When Rivals released its final Rivals250 for the 2023 class in January, four Notre Dame signees were handed sizable drops: cornerback Micah Bell, running back Jeremiyah Love and offensive tackles Charles Jagusah and Sullivan Absher.
Bell, Love and Jagusah each dropped at least 47 spots in the overall top 250. Absher, who was ranked at No. 247 previously, dropped out of the Rivals250 entirely.
Inside ND Sports caught up with our Rivals national analysts for insight on what went into the decisions to drop those four Irish recruits.
Four-star cornerback Micah Bell
Previous rankings: No. 3 athlete and No. 141 overall
Final rankings: No. 6 athlete and outside Rivals250
Rivals national analyst Nick Harris: "After spending his high school career dominating a lower-tier private school conference in Texas, Micah Bell had a big proving opportunity at the All-American Bowl to prove his worth as a top 150 player in the country or even higher. However, Bell struggled most of the week aside from an instinctual interception during one of the practices that turned some heads.
"There are also some concerns about Bell’s size at 5-foot-10, 165 pounds. I personally see Bell as more of a difference maker at slot receiver rather than cornerback, but his speed and quick twitch is what keeps him a four-star prospect, which still shows our expectation for Bell being a top player for the Irish late in his career. Depending on how quickly he can catch up to the speed of the college game as well as catching up in the weight room will determine how efficient he becomes for Notre Dame."
Four-star running back Jeremiyah Love
Previous rankings: No. 4 running back and No. 59 overall
Final rankings: No. 8 running back and No. 129 overall
Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney: "After seeing all these running backs through their senior seasons but especially at the all-star games, we wanted to move Love down a little bit but not completely plummet him because he's still a very talented player with a great résumé. But his showing in Orlando was sort of muted and from a physical perspective, he's not in the same league yet as Justice Haynes, Roderick Robinson, Richard Young and others ahead of him."
Four-star offensive tackle Charles Jagusah
Previous rankings: No. 9 offensive tackle and No. 119 overall
Final rankings: No. 13 offensive tackle and No. 166 overall
Rivals national analyst Clint Cosgrove: “The first thing that stands out about Jagusah is his ceiling and upside is incredible. He’s just so raw that you don’t know what’s going to happen. I do think that he’ll end up being a very good player. Two years from now, we could think we had him rated too high. Then he’s the type of player who in year three or year four could go on to be an All-American and first-round draft pick.
“He did not dominate the competition in our in-person evaluation. And it was competition that wasn’t very good either. At the same time, he has the frame, the upside and the athleticism that we love. It’s just going to take a couple years of development and coaching.
“He’s a wrestler. He’s a hard-working kid. He’s a smart kid. So he has all that going for him. For the tools that he has, he should have dominated much more than he did as a senior. Putting him at the position he’s at right now is a safer place for him in terms of future outlook. He has a lot of growth in front of him.
“He’s still rated high. He still has every tool physically, mentally, athletically to be a standout and a future first-round draft pick. There’s just a lot of uncertainties with him right now. Had he competed at the All-American Bowl — and I understand it was an injury and he couldn’t — he could have answered some of those questions. There’s just a ton of questions of where he ends up at this point.”
Four-star offensive tackle Sullivan Absher
Previous rankings: No. 22 offensive tackle and No. 247 overall
Final rankings: No. 29 offensive tackle and outside Rivals250
Gorney: “There is no question that Absher has a phenomenal frame, so there is a lot to work with there and a lot to build on. But he definitely struggled during one-on-ones at the All-American Bowl. To be fair, Absher has probably never seen such elite talent and many other elite offensive linemen had tough times at postseason events only to be outstanding in game situations, so Absher remains a four-star but had to get bumped down.”
Bell, Love and Jagusah each dropped at least 47 spots in the overall top 250. Absher, who was ranked at No. 247 previously, dropped out of the Rivals250 entirely.
Inside ND Sports caught up with our Rivals national analysts for insight on what went into the decisions to drop those four Irish recruits.
Four-star cornerback Micah Bell
Previous rankings: No. 3 athlete and No. 141 overall
Final rankings: No. 6 athlete and outside Rivals250
Rivals national analyst Nick Harris: "After spending his high school career dominating a lower-tier private school conference in Texas, Micah Bell had a big proving opportunity at the All-American Bowl to prove his worth as a top 150 player in the country or even higher. However, Bell struggled most of the week aside from an instinctual interception during one of the practices that turned some heads.
"There are also some concerns about Bell’s size at 5-foot-10, 165 pounds. I personally see Bell as more of a difference maker at slot receiver rather than cornerback, but his speed and quick twitch is what keeps him a four-star prospect, which still shows our expectation for Bell being a top player for the Irish late in his career. Depending on how quickly he can catch up to the speed of the college game as well as catching up in the weight room will determine how efficient he becomes for Notre Dame."
Four-star running back Jeremiyah Love
Previous rankings: No. 4 running back and No. 59 overall
Final rankings: No. 8 running back and No. 129 overall
Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney: "After seeing all these running backs through their senior seasons but especially at the all-star games, we wanted to move Love down a little bit but not completely plummet him because he's still a very talented player with a great résumé. But his showing in Orlando was sort of muted and from a physical perspective, he's not in the same league yet as Justice Haynes, Roderick Robinson, Richard Young and others ahead of him."
Four-star offensive tackle Charles Jagusah
Previous rankings: No. 9 offensive tackle and No. 119 overall
Final rankings: No. 13 offensive tackle and No. 166 overall
Rivals national analyst Clint Cosgrove: “The first thing that stands out about Jagusah is his ceiling and upside is incredible. He’s just so raw that you don’t know what’s going to happen. I do think that he’ll end up being a very good player. Two years from now, we could think we had him rated too high. Then he’s the type of player who in year three or year four could go on to be an All-American and first-round draft pick.
“He did not dominate the competition in our in-person evaluation. And it was competition that wasn’t very good either. At the same time, he has the frame, the upside and the athleticism that we love. It’s just going to take a couple years of development and coaching.
“He’s a wrestler. He’s a hard-working kid. He’s a smart kid. So he has all that going for him. For the tools that he has, he should have dominated much more than he did as a senior. Putting him at the position he’s at right now is a safer place for him in terms of future outlook. He has a lot of growth in front of him.
“He’s still rated high. He still has every tool physically, mentally, athletically to be a standout and a future first-round draft pick. There’s just a lot of uncertainties with him right now. Had he competed at the All-American Bowl — and I understand it was an injury and he couldn’t — he could have answered some of those questions. There’s just a ton of questions of where he ends up at this point.”
Four-star offensive tackle Sullivan Absher
Previous rankings: No. 22 offensive tackle and No. 247 overall
Final rankings: No. 29 offensive tackle and outside Rivals250
Gorney: “There is no question that Absher has a phenomenal frame, so there is a lot to work with there and a lot to build on. But he definitely struggled during one-on-ones at the All-American Bowl. To be fair, Absher has probably never seen such elite talent and many other elite offensive linemen had tough times at postseason events only to be outstanding in game situations, so Absher remains a four-star but had to get bumped down.”
