce Young, 5-star DL
Notre Dame landed five-star Bryce Young. No, not that Bryce Young. This Bryce Young is actually a defensive lineman from Charlotte, N.C.
The five-star defensive lineman is ranked the No. 24 overall recruit in the class and the sixth-best at his position in 2024. He's going to be a problem for opposing offensive lines next season and that could happen right away.
Need another reason to be excited about the five-star from North Carolina? Well, aside from the fact that every major program in the country wanted him, he has earned Aidan Hutchinson comparisons by 247Sports' Gabe Brooks. Being compared to one of the best young defensive linemen in the NFL and former top-five pick? It doesn't get more exciting than that.
We could soon see another Bryce Young selected in the top five of an NFL draft and it wouldn't surprise me one bit. This kid is going to be a star and that should happen right away.
Notre Dame is losing Javontae Jean-Baptiste from the defensive line so there could be some extra snaps available but even if he was coming back, Young is too good to sit on the bench.