Three of the biggest misses for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in recruiting under Marcus Freeman
ryan roberts breaks down three players the Notre Dame Fighting Irish missed on under Marcus Freeman including Dylan Edwards and Monroe Freeling
Video Transcript
Speaking of the 2023 class, once upon a time, Notre Dame held a commitment from four-star running back, who was smaller kid, but Dillon Edwards out of the state of Kansas, who was initially committed to Kansas State, where his dad was a very good football player, Leon Edwards.
But Notre Dame got him on campus, one of the fastest players in the 2023 class, got a commitment from him, flipped him from Kansas State.
But for the next like month and a half, it was such a bizarre recruitment because you never really heard from Dillon much.
He didn't spend much time in like the, the commits group chat.
Like he didn't talk really.
It was, it was strange.
And then one day I got a call from a former Notre Dame commit in that class, for- former signee in that class who said, "Hey bro, just give you a heads up.
Dillon Edwards is gonna de-commit.
He just sent a text to the Notre Dame coaches and commits in separate texts saying, 'Hey, I'm, I'm out.'"
And it was the most abrupt, weird ending to a recruitment, 'cause literally less than five minutes later, the graphic goes up, I think it was via Hayes Fawcett, can't remember exactly, but Dillon Edwards had decommitted from Notre Dame.
He ends up signing with Colorado.
He has since transferred to Kansas State, and now he's with Kansas this upcoming season.
I think Notre Dame avoided even more headaches down the road when it comes to Dillon Edwards, but it was just one of the strangest exits of all time, 'cause decommitments happen, but there's some decommitments like Keon Keeley in the past, where Keeley said, "I need to go to Alabama.
I think it's best for me."
And he calls the coaches, has long conversations, gives them the reasoning, and they come to a mutual understanding.
So there's different ways to decommit and there's different ways to flip, and I think the guys like Keeley did it right.
Dillon Edwards, eh, not sure if you did that one right, bro.
Not sure if you did that one right.
But it's ultimately his decision.
We're- It's a blip in the radar.
We don't even think about it much anymore.
But what a strange ending to a recruitment there.
Let's rapid fire through a few more of these.
Once upon a time, the first commit in the 2024 class for Notre Dame was Michigan defensive lineman Brandon Davis-Swayne.
This was an interesting one 'cause he had come, for the, like, Notre Dame Junior Day thing, where, like they do, like, the grill and chill.
And Notre Dame certainly liked Brandon Davis-Swayne, but I don't-- wouldn't necessarily say that Brandon Davis-Swayne was, like, a priority for Notre Dame.
But then he decided that he wanted to commit to the Fighting Irish.
I think he made an impulsive decision.
But Notre Dame took it because Davis-Swayne is talented.
But I do think that it was just a little bit of a rushed decision.
So for months, Brandon Davis-Swayne is the only commitment in the class, and he was the first commitment in the class.
And then down the stretch before he ultimately decided to, to decommit, ended up signing with Colorado, after being committed to Michigan after that as well, you had a moment where basically he was, quote-unquote, negotiating new terms with Notre Dame and trying to get basically more money out of them.
And Notre Dame at that point, again, like I think that they liked Brandon Davis-Swayne, but they didn't love Brandon Davis-Swayne.
So they had basically to have a conversation of like, "Brandon, like, we're not doing this.
We're done."
Both people mutually parted ways.
Brandon Davis-Swayne still kind of waiting to get on the field for Colorado Buffaloes.
Just a really strange first recruitment in a class for the Fighting Irish.
Monroe Freeling, 2023 class offensive tackle.
Notre Dame actually received a silent commitment on campus from Monroe Freeling, but less than 24 hours after the fact, he ended up op- reopening his decision with Harry Heistan, former offensive line coach.
A big reason for it was there was a message board out there that had basically put out this information that had leaked that, that Notre Dame wasn't sure if they were gonna take a commitment from Monroe Freeling, which wasn't true first and foremost.
Heistan was gonna take a commitment from one of the more talented offensive linemen in the 2023 class.
But that kind of got out there and to Freeling, and they had a really awkward conversation, and I think that he should've just trusted the word of Harry Heistan in that situation.
But it just got into the mind of Freeling.
Basically took Notre Dame off the table, ends up signing with Georgia.
That was one of the biggest, like, what-ifs in recruiting over the last several years, 'cause I think Notre Dame had a great chance to get Freeling.
They got the silent.
I think they could've held on to him.
But just a weird rumor that went out in the universe kinda kept that one from happening
