Notre Dame football may have just found a diamond in the rough that could continue upgrading a very important position
Notre Dame football just found a fast rising but underrated defensive tackle recruit to know.
Notre Dame football has been recruiting on a very high level under head coach Marcus Freeman. As upgrades have been made all over the roster, the Fighting Irish still have a couple of position groups that need to get better. There has not been a more pressing upgrade that still needs to continue to be prioritized than there is at defensive tackle.
When new defensive line coach Charlie Partridge came in, Irish fans quickly saw the dividends pay off via the transfer portal when they were able to secure commitments from Tionne Gray (Oregon) and Francis Brewu (Pitt). The biggest gripe with former defensive line coach Al Washington from Notre Dame fans was his inconsistency with securing top defensive tackle talent through high school recruiting. Washington did a lot of good things while in South Bend, but that was not one of them.
Notre Dame made an intriguing defensive line offer recently with talented 2027 Wellington (Fla.) Palm Beach Central defensive tackle Tyler Alexander. When you first look up Alexander, you are going to notice something slightly unsettling – not a single major recruiting platform has ranked him yet. Right or wrong, some fans are immediately going to dismiss Alexander and question recruiting tactics.
Once you start doing more research, however, it becomes apparent that Notre Dame may have just found a bit of a diamond in the rough. It is uncertain if the Irish staff is going to make a massive push for Alexander, or if he is merely an example of continuing to build out a talented board. When you pop on the film, although a bit of a raw developmental prospect, the appeal for Alexander quickly elevates. This is an extremely talented football player who has fallen a bit through the cracks for whatever reason.
It will be very interesting to monitor if Alexander becomes a key early target for Partridge, and just how hard they decide to push.
Tyler Alexander’s recruiting background
As a junior this past season, Alexander put together a tremendous season for Palm Beach Central. In 11 games, the 6-5, 300-pound defensive tackle was able to collect 46 total tackles, 20 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. Alexander also recorded another 21 quarterback hurries.
Alexander is not yet ranked by any of the major recruiting platforms. Judging by his growing offer list, however, that should change pretty quickly. Some of the top programs that have offered Alexander so far include the Fighting Irish, Texas, Texas A&M, Florida, Florida State, Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, Pitt, Virginia Tech, and Syracuse, among several others.
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