Editor's Note: This story was published before Asmar Bilal became Notre Dame's 20th commitment when he pledged to the Irish on Thursday.
Notre Dame’s class of 2015 swelled to 19 members with the commitment of defensive end Bo Wallace on Sunday.
Wallace, who visited campus for the North Carolina game last weekend, is listed as a three-star outside linebacker, according to 247Sports. Irish recruiting analyst Tom Loy said regardless of position, Wallace will bring a strong pass-rushing presence to the Notre Dame defense.
“Notre Dame wanted a pass-rusher in this class, a true pass-rusher that they can move from defensive end and also a guy that they can slide back and play linebacker if necessary,” said Loy, who covers Notre Dame recruiting for Blue and Gold Illustrated, part of the 247Sports network. “They got exactly what they were looking for in Bo Wallace.”
“He’s very thin. That’s probably his only knock at this point — his strength, his mass and his overall weight and size,” Loy said. “He’s not the kind of guy who’s going to step right in and be a difference-maker on defense.”
Loy said Wallace stacks up in terms of skills and polish, but adding muscle will be crucial for the pass-rusher. Loy said he wouldn’t be surprised if Wallace sat out in his first season, gained weight and contributed in his sophomore year.
“The Notre Dame staff thinks he can be not good but great in about two years after working with [Irish director of football strength and conditioning] Paul Longo,” Loy said.
With roughly 16 weeks until National Signing Day, Notre Dame has filled 19 slots in its class. Before the season, Loy expected the Irish to take 23 commitments this recruiting cycle. Now, he thinks the number could be 25, saying there’s still plenty of prospects the Irish are in good shape to get, and others who could still emerge down the stretch.
Notre Dame will soon know where it stands with class of 2015 linebacker Tevon Coney, who recently announced on Twitter that he will announce his commitment Thursday. Loy said although Miami is in the discussion, he expects Coney’s decision to come down to Notre Dame and Florida.
“I still believe that he’s going to end up at Notre Dame,” Loy said of Coney.
With five weeks until its next home game, Saturday’s game against North Carolina gave Notre Dame a chance to welcome more recruits on official visits. Class of 2015 running backs Nick Brossette and Cameron Scarlett were two of the headliners.
Loy said he still believes the Irish are in the mix for Brossette — an LSU commit and the No. 140 player in the country. But Loy said he thinks it would be a difficult decision for the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native to travel so far to school.
Loy said based on everything he has been told, Scarlett “loves Notre Dame.” However, distance and weather could be factors, Loy said, for the No. 336 player in the country, who hails from Portland, Oregon.
For more on Notre Dame recruiting, check out BlueAndGold.com. Email Andrew Owens at
aowens@blueandgold.com and tell him The Observer sent you.
